Atlanta Hawks: 4 Surprising Positives from 10th Straight Loss

Even though the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Boston Celtics at home tonight, there were actually a few positives to take away from this game.

Not unsurprisingly, the Atlanta Hawks fell to a loaded Boston Celtics team that outscored the Hawks by 23 points… in the first quarter.

It was a rather uninspiring way to start the game, especially at home, but the Hawks were buoyed by their bench unit and managed to make it respectable at times – even though the lead ballooned to 29 points at one point.

We are staying positive in this piece, so there will be no discussion of the putrid play of the starters or the -38 box plus/minus of Dewayne Dedmon or the continued struggles of Trae Young from long range (well except those mentions). Instead, let’s look at some surprisingly positive elements of tonight’s contest vs. the Celts.

First off, DeAndre’ Bembry, who is having a bounce-back season for the Hawks, had the best game of his career so far. Bembry’s stat line was gaudy and showcased an uber-productive night in multiple facets: 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, 3 steals and a +9 BPM in a game the Hawks lost by 18. Those points and blocks both represented career-highs.

Similarly, Justin Anderson also had a great game for the Hawks off the bench in his first extended stint with his new team. Anderson scored 12 points in only 17 minutes of action and was a +12 BPM in those minutes, again, in a game the Hawks got crushed in – showing his positive impact on this game.

Jeremy Lin was another positive performer for the Atlanta Hawks vs. the C’s, and Lin’s strong month of November continues.

Coming off a season-high 26 points against the Raptors, Lin poured in his first double-double of the year at 19 points and 10 assists – even hitting 2 beautiful pull-up threes that didn’t even shuffle the nylon as they gently swished through.

Lastly, John Collins put forth his highest minutes load of the season with 30 and was very productive during that time with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

As always, we’re happy to have John back.

So there you have it. The Hawks got clobbered at home, but their odds of landing a high draft pick just keep looking better. We have to have something to root for Hawks fans, so why not good play from the young guns and a future superstar? Sounds good to me!