With Tuesday’s blowout loss in New York as the backdrop, there is plenty of attention on the Atlanta Hawks right now. That heightened after a national report shed light on the “frustration” in the locker room but, after returning to Atlanta, the Hawks will take on the Utah Jazz on Thursday evening with the opportunity to snap a losing skid.

The Jazz haven’t lived up to expectations this season and, in this game, they will be without Mike Conley. However, Utah does have an overall talent advantage with players like Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic on the floor. That means that the Hawks are six-point home underdogs in this game and Atlanta is fighting an uphill battle as a result.

Aside from flu-like symptoms for Chandler Parsons, Atlanta’s injury report is clean and, of course, John Collins is nearing a return. Still, it would be good to build some positive momentum and an impressive showing against a playoff-caliber opponent would go a long way toward doing that.

One match-up to watch in this game will be on the offensive glass, where the Hawks remain a top-10 team in the NBA. With that said, the Jazz are one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league and that could negate that perceived advantage for Atlanta. On the flip side, Utah is one of the better teams in the NBA at getting to the free throw line, so avoiding fouls could be significant for the home team.

Stay tuned throughout the day and be encouraged to utilize the comments below as a “game thread” for the action.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Thursday, Dec. 19, 7:30 pm ET

Location: State Farm Arena

TV: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Radio: 92.9 The Game (Atlanta); Hawks Radio Network

Streaming: Fox Sports Go, NBA League Pass