On Monday night, the Atlanta Hawks and the Miami Heat will face off in a pivotal conference showdown. On Saturday, these two teams squared off in a game that the Heat ultimately won by a 117-109 final.
Heat – Hawks injuries: Trae Young – READY, Kevin Love – PROBABLE
As of right now, the Hawks are halfway through a four-game road trip. Following a convincing 129-11 victory over Portland at home on Friday, they opened their road trip with a loss in Miami on Saturday night.
Atlanta has shown improvement in recent games, going 5-5 in their last ten contests. Atlanta has fallen 1.5 games behind Miami for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.
Despite his continued effectiveness, Trae Young has recently slowed down, scoring only 23 and 8 points in his last two games, respectively.
This season, the 24-year-old point guard has put up impressive numbers, averaging 26.7 PPG and 10.1 APG. He has averaged 18 points per game in three matchups versus the Heat. He can improve that record in today’s game.
The Miami Heat have a six-game homestand beginning on Monday. The Heat’s inconsistency hasn’t gotten better over the past few seasons; they’ve lost six of their last eight games. They had lost two straight games to the 76ers and Knicks prior to Saturday’s victory over the Hawks.
The Heat are just 4-and-6 over their last ten contests. They are currently 2 games out of 6th place in the conference and sit in 7th at the moment. The Heat have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last ten games.
The Heat’s star Jimmy Butler has faced the Hawks twice already this season, scoring 34 and 15 points in those games.
His scoring average has dropped to 22 points and 6 rebounds per game over his last 4 games, and he has scored 23 points or less in 3 of those 4.
Associated Press reporter Tim Reynolds reports that Yurtseven’s status for Monday’s game against the Hawks is uncertain.
Yurtseven is returning to the team after spending time in the G League, but his playing time is far from assured. Not only has he not started for the Heat this season, but he hasn’t even logged any playing time.
There has been no update on Lowry’s (knee) timetable for returning to the court, but at this point in the fantasy season, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify keeping him on your roster unless you’re willing to put him on injury reserve. Lowry’s next possible game is on Wednesday when the Cavaliers visit Cleveland.
With a back injury and a commitment to the G League, Nikola Jovic has been sidelined. He hasn’t played for the Heat in an NBA game since December 28th.
Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press says that despite suffering a right rib contusion, Kevin Love is “probable” to play against the Hawks on Monday.
