NBA Notes: Hawks, Dyson Daniels, Suns, Blazers, play-in possibilities

Hawks

The Hawks have continued to be fairly up and down, but when they’re up … they’re really up. That’s something that could bode well for the postseason. Right? Well, we think.

Either way, they’re getting some individual performances, as noted by ESPN’s Chris Herring. They just need to pull it all together as a team when it means the most.

“Dyson Daniels is set to surpass Ricky Rubio‘s mark of 191 steals during the 2013-14 campaign to give the Hawks wing the most in the NBA in more than a decade,” Herring wrote. “The Hawks, who have struggled defensively this season, will need Daniels to perform well on that end — and reduce the opponent’s air space on jumpers — given they would face either Cleveland or Boston’s offenses in the opening round, should the Hawks advance from the play-in.”

Suns

It continues to be a season full of drama and rumors in Phoenix, with key figures such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and coach Mike Budenholzer right in the middle of it all.

It’s resulted in a whole bunch of uneven results.

“Phoenix has gone nearly two months without stringing together multiple wins in a row,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “The Suns’ last winning streak was three games from Jan. 22-27 and have gone just 8-16 since.”

Still, not all is lost. it only appears that way.

“There is still hope of backing into the play-in tournament, however,” McMenamin noted. “Phoenix trails the injury-riddled Mavericks by one game for the 10th and final play-in spot with 13 games to go.”

Trail Blazers

It was supposed to be a season in which the Trail Blazers were headed for nothing more than the NBA Draft lottery. They clearly have other ideas.

That’s right, Portland is postseason contention. But a difficult stretch awaits.

“After beating a pair of lottery-bound teams over the weekend, the Blazers are still in the play-in mix, three games behind the Mavericks and two behind the Suns for the No. 10 spot,” wrote ESPN’s Kevin Pelton. “To stay within striking distance, Portland may need to pull some key upsets over the remainder of this homestand, which features four of the NBA’s top eight teams: Boston, Cleveland, Denver and Memphis. The Blazers are a collective 1-6 against that group this season.”