The Nets won't be lacking for motivation. The Hawks eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs last season. Brooklyn played Atlanta tough in that series taking the heavily favored Hawks to six games while covering four times.

Atlanta isn't sneaking up on teams like last season. The Hawks also aren't as good as last season having lost DeMarre Carroll. Atlanta, though, is off an impressive 98-92 road win against the hot Heat.

That not only means a letdown for the Hawks here knowing they are playing a weak opponent, but also puts into play the real possibility of Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer resting starters since it's a back-to-back spot. This is something Budenholzer did a lot last season in emulating his mentor Gregg Poppovich. Budenholzer was an assistant to Popovich at San Antonio from 1996-2013.

This is a perfect opportunity for Budenholzer to do this since the Hawks are facing a weak foe and playing for the fifth time in seven days and third in four days.

There still is the matter of the 0-4 Nets playing well enough to cover. They certainly haven't looked good in getting outscored by an average of nearly 15 points per game.

But I trust Lionel Hollins to have the Nets ready for this matchup. Big man Brook Lopez is playing well and the Nets are due to shoot better, especially from 3-point range where normally reliable Joe Johnson has missed nine of 12 from the arc and has been in a scoring slump averaging fewer than 10 points per game.