Hawks fly into the Windy City

Atlanta enters the contest on a two-game losing streak. Matt Carroll poured in 22 points as Charlotte crushed Atlanta for the second night in a row, blowing out the Hawks, 104-85, at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in the back end of a home- and-home set.

Joe Johnson scored 22 points and Marvin Williams netted 20 in the loss to Charlotte for the Hawks, who had a three-game winning streak before running into trouble against the Bobcats.

The Hawks are 6-14 on the road this season. They will visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday an TD Banknorth Garden and the Orlando Magic on Friday at Amway Arena.

Chicago opens a three-game homestand this evening. On Monday, Jermaine O’Neal had 22 points and 10 rebounds, as the Indiana Pacers snapped its four-game skid with a 98-91 victory over the Bulls at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Ben Gordon scored 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting for Chicago, which has lost back-to-back contests. Luol Deng posted 18 points and Kirk Hinrich netted 14 for the Bulls, who have lost 17 of their last 18 trips to Indiana.

The Bulls are 17-6 at home this season. They will host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday and the Miami Heat on Saturday.

This is the second meeting of the season between the squads. On December 16th, Chicago defeated the Hawks, 106-104, in overtime at Philips Arena.

Atlanta has lost three straight and five of its last six at Chicago. The Bulls have won eight in a row in the series.