Atlanta Hawks: 7 Takeaways After Toppling West-Leading Nuggets

Defensive Turnaround

Though John Collins was the primary factor on offense for the Atlanta Hawks in this one, the reason the Hawks won this game was on the back of some great defense against the Nuggets. While they did get some good open looks from long-range in the 4th quarter, most of the time the Hawks were swarming Denver at the point of attack and closing out hard to three-point shooters. For a team that has been a complete sieve on the less glamorous end, it was nice to see all players hunker down and hold the Nuggets to under 100 points. Even noted defensive turnstile Trae Young had a nice solo contest at the rim and closed out hard to jump shooters all night.

Bazemore’s Impact

Despite Collins’s career night, Kent Bazemore remains perhaps the sole indicator of the team’s success. However, it’s not based on the lanky guard’s scoring or assist numbers, but rather his defense and all-around impact in the box score. On this night, Baze was flying around the court similar to his role with the magical 60-win Atlanta Hawks team of 2014-15, and his stat line bore that out: 7 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in 32 minutes of action. Baze is an energy-setter for the Hawks, and if he comes out and starts to spread the ball around and defend with vigor, the rest of this young Hawks team is likely to follow his lead. They certainly did on this night.