The Atlanta Hawks will be happy to get home following a four-game road trip, which ends Friday night in Sacramento against the Kings at Sleep Train Arena.
The team has traveled up and down the west coast over the past week, going 1-2 while losing to the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. The team won 95-87 against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night behind a strong game from Josh Smith, who had 18 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
"It feels good," Smith said to the Associated Press. "The crowd is outstanding (in Portland), and I get geared up for games like this."
Head coach Larry Drew was happy with the effort against Portland and praised his team even more after a tough loss 92-88 against the Warriors on Wednesday night.
The team played without starters Al Horford and Devin Harris, but was able to hang close behind a double-double from Smith, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds.
"It was a gutsy performance by my guys," coach Larry Drew said. "After going down by 12 at one point, we fought back. A little short-handed tonight but still we had an opportunity."
The Hawks have played well on defense this season, allowing 93 points per game. The interior has been an issue for Atlanta, as they rank 28th in rebounding with only 38 per game.
The Sacramento Kings will have one of their best players back in the lineup on Friday night as DeMarcus Cousins comes back from his two-game suspension for an incident last week against the San Antonio Spurs.
Cousins got into an argument with Spurs announcer Sean Elliot and was suspended by the league for acting in a "hostile manner." The Kings lost both games without Cousins and are just 2-6 on the season.
"Despite believing the penalty (is) unwarranted, I want to apologize to the Sacramento Kings, our fans and especially to my coaches and teammates for this distraction of our goals," Cousins said in a statement. "As a leader of the team, I have to make the best decisions so my teammates can count on me. I am committed to continued growth and being the best player I can be."
The Kings have also been dealing with injuries, including to Aaron Brooks, who suffered an ankle injury in the 103-86 loss to the Trail Blazers Guard Isaiah Thomas also missed the missed the game for personal reasons.
"The stuff that has happened to our team over the last few games, that's the frustrating part," coach Keith Smart said. "These guys that are playing right now are giving their all. Obviously when our team was intact, we were much better. We got to make sure that we don't have these kind of incidents anymore."
Sacramento has been one of the worst offensive teams in the league, scoring only 90 points per game. The team has had issues sharing the ball as well, ranking 30th in assists. The Kings are now four games behind the Clippers in the Pacific division.
According to the Associated Press, the Hawks have averaged 110 points in the past eight games against the Kings, all wins for Atlanta.
