The Atlanta Hawks will look to stretch their home winning streak to 10 games when they return from a two-game road trip to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.
The Hawks (38-32) had their season-long 11-game winning streak broken on Friday in a 117-95 loss at Houston, ending their longest streak since setting the franchise record with 19 straight victories during the 2014-15 season.
Atlanta hasn’t lost at home since Feb. 20 against Miami.
The Warriors (33-37) will play their fifth game of a six-game road trip when they stop in Atlanta. They are 1-3 on the trip after Friday’s 115-101 loss to Detroit.
Atlanta remains in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one-half game behind No. 6 Orlando, and is trying to avoid the play-in tournament. Golden State is No. 10 in the West, one game behind the ninth-place Los Angeles Clippers.
“We’re in a situation now down the stretch where we have to approach these games like the playoffs have already started,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said. “One of the things we’ve been able to do while winning is continue to get better. I think it is important to raise your level, and we need to do that.”
Saturday’s game could mark a return to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis, who played 17 games for the Hawks in an injury-marred season before being traded to Golden State last month.
Porzingis is averaging 14.9 points in seven games since joining Golden State, but he might not play Saturday after leaving Friday’s game in the second quarter with a lower back injury.
“I thought we were hanging in there the first half, but when (Porzingis) went out to take away our five against a great defensive team, you knew it was going to be hard to find openings,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “And the second half just got away from us.”
Kerr blamed turnovers. The Warriors committed 25, four each by Draymond Green and De’Anthony Melton, which led to 32 points.
“It was disappointing because I felt good coming into the game,” Kerr said. “I didn’t think we made good decisions early, and it kind of set the tone. We were knocking down some shots and doing some good things but just set a poor tone with the turnovers, and it really got away from us in the second half.”
Atlanta has won six straight games on its home court against Golden State, a streak that dates to Dec. 3, 2018. The Hawks beat the Warriors 124-111 on Jan. 11 in San Francisco behind 24 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
The Warriors have been stripped of many of their top players because of injuries. The list includes Stephen Curry (right patellofemoral), Seth Curry (left adductor strain), Al Horford (right calf strain), Moses Moody (right wrist strain) and Quinten Post (right foot injury management) and Jimmy Butler III (right ACL surgery).
Golden State is 6-14 since Stephen Curry was injured on Jan. 30.
The Hawks played Friday without Jonathan Kuminga, who continues to deal with a left knee bone bruise he had when he was acquired in the trade with Golden State at the deadline last month.
–Field Level Media
