Hawks won their 4th consecutive game by beating the Hornets in a very dominating manner.
Follow Us
What a change of events the Atlanta Hawks (21-25) have experienced in the last ten days, as they have now won four straight games, including a dominating 113-91 victory against the red-hot Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Trae Young scored 30 points and tied his career-high by making eight (of 15) three-pointers as they never trailed in the game.
It also ends a three-game road losing run ahead of a five-game homestand that begins on Wednesday against the Sacramento Kings.
They may be able to reintroduce Bogdano Bogdanovic to the rotation with the extra rest. He’s been out for the previous five games, missing all four of the Hawks’ victories, due to pain in the same knee where he sustained an avulsion fracture last season.
In his absence, the Hawks have gone 4-1.
READ MORE: Atlanta Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter to miss two months after right wrist surgery
Danilo Gallinari returned following a one-game layoff due to Achilles tendonitis. He shot 33.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc to achieve his 10 points. It’s his fifth straight game with at least 10 points, and it’s part of his season’s second-best span.
He was among the Hawks who didn’t shoot well but still had an influence on the game, as the bench shot 40.5 percent overall and 4-of-15 from beyond the arc.
They did get nine points from Lou Williams, seven rebounds from Onyeka Okongwu, and strong defense from Delon Wright and rookie Kevin Knox, who went 0-for-4 from three-point range in his sixth game with the Hawks but only his third appearance.
The Hawks’ starters hit 49.0 percent of their shots and were 11-of-24 from beyond the arc.
It aided that the Hornets were only 6-of-36 outside the arc. Some of them were just overlooked. However, even before they started winning again, the Hawks showed an elevated degree of defensive intensity. The visitors were 0-for-19 from three-point range to open the game before making their first triple with 5:38 left in the third quarter.
That’s a major step forward for a Hawks club that has struggled to stop shooters in the past. In the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat shot 6-for-10 from three-point range, putting their previous triumph in peril.
In the final quarter, Charlotte went 1-for-9.
The Hawks were minus-16 in fastbreak points and minus-12 in the paint after a game in which they led by as many as 27 points.
On 16 Hornets mistakes, they got 12 thefts but only managed to convert them into 17 points.
Atlanta’s increased drive is the catalyst for their comeback after a sluggish start.
