Hawks vs Wizards preview: Atlanta faces Washington to begin back-to-back

The Atlanta Hawks have won four consecutive games, with the most recent serving as their 60th victory, and the team begins its final back-to-back set of the season on Sunday evening. The opponent in this case is the Washington Wizards, who have struggled mightily down the stretch.

The Wizards are just 23-25 since the calendar flipped to 2015, and with John Wall battling injury issues, this isn't the team that some projected as a real challenger in the East. Still, Washington is blessed with a talented roster that includes a "twin towers" of sorts with Marcin Gortat and Nene Hilario, and young shooting guard Bradley Beal is capable of exploding at any moment.

Atlanta has owned the series, topping Washington in all meetings by an average of nearly 15 points per game, and that is an interesting backdrop for this game. However, the Hawks could easily choose to rest players as they begin this back-to-back (with New York to follow at home on Monday), and with nothing to play for in the standings, Mike Budenholzer has been known to pull the plug on road games.

From a personnel standpoint, the only lingering injury issue for the Hawks is Paul Millsap. Millsap has already been ruled out for this game, but the organization hasn't spoken further about a potential return on either Monday or Wednesday. Mike Muscala has received the start in four straight games, and barring a significant change in the lineup, that appears likely to continue.

Sunday evening's game is meaningless for the Atlanta Hawks in the standings, but regardless of who takes the floor in DC, it would be nice to sweep a potential second-round opponent in a season series. Stay tuned throughout the day for updates.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, April 12, 6:00 p.m. ET

Location: Verizon Center, Washington, DC

TV: SportSouth, NBA-TV

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM