Atlanta Hawks: Grades From Thrilling 110-108 Win Over Thunder
The Atlanta Hawks took on the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. How did they fare?
The Atlanta Hawks have had an up and down season. They’re a Jekyl and Hyde team if I’ve ever seen one. High highs are followed by low lows. Over the weekend they followed up an impressive road win over the Toronto Raptors with a home loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
This team has beaten teams like the Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This team has lost to teams like the Washington Wizards and the Orlando Magic. The only consistent thing about this team is their inconsistency.
Monday evening they faced another difficult opponent in the 16-11 Oklahoma City Thunder. Anytime you face off against Russell Westbrook you’re in for a difficult battle. They’d also be without starting center Dwight Howard, who sat out due to back tightness.
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The Hawks got off to a hot start against the Thunder. No Dwight, no problem. In Howard’s absence Mike Budenholzer opted for a small-ball starting five comprised of Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, and Paul Millsap.
Pace and space, baby!
After one quarter, Atlanta held a 22-16 lead thanks to stand-out performances by Schroder and Millsap. They also benefited from some early stumbles from Westbrook, who started 1-for-6 from the field. The first quarter featured an impressive defensive performance from the Hawks.
Budenholzer unleashed an aggressive defensive scheme, featuring a heavy dose of trapping.
Don't know if they can keep it up, but Hawks are trapping a lot and sprinting to get to uncovered men.
— Chris Vivlamore (@CVivlamoreAJC) December 20, 2016
It appeared to pay off. Until it didn’t. In the second quarter Russell Westbrook happened. Westrbook scored 23 points on 9-for-17 shooting in the first half. The Thunder also dominated the offensive glass, taking advantage of Howard’s absence. They collected 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, leading to 10 second chance points. At halftime the Thunder would hold a 53-48 lead. Still, Hawks fans were likely content with that half.
The Hawks roared back in the third quarter, thanks to some inspired play by Bazemore, playing out of position at point guard, and a five timely points from Mike Scott (he’s back!). Heading into the final quarter Atlanta clung to an 81-78 lead.
This one would come down to the wire with the Hawks and Westbrook trading buckets down the stretch. A Schroder mid-range jumper would give the Hawks a 108-106 lead with 49 seconds remaining. Westbrook would answer with an off-balance jumper off his own to tie things up at 108 with 32.1 seconds left.
You could cut the tension with a knife. A Paul Millsap drifting jumper off of a beautifully designed play by Mike Budenholzer gave Atlanta a 110-108 lead in the waning seconds.
The old pros https://t.co/6mPcpwDt4L
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) December 20, 2016
On the ensuing possession, an errant Westbrook three-pointer fell into the hands of Steven Adams. Adams’ put-back dunk at the buzzer came too late, and the Hawks would escape with a 110-108 win.
The win brings Atlanta to 14-14 on the season. How did Atlanta’s primary contributors grade out? Lets take a look.