Heat vs Hawks preview: Atlanta seeks improvement after back-to-back defeats

No member of the Atlanta Hawks enjoyed Saturday evening, as the team was lambasted by the San Antonio Spurs to the tune of a 25-point home defeat. In short, nothing went right offensively for Mike Budenholzer's team over the weekend, and after a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, the squad cannot be particularly pleased with its recent performance.

On Monday, the Hawks will be seeking improvement when they take the floor against the Miami Heat in a home tilt. The Heat played on Sunday night in Miami, outlasting the Memphis Grizzlies, meaning that they may not be at 100% strength on the second night of a road back-to-back. Still, this is a team that boasts the second-best defense in the NBA at this moment (trailing only San Antonio), and Miami is more than capable of stealing a victory at Philips Arena.

Atlanta did manage to topple the Heat on the road in the first meeting between the two teams this season, but that victory came in the midst of a seven-game winning streak, and the Hawks are not playing nearly as well at this juncture. It will be interesting to see how the Hawks respond offensively given the horror that was a 25-point half on Saturday, and Miami will provide a big-time test in that regard.

We will be here throughout the day and night, so stay tuned.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Monday, December 14, 8:00 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM