Atlanta Hawks' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for December
The Atlanta Hawks have started the 2014-15 season with a middle-of-the-road 7-6 record, but their December slate of games offers hope for the team to improve its mark and standing in the Eastern Conference.
To start the year's final month, the Hawks will play eight consecutive contests against opponents with a winning percentage lower than theirs. This soft portion of the schedule should give Atlanta confidence and a few extra wins above .500 for good measure.
Unfortunately, the competition stiffens considerably for the Hawks during the latter half of the month. The team has matchups against powers such as the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers (twice), Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers.
But Hawks players and fans alike should still look at December as an opportunity to move up in the standings.
Let's go through each week of the month and take a stab at the result of every game.
Dec. 1 Through Dec. 7
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Key Matchup: Dec. 3 at Miami (L)
The Hawks' big game in the first week of December will be played in South Beach against their Southeast Division rival, the 8-7 Miami Heat.
The two squads already met once this season in Atlanta on Nov. 14, with the Hawks winning 114-103.
Unfortunately for Atlanta, the circumstances will be a bit different the second time around. In the first matchup, Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade sat out with a hamstring strain. Although Wade still hasn't played since then, he aims to be back on the court Nov. 30 contest against the New York Knicks, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (h/t RotoWorld). Naturally, that means he should be good to go for the Hawks game three days later.
In addition to Wade's return, the Hawks will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back and on the road, where they are 2-4 so far this season.
Although the two teams are quite evenly matched when fully healthy, the fatigue and lack of fan support in the stands will prevent the Hawks from getting the victory.
Other Games: Dec. 2 vs. Boston (W), Dec. 5 at Brooklyn (W), Dec. 7 vs. Denver (W)
Aside from the Miami game, Atlanta has three very winnable games on the docket.
First up is a home contest against the 4-8 Boston Celtics, who have once again failed to assemble a quality team around All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. That should be an easy Atlanta win.
Following the aforementioned Heat game comes a contest at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where the Hawks will face the 6-8 Nets. Brooklyn doesn't have a bad squad, but considering the Hawks game comes immediately after a tilt with the San Antonio Spurs and directly before games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls, the Nets' attention may not be on their game against Atlanta.
The 7-8 Denver Nuggets aren't a weak team by any means, but they lack the star power to keep up with Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap and Al Horford. The Hawks (5-2 at home) will take care of the Nuggets (3-5 away from home).
Record: 3-1
Dec. 8 Through Dec. 14
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Key Matchup: Dec. 8 at Indiana (W)
A road game in Indianapolis against the 6-9 Indiana Pacers just happens to be the most intriguing contest in a very easy week for Atlanta.
The Hawks fell to the Pacers in seven games in the first round of the 2014 playoffs, but both teams will look much different on Dec. 8 than they did seven months ago.
For Indiana, star small forward Paul George is likely out for the year with a broken leg, and shooting guard Lance Stephenson is now a Charlotte Hornet. Fellow starters David West, Roy Hibbert and George Hill are also all injured at the moment. Consider West and Hibbert the most likely to play against Atlanta, as ESPN lists their injury status as day to day.
Unlike Indiana, Atlanta is healthier than it was in the playoffs, as center Al Horford is back from the pectoral injury that sidelined him most of last season.
Not to mention, the Hawks already beat the Pacers 102-92 in Atlanta on Nov. 1.
Considering Atlanta's health and Indiana's lack of health, as well as the Hawks win earlier in the season, the result of this game will tilt in Atlanta's favor.
Other Games: Dec. 10 vs. Philadelphia (W), Dec. 12 vs. Orlando (W), Dec. 13 at Orlando (L)
The Philadelphia 76ers are 0-15. They aren't favored to win a single game this season. They are not good at basketball.
Is the outcome of this game really in question? (The Hawks will win.)
Atlanta then faces the 6-11 Orlando Magic twice in a home-and-away on back-to-back nights to end the week. I see the Hawks winning the home game but falling short on the road.
