Atlanta Hawks: 6 Takeaways from a 110-103 Loss to the Warriors

Switching into Oblivion

It’s easier said than done, and Lloyd Pierce does have a tremendous defensive pedigree, but the game-plan to switch on every screen really hurt the Hawks in this game.

Way too often, Trae Young somehow ended up defending Durant in an isolation situation, or Alex Len was left breathlessly chasing Klay Thompson. Both such scenarios predictably ended in effortless Golden State buckets.

With Prince, Bembry, Baze, and Carter, it’s a bit easier to roll with a switch-all scheme. However, it just ends badly when the wrong personnel are on the court.

It wasn’t too pronounced in the first quarter, but the Warriors did what championship teams do and adjusted, becoming much more aggressive about exploiting mismatches in the second period and beyond.

Trae Young’s Shoes Aren’t the Problem

It was interesting to note that coming out of the locker room before the start of the third quarter, Trae Young had changed into a new pair of shoes.

Dominique Wilkins mentioned on the telecast that he made similar wardrobe changes before, saying it’s all part of managing superstitions.

Young had every reason to go and try to make a change–he had just 4 points at the break and was playing timid basketball.

However, the new kicks did little to spark any magic, as the phenom from Oklahoma would go on to not score the rest of the game. By finishing with those 4 points, Young broke his 13 game streak of scoring in double-digits, one he had kept up since the first game of his career earlier this season.

But, one thing that has continued to be encouraging about the young gun is that even when his shot isn’t falling, he finds ways to impact the game in other areas.

In addition to his 9 total assists on the night, Young also tallied 3 steals and 5 rebounds.