Atlanta Hawks’ energy defeats Knicks’ apathy 116-104

Despite giving up a shocking 39 points in the 1^st quarter, the Atlanta Hawks turned the tables on the New York Knicks at home behind solid defense and consistent scoring, defeating the Knicks 116-104.

After a rocky start that saw Hawks-killer Courtney Lee go off for 19 points in the first half, the Hawks settled down and flipped the script at Phillips Arena, despite the crowd being laden with Knicks fans.

One would not expect a team with a 3-15 record to respond well to get punched in the face to the tune of a 15-point deficit in the first quarter (39 to 24), but the Hawks are not a run-of-the-mill cellar dweller; they are well-coached, they play hard, they have athletic and hardworking personnel and their record could be far better than it is.

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All of those factors came into play on this night, and it was nice to see the Hawks put it all together and defeat a sharp opponent in the Knicks who were coming off of a tremendous comeback themselves in their prior game against the Raptors.

The main factor in this game was turnovers. If the Hawks can cough the ball up less than the other team (which has been a rarity so far this season), they have a much better chance to come out with a win.

On this night, the Knicks were severely hamstrung by butterfingers, chucking the ball all over the gym with a massive 20 turnovers, compared to the Hawks’ reasonable 9. This led to the Hawks having 20 more shooting possessions than the Knicks, 99 to 79 – a major reason why the home team was able to come out victorious on this night. One early example led to this easy JC dunk:

Defensively, the Hawks performed very well, despite Kristaps Porzingis scoring 28 points on 9 of 18 shooting (4 of 8 from the three-point line). PorzinGod is a transcendent player and his immense size can give any team problems. However, the Hawks came out with a defensive game plan for the Zinger, and, for the most part, they executed it.

Dewayne Dedmon, in particular, had a tremendous game as his defensive harassment and constant activity on Porzingis forced him into some difficult jump shots, as the lane was often much more difficult to navigate due to double- and triple-teams coming Porzingis’s way.

Dedmon even showed impressive mobility as he scurried out to the three-point line on numerous occasions to ably defend Porzingis in space. Dedmon even blocked a Tim Hardaway Jr. 3-point attempt, a nice feat for a big man, which led to an open three-pointer on the other end:

As a team the Hawks had 7 players score in double figures, including all 5 starters. After a few less-than-inspiring run of games from Dennis Schröder, he bounced back in a big way on this night on both ends of the floor. Dennis scored 22 points on 11 of 18 shooting with 8 assists, and was a +5 in box plus/minus.

For much of the year Schröder has been a defensive liability, but on this night, he was able to use his speed, length and athleticism to stellar effect as he bodied ball handlers and choked off passing lanes all over the court. He only grabbed one steal, but his energy and effort were contagious for a team that desperately needs leadership on the less glamorous end.

Dewayne Dedmon’s defense has already been discussed, but Dedmon also hit 6 of 8 shots from the field, including a three-pointer and 3 free throws for 16 points. Dewayne The Drain (+8 in BPM) continues to score efficiently, fight hard on the glass and defend with intensity – another leadership role for this youthful team.

Another cagey vet, Marco Belinelli, led the team in box plus/minus with +13 and finished with 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting / 3 of 5 from downtown. Belinelli hit two huge threes late in the 4^th quarter to put the Hawks up by 8 and 11, effectively icing the game.

All Hawks’ starters finished with a positive BPM, except for rookie John Collins who finished with a neutral 0 BPM. In only his second career start, Collins finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds as well as a rash of high-flying dunks. The Hawks tend to look more athletic and less polished when Collins is out there, which can sometimes work to their benefit. More starts will lead to more growth, so let’s hope Collins remains a viable option at the 4 going forward.

Kent Bazemore, who was able to provide a rare Baze Gaze in the closing on-court interview with Dennis Schröder had a solid game, padding his sky-high steal totals (second in the league currently) with 3 more on this night. Baze also had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and +12 BPM – the highest for any starter on this night.

Baze serves as the perfect glue guy on this team, but if he is asked to run the offense or execute plays in the half-court, he tends to get a little jittery and is turnover-prone in those scenarios. As a pure off-ball two guard, however, he shines with a lower usage rate and that massive contract doesn’t look quite as bad.

This was a big win for the Hawks – they were able to quell the explosive skills of the other team’s best player, which is something they’ve had a hard time with so far this year.

The team can take consolation in the fact that they are truly one of the best 4-15 teams you will ever see, as their consistent effort and intensity on both ends is admirable. The Hawks simply wanted this game more than the Knicks, who appeared apathetic to the game’s outcome at times.

Next: Atlanta Hawks outplayed down the stretch, fall to Celtics 110-99

The Hawks play tomorrow in a back-to-back against the Toronto Raptors at Phillips Arena; tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. EST.