Suns vs Hawks preview: Atlanta looks to avenge ugly mid-season loss

From Dec. 20 through Feb. 25, the Phoenix Suns posted an unbelievable record of 2-28.

One of their two victories came against the Atlanta Hawks.

On Jan. 23, the Hawks fell at the hands of an Archie Goodwin buzzer-beater, and that victory for the Suns came in between losing streaks of six and thirteen games. In plain terms, that was one of the worst losses of the season for Mike Budenholzer and his team.

Now, more than two months later, Atlanta is in a much better place as they battle for playoff positioning down the stretch of the season, but that defeat sticks in the minds of the fan base and, almost assuredly, the team. The Suns remain one of the bottom five teams in the NBA by any objective measure, and on Tuesday, the two teams will take the floor again, with this edition taking place at Philips Arena.

There are a number of advantages that the Hawks have in this particular game and, frankly, the Suns just aren't very good as currently constructed. With that said, this is a virtual must-win for Atlanta, simply because it is a game that should be secured by a double-digit margin and the Hawks need every victory in the season's final month in an attempt to steal the number three seed from the grasp of the Celtics, Heat and Hornets.

Stay tuned throughout the day for all the latest from the arena and let's do this together.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, April 5, 8:00 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Radio: 92.9 "The Game" FM