By Tiffany Williams –
Atlanta Hawks (26-26) @ Utah Jazz (27-26)
On Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks will continue their West Coast trip meeting the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Hawks are now 1-1 on this road trip. Against Western Conference opponents on the road this season, Atlanta holds a 5-5 record, with all five wins coming in its last seven outings and four of its five victories coming in its last five road games. In their last five road contests against the West, the Hawks are averaging 127.2 points on .538 FG%, .444 3FG% and .825 FT%, in addition to 26.8 assists per game, and in 18 total games against Western Conference teams, the Hawks are pouring in 120.9 points. With his 11th assist on Wednesday.
Trae Young dished out his 3,000th career dime. He has 8,319 career points, 3,001 assists, and 1,217 rebounds, and he became just the second-youngest player in NBA history to have over 8,000 points, 3,000 assists1,000 rebounds. Dejounte Murray finished Wednesday’s outing with 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor, in addition to 4-7 from deep, six rebounds, and eight assists in 29 minutes. Trae Young and Dejounte Murray tallied their 15th game of the season, where both record 20-or-more points and five-or-more assists on 2/1. Onyeka Okongwu knocked down his first career triple on Wednesday night, chipping in 17 points on a perfect shooting night.
Friday night’s matchup is the Hawks and Jazz second and final meeting at Vivint Arena this season. Game time Friday night is at 9:00 pm, and the game can be viewed on Bally Sports Southeast.
Boston Celtics (37-15) vs. Phoenix Suns (27-26)
Friday night, the Boston Celtics are hosting the Phoenix Suns at the TD Garden in Boston for their 53rd regular season game and their 27th home game of the season.
The Celtics have won 11 of their last 14 games and posted a 10-5 record in the month of January, which is tied for Boston’s fifth best win percentage in the calendar month since the 2000-01 season.
The last time these two clubs met up was back in December when the Celtics blocked the sun and picked up a 125-98 win. It was Phoenix’s first loss to the Celtics at Footprint Center since Jan. 18, 2019.
Washington Wizards (24-26) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (25-26)
The Washington Wizards are on the road Friday night for their first of two matchups with the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
The Trail Blazers won the 2021-22 season series against the Wizards, 2-0.
Monte Morris has led the Wizards in assist in 18 games this season, dishing out 5+ assists in 26 games and 10+ assists in three games on the campaign. He ranks first in the league this season in the assist-to-turnover ratio at 6.0 to 1.
Daniel Gafford has scored in double figures in nine of his past 13 appearances, and his .742 field goal percentage ranks first in the NBA.
Kristaps Porzingis is leading the Wizards with 15 double-doubles this season. He has scored 10+ points in a career-best 46 straight games from March 6 – December 23, 2022, and tallied 20+ points in a career-best nine consecutive contests from November – December.
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