76ers vs Hawks preview: Atlanta hosts Philadelphia aiming for eight straight victories

The Atlanta Hawks are scorching hot at the moment, as the team has won seven consecutive games in impressive fashion. Mike Budenholzer and company return home to Philips Arena on Wednesday night, and their "prize" is a match-up against the Eastern Conference bottom-dweller in the Philadelphia 76ers.

Atlanta is aiming for an eighth straight regular season victory for the first time since 2010, and to be honest, the opponent couldn't possibly be more forgiving. Philadelphia enters with the worst record in the NBA at 2-18, and they have "earned" that mark with the worst offense in the league (91.8 points per 100 possessions) by a wide margin. Still, the 76ers are undeniably improving, as they have won two out of three games, and they will be rested after several days off before arriving in Atlanta.

From a match-up perspective, Philadelphia is an interesting team. Their best players arrive via the perimeter, as Michael Carter-Williams and rookie K.J. McDaniels have length and athleticism to bother opponents, but up front, the Sixers are quite weak, even with the presence of highly-touted sophomore Nerlens Noel.

On the Atlanta side, this is a simple case of "taking care of business". There is no reason that this game should be in doubt in the fourth quarter, but in the same breath, the Hawks have the reputation (to put it kindly) of inexplicable lapses, and this would be a bad spot for that to take place. Still, many people (myself included) expected some real struggles on Monday in Indiana, and the team responded by racing to a 20-point first half lead and never looking back on the way to victory.

The Hawks are beginning to generate some real buzz across the league, and on paper, there is no reason to believe that the positive momentum won't continue on Wednesday evening. Keep your guard raised on your own discretion.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: SportSouth

Radio: 92.9 The Game