Atlanta Hawks (18-21, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (25-12, third in the Western Conference)Denver; Friday, 9 p.m. ESTBOTTOM LINE: The Atlanta Hawks visit the Denver Nuggets in a non-conference matchup.The Nuggets have gone 10-5 at home. Denver ranks eighth in the Western Conference with 50.9 points per game in the paint led by Nikola Jokic averaging 15.0.The Hawks have gone 11-10 away from home. Atlanta ranks second in the NBA scoring 17.6 fast break points per game led by Jalen Johnson averaging 3.9.The Nuggets average 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 more made shot on average than the 13.2 per game the Hawks give up. The Hawks average 118.4 points per game, 0.3 more than the 118.1 the Nuggets give up to opponents.The teams play for the second time this season. The Nuggets won the last matchup 134-133 on Dec. 6. Jokic scored 40 points to help lead the Nuggets to the victory.TOP PERFORMERS: Peyton Watson is averaging 12.7 points for the Nuggets. Jamal Murray is averaging 24.1 points over the last 10 games.Johnson is averaging 23.5 points, 10.3 rebounds …
