Game Preview: Atlanta At Kings

(AP) - The Atlanta Hawks are well on their way to earning the Eastern Conference's top seed, giving coach Mike Budenholzer the luxury of resting players down the stretch.

Kyle Korver will be the next to sit, but for an entirely different reason as Atlanta continues its trip seeking a 14th straight win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night.

The Hawks (52-14) lead the East by 10 games over Cleveland after Sunday's 91-86 win against the Los Angeles Lakers in their third stop on the six-game swing. Budenholzer sat starters Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap, but Dennis Schroder scored a career-high 24 points and tied a personal best with 10 assists in a rare start.

"Coach came up to me and said: 'It's your game. Just play your game like you do all the time and don't change anything. Involve your teammates, and if you're open, shoot the ball,"' Schroder said. "That's what I did. I'm getting my minutes now and I feel very confident on the court."

Korver started and played 10 minutes, but suffered a broken nose taking a charge in the second quarter and didn't return. He missed both of his 3-point attempts, ending his 51-game streak of hitting at least one.

The Hawks said the 33-year-old guard would remain in Los Angeles to be re-evaluated Monday. There is no timetable on his return to the Hawks, who already are without key reserve Mike Scott for four to six weeks because of a broken toe on his left foot.

Al Horford scored 21 points and Shelvin Mack played over 35 minutes off the bench and finished with 18.

"You know we're a very dangerous team when we can sit three starters, then have another one go down, and still get the job done," said starter Kent Bazemore, who had 13 points. "All those guys that came in who usually don't get the minutes, they continue to show up and work hard."

Korver and Carroll scored 20 points apiece last Monday to help the Hawks beat the Kings 130-105 at home. Korver hit six of Atlanta's franchise-record 20 3-pointers in that contest, while Teague had 13 of its 42 assists - the club's most since 1993.

Rudy Gay scored 23 points for Sacramento (22-43), which hasn't beaten the Hawks since Feb. 20, 2008. Gay, averaging 27.8 in his last five, may miss this matchup, though, after sitting out Saturday's 113-97 loss to Washington with a strained left patellar tendon.

The Kings struggled without Gay against the Wizards, blowing a 21-point, third-quarter lead and falling for the sixth time in seven games. DeMarcus Cousins scored 30 before fouling out for the 10th time this season.

Sacramento finished 2-6 on its trip. It allowed opponents to shoot 52.2 percent from the field and has given up 115.4 points per game over the last seven.

"Maybe we got a little tired," coach George Karl said. "Our defense was a step slow, a second behind, whatever you want to say, but we were very ordinary at both ends of the court probably."

The Kings are beginning a stretch of five straight at home, where they've lost two in a row and eight of 11. The Hawks have won six straight matchups in Sacramento.