Paul Millsap’s Five Best Games as an Atlanta Hawk
It’s been 2 days since Paul Millsap signed with the Denver Nuggets, and Hawks fans have been discussing how valuable he was to Atlanta.
It’s no doubt Millsap was the nucleus of the Hawks system both offensively and defensively. In honor of his 4-year tenure here in Atlanta, here’s Millsap’s 5 best games as a Hawk.
On March 18, 2014, Paul Millsap recorded his first ever triple-double with 19 points, 10 assists, and 13 rebounds. This helped the Atlanta Hawks defeat the Toronto Raptors 118-113. This was a huge game for Millsap because it showed his versatility as a big man, and gave hope to Atlanta fans in his first season as a Hawk.
On December 23rd, 2013, Paul Millsap was scorching hot beyond the arc hitting 7 3-pointers on 10 attempts in Miami. The Atlanta Hawks did wind up losing this game 121-119 but, it displayed how well Paul Millsap could space the floor. This was a big reason Jeff Teague was able to successfully penetrate to the rim.
One of Paul Millsap’s most amazing games as an Atlanta Hawk came on January 29th, 2017 when he recorded 37 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 assists in a game that went into 4 overtimes. Millsap played a total of 60 minutes, tying a franchise record set in 1982. This game lasted 4 hours and Paul Millsap didn’t seem winded at the end of the game. Millsap was ready for battle every night, and this performance is a great example of his endurance and will to win.
On February 27th, 2017, Millsap helped the Hawks get revenge in Boston after losing to the Celtics a month before in Atlanta. The Hawks won 114-98. Millsap had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. Millsap took things personal especially after the Hawks went through a long drought of losing games. As we all know, the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks despise each other. This made the win even sweeter for the Hawks. Paul Millsap was prideful when it came to wearing that Hawks uniform, and he showed it night in and night out.
Last but not least, one of Paul Millsap’s greatest performances as a Hawk came during the 2016 NBA playoffs. It was Game 4 and Atlanta had a chance to go up 3-1 on the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately the Hawks lost 104-95 in overtime. Millsap tried to do his best job of getting Atlanta the win putting up 45 points, 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals while shooting 61% from the field. Millsap had the franchise’s highest playoff scoring mark since Wilkins’ scored 47 against Boston on May 22nd, 1988.