We’re as fired up as you are after the Atlanta Hawks mint the team’s new State Farm Arena with a terrifically entertaining 26-point comeback victory over the Mavs.
What looked like it might turn into an extremely embarrassing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in their home opener on National TV turned into one of the most memorable Atlanta Hawks comebacks I have personally seen.
In summation:
WHAT A WAY TO OPEN STATE FARM ARENA!!!
The @ATLHawks storm back from 26 down and come out victorious in their home opener! #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/WXUlZp1vaP
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2018
The tenacity and heart that this Hawks team played with dug them out of a 26-point deficit to close out the first half. Ultimately the Hawks beat the Mavericks 111-104 backed by what may have been Kent Bazemore‘s best game as a Hawk and of his entire career. He finished the game with 32 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds.
THIS IS KENT BAZEMORE'S WORLD AND WE ARE LIVING IN IT.
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 25, 2018
The game began as a Hawks fan’s worst nightmare as Luka Doncic started off extremely hot and led Dallas to an early lead while Trae Young had his worst showing of the year by far. Trae ended up getting the last laugh in the end finishing the game with 17 points and 5 assists, most of which came in crunch time.
.@TheTraeYoung brought the sauce 😯 pic.twitter.com/leca9oCdeg
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 25, 2018
Although he fouled out, Taurean Prince had another stellar game for the Atlanta Hawks by pouring in 24 points. He has now scored 20+ in 3 of the Hawks first four games and continues to do it efficiently.
DeAndre’ Bembry played the best game of his career tonight. He only scored 11 points, but pulled down 16 REBOUNDS. He brought a constant and contagious energy to the team that helped them fight back from a huge deficit early on and kept the pressure applied as the game went on. He earned himself some serious playing time moving forward.
While there were a ton of players who contributed to this amazing comeback win in the Atlanta Hawks home opener in the newly renovated stadium, the effort that Kent Bazemore put on the floor in tonight’s game cannot be talked about enough.
Down 26 with no rhythm, no energy, and no hope, Kent Bazemore put the team on his back and brought the Hawks back from the dead. This was a huge win for the confidence of this team, the outlook moving forward, and for the city of Atlanta.
There is a reason to be excited about this basketball team. There is a reason to fill this arena for every game. There is a reason to believe that the future is bright and is coming fast. Let’s go Hawks!