It feels like a lifetime has passed since the Atlanta Hawks were last on a basketball court and, considering the negative result in Cleveland before the All-Star break, that might be for the best. Still, the Hawks have 26 games remaining and, on Thursday evening, the Miami Heat come to town for the first contest of the stretch run.
In many ways, the match-up will be an interesting measuring stick for the Hawks as they aim to finish on a higher note after early-season struggles. Miami had some of their own performance issues before the break but, overall, the Heat are a very good team that boasts significant talent, headlined by a pair of All-Stars in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.