Preview: Suns at Atlanta Hawks, 4 p.m., FOX Sports Arizona

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It's been a long time since either the Phoenix Suns or Atlanta Hawks have won a basketball game.

For the Hawks, it's a matter of much greater importance.

Atlanta (37-36) enters Tuesday night's game vs. Phoenix with a seven-game losing streak. The skid has pushed them into a three-way tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and cost them an opportunity for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

The Suns (22-52), meanwhile, have lost eight in a row -- but the only battle they're in is for the number of ping-pong balls they'll get in the draft lottery. They have the third-worst record in the league but are within striking distance of the Lakers (21-52).

The Suns are coming off a 120-106 loss to Charlotte on Sunday. Devin Booker followed up his 70-point performance from Saturday against Boston with 23 points. Booker became the youngest player to score 70, which was a team record.

Booker understands that he will be focus of the opposition's defense for the rest of the season, including Tuesday in Atlanta.

"I expect it to be hard from here on out and we're all going to learn from this as a young group," Booker said. "At the end of the day, I think it's going to be good for us."

The Suns defeated the Hawks in their first meeting on Nov. 30 behind Brandon Knight's 23 points. Phoenix has won 11 of its last 17 games in Atlanta.

Atlanta's problems have been exacerbated by the two-week absences of Paul Millsap (out five games with left knee tightness) and guard Kent Bazemore (out four games with a bruised right knee). The situation got worse on Sunday when guard Thabo Sefolosha was a late scratch because of a right groin strain.

The Hawks announced on Tuesday night that Millsap saw Dr. James Andrews on Monday, was diagnosed with synovitis and underwent a non-surgical procedure. He will miss three more games before being re-evaluated then. Millsap is the team's leading scorer and was an NBA All-Star.

But with Atlanta's season down to nine games, the players say there is little reason to make excuses.

"At this point, it doesn't matter who's out on the floor," Atlanta center Dwight Howard said. "The guys who step on the floor have to get the job done."

In a 107-92 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Atlanta rookie Taurean Prince got his first career start. He responded with 17 points and six rebounds in 38 minutes. He has scored in double figures in four of the last eight games and become reliable piece for coach Mike Budenholzer.

"Taurean has been playing great," Howard said. "He is going to help us in the playoffs. He has to continue to play like that. Everybody has to play big."