The Magic are the fourth-youngest team in the league, per RealGM, while the Hawks rank No. 18. The young Orlando athletes, such as Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Elfrid Payton, Nicola Vucevic and Evan Fournier, will come out with energy and take advantage of the more fatigued Hawks in the Dec. 13 contest.
Record: 3-1
Dec. 15 Through Dec. 21
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Key Game: Dec. 17 at Cleveland (L)
The first matchup between the Hawks and the 7-7 Cleveland Cavaliers this season wasn't pretty for Atlanta. Cleveland banged in its first nine three-pointers and demolished the Hawks at home 127-94.
Atlanta will be looking for some revenge in the Dec. 17 game when it travels to the Quicken Loans Arena to face the Cavaliers again.
Unfortunately, the Cavs have started to hit their stride as of late, with two consecutive wins by at least 26 points. In three weeks, expect the Cavs to be even more used to playing with one another.
This game will be much closer than the last time the two teams played, but Cleveland will still come away victorious at home.
Other Games: Dec. 15 vs. Chicago (W), Dec. 20 at Houston (L)
The Hawks' Dec. 15 contest against the 9-6 Chicago Bulls will be a statement game for Atlanta. The Hawks will finish the 48 minutes at Philips Arena victorious against the Bulls, proving they can compete with the Eastern Conference elite.
One main reason Chicago will lose is because it will be playing its second game of a back-to-back, with the first contest in Miami against the Heat. The Hawks will also have some extra motivation after dropping a winnable contest two nights earlier against the Magic.
However, defeating the 12-3 Houston Rockets on the road will be a tough proposition. The Rockets have dealt with injuries to starters Dwight Howard, Terrence Jones and Patrick Beverley this season but keep on winning.
Star shooting guard James Harden is a foul-drawing maven, and the team has shooters galore. This should be a Rockets win, especially if their injured starters return.
Record: 1-2
Dec. 22 Through Dec. 30
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Key Matchup: Dec. 30 vs. Cleveland (L)
The Hawks play game No. 3 this season against the Cavaliers the day before New Year's Eve. This time, the result will come down to the wire in Atlanta.
Although the Cavaliers' stars will have had more time to jell, the Hawks will still have a bad taste in their mouth after their two earlier losses to Cleveland.
Unfortunately, the Cavs will edge out the Hawks behind big offensive contributions from their star trio of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
Other Games: Dec. 22 at Dallas (L), Dec. 26 vs. Milwaukee (W), Dec. 27 at Milwaukee (W)
The 11-5 Dallas Mavericks are playing at a very high level on offense this season. They are scoring 117.55 points per 100 possessions, good for No. 1 in the NBA. Only the Toronto Raptors are within five points per 100 possessions of that rate.
The Mavs are also 7-2 on their home court, so the Hawks won't come out on top in Dallas.
The 9-7 Milwaukee Bucks, meanwhile, are the league's most surprising team of the early NBA season after finishing just 15-67 in 2013-14.
But their success isn't sustainable.
Milwaukee has only played six of its 16 games against teams at or above .500. The Bucks are 2-4 in those contests and have also accumulated an ugly point differential of minus-11.2 points per game in the six tilts.
Look for the Hawks to contribute to the Bucks' slide down the standings with a home-and-away sweep on back-to-back nights.
Record: 2-2
December Recap
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All in all, it will be a solid December for the Hawks.
Atlanta ranks No. 5 in the Eastern Conference, but it isn't an elite team yet, mostly because of its porous defense. The Hawks currently hold the league's No. 26 rank in adjusted defensive rating.
But, hopefully, the team will use 2014's final month to work out its defensive rotations and make the step from bad to at least mediocre on the less glamorous end of the court.
The first half of December will be a great opportunity for the Hawks to work out some kinks against subpar teams before they play several difficult opponents.
Expect the Hawks to hold serve as the Eastern Conference's fifth-best team, if not move up a spot, with a successful month.
Overall Record: 9-6
Note: All statistics are from Basketball-Reference.com and updated through Nov. 27, unless otherwise indicated.
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