NBA Power Rankings: Here comes the trade deadline

Kent Bazemore had himself a nice week, leading the Hawks in scoring over the last four games and knocking down a couple clutch jumpers to help Atlanta to two wins this week. Bazemore broke a tie game against the Timberwolves in their first game, helping cap a fourth-quarter rally in a game where former Hawks guard Jeff Teague made some critical mistakes, especially down the stretch.

The Hawks were torched for the third time this season by Dwight Howard and the Hornets, with their former center picking up another double-double while Kemba Walker cooked the Hawks guards for 38 points. The roasting wouldn’t end there, with Atlanta going on the road to Boston and losing 119-110, with Terry Rozier scoring 31 points and Jayson Tatum scoring 27 points — career-highs for both players. Taurean Prince did his best to keep the Hawks in the game, scoring 31 points, celebrating his addition to the Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend with a career high.

Bazemore stepped up against the Knicks, helping the team end the week on a high note, knocking down a 3-pointer with about six seconds left to secure a 99-96 victory over the struggling Knicks. “It’s just a catch-and-shoot situation,” Bazemore said. “We work on plays all the time in practice where we have a guy who drives and kicks it out to somebody in the corner. It’s just a synergy and rhythm thing.” I read a book called the `Zen in the Art of Archery.’ It talks about just let it go. Let it go and let the energy of the world take care of the rest.” Congratulations are due for John Collins as well, who will join Prince in the Rising Stars game.