The surging Atlanta Hawks host the struggling Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night with playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference on the line.
The Atlanta Hawks are playing their best basketball of the season, and Monday night's home date with the Memphis Grizzlies offers another chance to strengthen their footing in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Atlanta (39-32) has won 12 of its previous 13 games and extended its home winning streak to 10 straight Saturday with a 126-110 win over the Golden State Warriors. The Hawks rank sixth in the East — safely inside the playoff picture and out of play-in territory.
The Hawks are coming off a blowout victory over a shorthanded Warriors team. Atlanta needed a bounce-back performance after coming off a 117-95 loss to the Houston Rockets the night before that ended an 11-game winning streak. The Hawks pulled away from the Warriors using a 37-19 differential in the third quarter.
"That third quarter where we came out and really put the game away was how we've been playing on that win streak," guard Dyson Daniels said.
Daniels was the story Saturday, scoring 28 points — matching his career high — on 12-of-17 shooting with six assists and four steals. He knocked down two three-pointers for the first time all season and scored 15 in the first quarter alone. Mouhamed Gueye started in place of the injured Jalen Johnson and shot 6-of-6 from the floor while recording 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Johnson, Atlanta's leading scorer, sat out with left shoulder inflammation and is listed as questionable for Monday. His availability will be worth monitoring, but the Hawks have shown they can handle his absence. CJ McCollum added 23 points against the Warriors and helped steady the offense in the second half after a productive halftime conversation among the group.
"We had a productive halftime conversation about what we needed to do in the second half differently in terms of intensity defensively, securing rebounds and getting out and running," McCollum said. "I think we did that well."
Zaccharie Risacher and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each added 17 points off the bench as Atlanta shot 54 percent from the floor.
The Grizzlies (24-46) have lost 10 of their last 11 and were blown out 124-101 by the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday, again playing without Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, Zach Edey, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and several others. They have lost six straight road games and hold no realistic path to the play-in tournament.
Atlanta beat Memphis 124-122 on Jan. 21 but has lost the last three meetings at State Farm Arena. The Hawks will be looking to flip that trend Monday with home court and momentum firmly on their side.
Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET on FanDuel Sports Network Southeast.