Bo Churney of Hawks Hoop: “The Hawks picked up their fifth straight victory over a playoff team on Tuesday night by defeating the Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 107-104. The Hawks have 14 of 15 games after a 7-6 start to the season. “In these last couple of weeks, we’ve shown improvement on the defensive end of the floor,” said head coach Mike Budenholzer. “As far as the thing we point to the most, the fact that we have different guys who step up every night and make big plays throughout the game. We’ve got a good team.”
Ken Berger of CBS Sports: “ATLANTA — About an hour before tipoff, in the place they used to call the “Highlight Factory,” Dominique Wilkins darts around the Philips Arena court. He is wearing a crisp beige suit and a million-dollar smile. He is inhaling every breath of this strange, wonderful new experience on Marietta Street, in the city that professional basketball forgot for years. Wilkins, who looks like he can still take off from the foul line and dunk at 54 years old, hugs friends and fans, poses for cell-phone pictures and generally excels in his role as professional multitasker — broadcaster, bon vivant, ambassador, cheerleader, you name it.”
Kevin Pelton of ESPN: “Since the calendar turned to December, the Atlanta Hawks have emerged as the NBA’s hottest team. After a 7-6 start, the Hawks have won 13 of their past 14 games, capped by Monday night’s win over the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. The victory vaulted Atlanta into second place in the Eastern Conference, just a game behind the East-leading Toronto Raptors. In the context of everything in the previous paragraph, this fact beggars belief: Atlanta’s starting five has been outscored in the month of December. Per NBA.com/Stats, the Hawks’ typical starters (Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Paul Millsap and Al Horford) are in fact a minus-4 in the 146 minutes they’ve played together this month, when Atlanta has outscored its opponents by a mere 132 points. To explain this seeming contradiction, we must turn to the Hawks’ bench. Because head coach Mike Budenholzer came from the San Antonio Spurs, where he was an assistant to Gregg Popovich, Atlanta is frequently compared to San Antonio — but usually in the context of the team’s emphasis on ball movement and shooting. It’s another trait shared with the Spurs, depth, that is helping the Hawks’ rise in the East.”
