Atlanta Hawks: 5 Takeaways After Gutsy Win vs. Cavaliers

Ice Trae Big Down the Stretch

The other major contributor to this victory for the Atlanta Hawks was rookie Trae Young, who carved up a lackluster Cavaliers defense with some stunning assists in both halves.

In the second quarter, when John Collins struggled to get off the bench due to foul trouble, Young loved diming up Alex Len with some easy lobs and nifty bounce passes in traffic.

Beyond that, Ice Trae was finishing with ease and he shot 6 of 10 from two-point range. Though he only nailed 2 of his 6 three-pointers, that is still an improvement on his season average.

With that said, Young is a wizard with the ball in his hands, and he has proven to be a versatile, deadly weapon as a pick-and-roll ballhandler through the first 36 games of his career. Young’s final stat line: 21 points, 9 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal in a team-high 33 minutes.

Bench Duo Shines

Two other players off the Atlanta Hawks bench combined to play less minutes than Ice Trae did by himself, but they both impacted this victory in their own way.

Justin Anderson and Alex Poythress provided sparks on both ends of the floor, with much of Anderson’s work being done on the defensive end in the 4th and Poythress’s nearly automatic scoring around the basket giving the Atlanta Hawks a shot in the arm on the more glamorous end too.

Anderson led the Hawks with a +11 in on/off rating, and though he only scored 2 points on 1 of 3 shooting, that +11 was definitely merited as he affected the outcome of this game in other ways – as evidenced by his 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist in those 15 minutes.

Poythress was an automatic bucket for the Atlanta Hawks, as he poured in 11 quick points in his 15 minutes behind 5 of 7 shooting with 3 rebounds and a +8 on/off rating.

The Hawks play next on New Year’s Eve against the Pacers. The early tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. EST.