Atlanta Hawks: Korver out vs. Wizards and Grizzlies

Vivlamore reporting.

Kyle Korver, who is still dealing with back spasms after missing time for the birth of his daughter, will not play tonight against the Wizards. The shooting guard also will not travel with the team for Saturday’s game at the Grizzlies. He will remain in Atlanta for further treatment and workouts. There is a possibility Korver could join the team in Miami for Monday’s game against the Heat.

It was Korver, you will remember, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer against the Wizards last month.

In other news:

* Coach Larry Drew said he is undecided on the team’s starting lineup against the Wizards. Trevor Ariza is out with a strained left calf for the Wizards and Drew is waiting to get an idea of their lineup before making his final decision. “I don’t know if they will go smaller at the 3 or if they will go with a bigger lineup.”

* Drew is still stressing rebounding energy for his team against the Wizards.

* “We have to carry the same mental aspect that we did against the Denver that got us mentally prepared for the offensive rebounding of the Nuggets,” Josh Smith said of the need to be better on the glass against the Wizards. “We just have to have a carry-over affect because this is a big team too. We have to make a conscious effort of team rebounding.”

* Tonight’s game ends a stretch of seven out of eight games at home for the Hawks. After playing the Grizzlies Saturday they will have played three games in four nights. That trend begins again on Monday at the Heat followed by a travel day, a game at the Magic on Wednesday and a home game against the Bobcats on Thursday.

* After the Hawks play at the Wizards on Dec. 18, they will have played division opponents the Bobcats and the Wizards three times each (two at home, one on the road) in the first two months of the season. The travel to both Charlotte and Washington in January, meaning the four-game season series against the teams will by over with three months remaining.

- Chris Vivlamore