Atlanta, GA
Preview: Nuggets on the road again to face Hawks
It was not a good week for the Denver Nuggets last week. While they watched other teams play in the NBA Cup, the Nuggets were left to play teams who likewise were already eliminated. Unfortunately for Denver, both games against such teams last week resulted in losses. Now, they once again head out on a road trip in search of a victory. Their opponent will be the Atlanta Hawks who are also currently mired in a losing streak. Atlanta has dropped their last three games and five of their last six. Led by score first point guard Trae Young, the Hawks continue to be a middle of the pack team despite trying various combinations of cores around Young. Last year they added DeJounte Murray to pair with him in the backcourt. This year they shipped off forward John Collins to get more playing time for talented young forward De’Andre Hunter. Despite the moves, Atlanta sits at 9-12 and looks headed for a play-in tournament at best finish once again.
The Essentials
Who: Denver Nuggets (14-9) at Atlanta Hawks (9-12)
When: 5:30 PM MST
Where: Jake’s Place. Atlanta, GA.
How to watch/listen: Denver Stiffs does not condone piracy….unless it’s the romanticized 18th century type. Altitude TV where available (Altitude TV is available on DirecTV, DirecTV Stream & Fubo TV). NBA League pass for those not in the Nuggets market. Altitude Radio 92.5FM. Claim to be Ted Turner’s lawyer and say you have convincing evidence that Ted actually own the Hawks arena, along with every other piece of private land in Georgia.
Rival Blog: Peachtree Hoops
The Matchup
Position | Nuggets | Hawks | Advantage |
PG | Jamal Murray | Trae Young | Even |
SG | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | DeJounte Murray | Hawks |
SF | Michael Porter Jr. | Saddiq Bey | Nuggets |
PF | Aaron Gordon | De’Andre Hunter | Even |
C | Nikola Jokic | Clint Capela | Nuggets |
Bench | Reggie Jackson, Christian Braun, Julian Strawther, Peyton Watson, DeAndre Jordan | Onyeka Okongwu, Wesley Matthews, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Garrison Matthews | Even |
Injury report: Jamal Murray – probable (ankle), Vlatko Cancar – out (knee), Jay Huff – out (G-League), Braxton Key – out (G-League), Colin Gillespie – out (G-League); De’Andre Hunter – questionable (quad), Kobe Bufkin – out (thumb), Mouhamed Gueye – out (back), Jalen Johnson – out (wrist), Seth Lundy – out (G-League), Miles Norris – out (G-League).
The Three Things
The thing to watch for: energy from the starters
The Nuggets starters looked pretty flat last week and when Nikola Jokic wasn’t knocking down shots it seemed like many of his teammates didn’t know what to do. I’m looking for a more aggressive game from Aaron Gordon in particular tonight who has a good matchup with Hunter. AG has been struggling mightily since returning from his heel injury and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. In Denver’s game on Friday against the Houston Rockets Gordon ultimately was benched in favor of Peyton Watson down the stretch. Whether it is Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Michael Porter Jr or even Jamal Miurray (who is still coming back from an ankle sprain), the Nuggets need some extra juice from the starters not named Nikola.
The thing to remember: Jokic doesn’t score a ton on Capela
Nikola’s career high against Clint Capela is 27 points, but since Clint came to Atlanta Jokic has never topped 24 points against him. Early in his career Joker struggled a lot with the athletic big but eventually figured him out like he does everyone. Still, Capela, and the Hawks defense in general, often forces Jokic to be more of a facilitator than a scorer. Given his recent struggles shooting the ball it will be interesting tonight to see if Atlanta switches it up and makes Joker beat them by putting the ball in the basket.
The thing to bet: KCP over 1.5 threes and 9.5 points (+130)
DeJounte Murray is the far superior defender of the Hawks two guards and we’ll likely see some Murray on Murray violence with him matching up with Jamal on a regular basis. That means woeful defender Trae Young gets put on Kentavious and that could mean a nice night scoring for KCP. You can take the over on 1.5 threes and get even money but if you add in the over for KCP points it’ll boost it to +130.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Habitat ReStore honors Jimmy Carter with memorial door for public tributes
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Habitat for Humanity ReStore is honoring former President Jimmy Carter with a memorial door, giving the public a unique way to leave tributes, share memories, and celebrate his legacy. The door, a symbolic representation of a home’s threshold, will be available for signing at the Atlanta ReStore located at 271 Chester Ave. from Tuesday through Jan. 9. It will then be moved to the South Fulton ReStore, located at 5626 Old National Highway in College Park, from Jan. 10 through Jan. 16. Afterward, the door will return to Atlanta Habitat’s headquarters, where it will be permanently displayed.
“We’re very excited to be one of many Habitat affiliates across the nation celebrating Jimmy Carter,” said Megan McCabe, director of the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity ReStore. “We figured this was a fun and easy way for folks to leave tributes and celebrate his legacy.”
Carter, who passed away on Dec 29, was deeply involved with Habitat for Humanity. Although not its founder, he and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter became celebrated volunteers for the organization, beginning in the 1980s. Their efforts included the 1988 Carter Work Project in Atlanta, where 21 homes were built in a single week, leaving a lasting legacy in the city.
“Most people think that Jimmy Carter founded us, but he’s actually been a very celebrated volunteer since the ’80s,” McCabe said. “The Carter Work Project around the Olympics was a huge success and remains a significant part of Atlanta’s history.”
