Rockets at Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks look for their NBA-leading 48th victory when they host the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. The Hawks have won four in a row since dropping a 105-80 decision to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 20, and are coming off a 93-91 triumph against the Miami Heat to open up a 13 1/2 game lead over the Washington Wizards atop the Southeast Division. Atlanta has won 14 of its last 15 games at home and hopes to continue the trend by beating the Rockets for the third straight time.
Houston has reeled off five consecutive victories following an impressive 105-103 overtime win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The red-hot Rockets have won five games in a row against Eastern Conference opponents but haven't beaten the Hawks since Nov. 27, 2013, which marked their sixth straight win in the series. Houston remains 1 1/2 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies in the race for the Southwest Division title and looks to gain more ground by snapping a two-game skid on the road.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV, ROOT (Houston), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-18): James Harden continued to make his case for MVP by recording 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in the emotional win over the Cavs. "I'm just out here trying to prove myself and trying to win games," Harden told reporters. "I know how hard I've worked to put myself in this situation." Harden was assessed a flagrant foul 1 after kicking LeBron James below the belt and was suspended for one game without pay by the NBA on Monday for his actions.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (47-12): Paul Millsap led the way with 22 points and Dennis Schroder added 16 points and 10 assists as Atlanta rested DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Pero Antic in the win over the Heat. "I think there is a lot of belief and faith in our entire roster," coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "We've got a lot of players who feel like they can step up and contribute." Kyle Korver is shooting a league-high 50 percent from 3-point range but went 2-of-7 from beyond the arc on Saturday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The last two meetings have been decided by a combined 10 points
2. The Hawks are 16-4 against Western Conference opponents
3. The Rockets are 13-2 in games decided by five points or less