Update: The Hawks will be without Marco Belinelli on Friday evening, as he was officially ruled out with an ankle injury.

While the Atlanta Hawks were finishing up a lengthy road trip with a (very) positive result, the Brooklyn Nets were flopping considerably in their most recent contest. Kenny Atkinson’s team was blasted by a 34-point margin (at home) against the Pistons and those divergent results come together when the two teams square off on Friday at Philips Arena.

This January battle marks the fourth and final match-up between Brooklyn and Atlanta this season, with the Nets having won two of the first three. It could certainly be argued that the Nets, in their current injury condition, are one of the few teams that does not have a definitive roster advantage over the Hawks and, given the venue, Atlanta should be seen as something of a small favorite to capture a win.

Still, the Nets are dangerous and well-coached, with Spencer Dinwiddie’s play serving as a revelation and a cohesive team product that outpaces the roster itself. It is always an interesting tactical face-off when Atkinson and Mike Budenholzer meet on the sideline but, in short, the Hawks are simply better conditioned for victory given their full strength roster and that should be the expectation here.

Stay tuned throughout the afternoon and evening for all the latest.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, January 12, 7:30 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena

TV: Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports Go, NBA League Pass

Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta)