Atlanta Hawks: Dennis Schroder Benched In Loss To Warriors

The Atlanta Hawks welcomed the best team in the NBA to Phillips Arena on Monday night. Were they able to pull off the upset?

Heading into Monday night’s contest against the Golden State Warriors, the Atlanta Hawks had lost back-to-back games. One came at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and their NBA record 25 made three-pointers, the other came in gut-wrenching fashion to the Indiana Pacers.

That meant the team was desperately in need of a win, but the opponent made that seem unlikely. The Warriors had only lost 11 games all season entering the game. The Hawks would have to play their best game if they had any hope of keeping the game close.

Atlanta’s sense of urgency was apparent from the opening tip.

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The Hawks played with an aggressiveness and an energy they haven’t shown since before the All-Star break. An early 8-0 run gave them a 14-7 lead in the first quarter. The lead would eventually grow to 10 points before the Warriors began chipping away. By the end of the quarter, the Hawks would hold a 42-35 lead. You read that correctly. The Hawks scored 42 points in a single quarter.

Dennis Schroder came ready to play, beaming under the bright lights that shine when playing a marquee opponent. Schroder scored 19 points in the first quarter on 7-for-9 shooting and 4-for-5 from three-point range. The Warriors ducked under screens, allowing Schroder the freedom to fire away from behind the arc. He made them pay.

The first half was all offense, even as things cooled off in the second quarter. The Hawks shot 48.9 percent from the field in the half and 38.9 percent from three-point range. The Warriors shot 52.6 percent from the floor and 46.7 percent from outside. Ten Golden State turnovers helped Atlanta take a 66-61 lead into the half-time break.

The man that dominated the first half, Dennis Schroder, would not play much at all during the second half. After a defensive lapse that led to a wide open three-pointer from Steph Curry, Mike Budenholzer removed Schroder from the game. Schroder would not return, playing just 3:19 in the second half.

Schroder’s defensive lapse also included an intense exchange of words with Dwight Howard and Budenholzer himself.

That’s certainly not ideal. The strict punitive measure by Budenholzer is understandable after Schroder’s recent incidents. By the time Schroder was benched, Golden State had already started to take control of the game. They took advantage of his absence by twisting the knife.

The Warriors outscored Atlanta by nine points in the third quarter and four points in the fourth quarter to secure a 119-111 win. The Hawks had no answer for Steph Curry, once he decided to heat up.

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Curry finished his night with 24 points and nine assists on 8-for-20 shooting. Draymond Green‘s 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals also loomed large. Green defended Paul Millsap about as well as anyone possibly could. Millsap still finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds on 6-for-16 shooting. He’s quite good.

Andre Iguodala stepped up in Kevin Durant’s absence. He scored 24 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out four assists. Not bad for a guy averaging 6.7 points per game. The 33-year-old still has flashes of brilliance when given the opportunity.

Naturally the Warriors lit up Atlanta from three-point range. Golden State shot 20-for-44 from outside. They also forced 22 Atlanta turnovers. This Warriors team appears to have an on/off switch. Once they decide to turn it on, you’re doomed.

Schroder’s 23 points led the Hawks, followed by Millsap’s 20. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 19 points off the bench on 7-for-15 shooting, while Ersan Ilyasova poured in 15 points on a tidy 4-for-6 from the floor. Atlanta’s offense sputtered with Schroder off the court.

The Schroder/Howard and Schroder/Millsap pick and rolls that had so much success in the first half were nowhere to be found. I think the Hawks still lose this game if Schroder plays the second half, but his absence sure didn’t help things.

The topic of conversation after the game was Budenholzer benching Schroder. Budenholzer said that it was important to move past this issue in the post-game media session, while Schroder said he didn’t understand why he was benched. The quotes are from Chris Vivlamore’s game recap in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 

"“Just us staying together is the bigger point,” Budenholzer said of his decision. “We’ve got to stay together and find a way to move on to the next play. Those things are important.”“I don’t really know,” Schroder said when asked why he was benched. “I know the 3 from Steph Curry when me and Dwight was arguing was part of it. That can’t happen. I don’t understand coach’s decision. I want to be on the court. Maybe I’m too competitive. I’m just trying to be competitive and win games.”"

This loss makes three in a row for the Hawks. They’re now 2-5 since returning from the All-Star break. Their record has fallen to 34-29 and they’re quickly falling behind in the race for a top four seed.

They’ll get a break from playoff caliber opponents Wednesday night when they face the lowly Brooklyn Nets. However, the Hawks have proven they can lose to anyone at anytime and they can beat anyone at anytime.

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