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Kings-Hawks Preview

Jan 19, 2010 - 6:24 PM By ANTHONY GIORNALISTA STATS Senior Writer

Sacramento (15-25) at Atlanta (26-14), 7:00 p.m. EDT

The Atlanta Hawks have had trouble finding ways to come back when trailing late in games. Jamal Crawford certainly can't bail them out every time.

After having a three-game winning streak end, the Hawks look to bounce back against the visiting Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night.

Atlanta (26-14) lost 94-91 to Oklahoma City on Monday following a run in which it beat Phoenix and Boston. The Hawks defeated the Suns 102-101 on Friday night, getting a long 3-pointer at the buzzer from Crawford.

Against the Thunder, Crawford shot 0 for 6 in the fourth quarter and missed a straightaway 3-pointer as time expired. Atlanta fell to 3-10 when trailing entering the fourth.

Now the Hawks are trying to avoid a letdown against one of the league's worst teams. The Kings (15-25) have lost four straight and nine of 10.

"That's another team that we can't take lightly," coach Mike Woodson said. "We'll watch some tape, try to iron out our mistakes and see if we can come out better."

Atlanta shot 54.1 percent in a 113-105 win at Sacramento on Nov. 4, its fourth straight victory in the series. Crawford and Joe Johnson each had 26 points.

Johnson is averaging 25.5 points over his last four games and a team-high 21.3. The veteran guard, though, is 1 for 11 from beyond the arc over his last two games as the Hawks have made 23.1 percent (9 for 39) of their shots from 3-point range.

"When you're making (3-pointers) you look good, but when you're not making them you've got to get to the rim and get to the free throw line," Woodson said.

Sacramento matched a season high with 27 attempts from 3-point range against Charlotte on Monday but made seven as it lost 105-103. The Kings couldn't complete their comeback after cutting a 24-point deficit to one.

Sensational rookie Tyreke Evans had a career-high 34 points and added seven assists. The guard leads all first-year players with 20.8 points a game.

"We are a young team. I'm trying to lead the team, but it is kind of hard to do," he said. "I just try to leave it on the court every time I can and play hard the whole game."

The Kings desperately need Kevin Martin to give them another consistent scoring threat.

Martin was held to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in his third game back after missing two months with a fractured left wrist. The veteran guard has averaged over 20 points in each of his past three seasons.

Martin is averaging 30.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in his last three games against the Hawks. He had 29 points and shot 11 for 22 in this season's first matchup with Atlanta, but his teammates combined to shoot 39.1 percent (29 for 74).

Evans was held to 15 points on 7-for-21 shooting.