The memorial door aims to capture the public’s admiration for Carter’s life and work. McCabe emphasized the symbolic importance of a door in Habitat for Humanity’s mission, calling it “the threshold for somebody’s home” and a fitting tribute to Carter’s dedication to affordable housing.
Visitors are encouraged to stop by during store hours, Tuesday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., between [specific start date] and [specific end date], to leave messages on the door. According to McCabe, many families have already left heartfelt tributes. “We hope it will be full of color and comments by the time it’s ready for its permanent home,” she said.
The Source: This article is based on information given to FOX 5 Atlanta during an interview with Megan McCabe, director of the Atlanta Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
Atlanta, GA
Which Atlanta Hawk is Most Likely to be Dealt At The Trade Deadline?
Exactly one month from today will be the NBA Trade Deadline and there is still some uncertainity as to what will go down at the deadline. Star players like Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram have been talked about as players who could be dealt, but it could end up just being smaller moves and rotation players that get moved. The Atlanta Hawks could actually be a team to watch. Last season, the Hawks were one of the most talked about teams leading up to the deadline, but there was a different feeling around that team. Whether or not Atlanta is a buyer or a seller at the deadline, this team has young building blocks to lean on going forward, but they have some roster questions that could get answered at the deadline.
The names that have been brought up in trade rumors over the past month or so have been centers Larry Nance and Clint Capela, as well as Bogdan Bogdanovic. Both players are on expiring deals and might not be a part of the teams future and Atlanta could look to flip one of them for assets.
In a recent article, ESPN Insiders named Larry Nance as the player to watch on Atlanta ahead of the deadline:
“The Hawks are in a position where they can stay conservative at the deadline and still find themselves avoiding the play-in. If they do look to tweak their roster, Nance’s $11.2 million expiring contract has the most value. Before breaking his right hand on Dec. 28, Nance was playing his best basketball, averaging 11.2 points, 7.6 rebounds in the previous five games.
One trade that would improve the Hawks’ backcourt depth is flipping Nance for Spurs guard Tre Jones. The Hawks rank 24th in turnovers and have allowed the fourth-most points off turnovers per game.”
It would surprise nobody if the Hawks moved either Capela or Nance at the deadline and the two areas I would look for the Hawks to try and upgrade at the deadline are backup point guard and backup power forward. While the Hawks still need to figure out their solution at the center in the long term, they are unlikely to find that guy by the deadline. The Hawks have glaring issues at backup point guard and backup power forward and either Nance or Capela could help them find that guy.
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Atlanta, GA
Despite missing playoffs, Falcons may have found their QB in Michael Penix Jr.
ATLANTA — Michael Penix Jr’ s confidence couldn’t be shaken, even after the Atlanta Falcons season-ending loss to the Carolina Panthers.
When the rookie quarterback was asked what his message would be to long-suffering Falcons fans, Penix replied: “Continue to believe.”
“I feel like we got a lot of talent on this team, a lot of talent coming back, and we’re just going to continue to build off of this year,” Penix said. “So, I look forward to a lot of playoffs and even Super Bowls in the future here for this organization.”
The Falcons fell 44-38 to the Panthers on Sunday in overtime. The result of the game ended up being meaningless, since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South title with a victory over the New Orleans Saints.
However, the Falcons finished 8-9, meaning they have not had a winning season since 2017. They have not made the playoffs since that season, either. The franchise has never won a Super Bowl.
Penix, 24, gives the fanbase a reason for hope, and not just because of his words. On Sunday, Penix went 21-of-38 for 312 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a rushing touchdown and an interception that was not his fault. Last week, he had a game-tying touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Pitts on a fourth-and-13 with 1:17 to play in an eventual loss against the Washington Commanders.
“Michael Penix is certainly outstanding,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “He’s certainly one of the guys that’s going to play in this league and absolutely dominate for as long as we allow him.”
When the Falcons chose Penix with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL draft last April, it was controversial. Atlanta had just signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract with $90 million guaranteed a few weeks earlier. As it turned out, the selection worked for the Falcons, even if the Cousins signing did not.
Cousins played well, leading the Falcons to a 6-3 start, before faltering and throwing eight interceptions without a touchdown pass during a four-game losing streak. Penix was named the team’s starter in Week 16 and, for the most part, played well.
The team’s defense was largely to blame for the Panthers and Commanders losses, though it took time for Penix to build chemistry with the starting receivers. Some of that seemed to jell Sunday. Falcons wide receiver Drake London had 10 receptions for a career-high 187 yards and two touchdowns.
“Absolute poise,” London said of Penix. “He’s got a frickin’ rocket and he just slings the ball and he’s got that dog in him. He’s somebody who’s a winner and I think you see that just right off the gate.”
Atlanta also returns running back Bijan Robinson, who emerged as one of the best in the league this season. He had a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries against Carolina.
Penix said this offseason will contain “a lot of work,” though he’s been told by veterans that he should take time for himself, too.
“Obviously, this season, like we just talked about, it didn’t go how we wanted it to go, it didn’t get to the playoffs,” Penix said. “But man, you’ve just got to continue to believe in the process, believe in the coaches, the scheme that gets put up each and every week and going into this offseason with the right mindset, the mindset to want to come back and get better. And for me, this is my first offseason. So, [there] is a lot of things that I’ll be learning this offseason, just making sure that whenever we do come back, I’m completely ready and I’ll make sure I do a great job of that.”
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