Atlanta Hawks: Rapid Reactions to 120-112 Win vs. Suns

Rapid reactions to the Atlanta Hawks defeat of the Phoenix Suns.

The Atlanta Hawks defeated to Suns tonight by the score of 120-112. The Hawks outscored Phoenix 25-9 in the final 5.5 minutes to secure the win.

After a neck and neck first 3 quarters, the Hawks went ice cold to start the fourth quarter before a pair of rookies- Trae Young and Omari Spellman (the forgotten rookie this season) – and Taurean Prince brought them back. Neither team is very good right now, and the final quarter was pretty ugly for both at times.

The home team did prevail in the end though, which marks the Hawks’ 20th win of the season. The Suns on the other hand, losing their 17th straight and dropping to a horrendous 11-50, despite a 29-point outing from Tyler Johnson.

It was a close one throughout, with the lead hanging around 3-5 most of the game, regardless of who was winning. There was 21 lead changes throughout, and both teams shot similarly percentage wise.

Kent Bazemore and Trae each had 23 to lead the Hawks, and Prince ended with 21, making some important free throws down the stretch.

The starters really carried the scoring load tonight, outscoring the bench 114-16. No starter played less than 30 minutes or scored less than 18. Only Vince Carter, who clocked just 5 minutes, finished with a positive +/- off the bench.

Dwayne Dedmon showed his strengths in particular, notching 18 points, 8 rebounds and matching his career high with 6 blocks. His front court partner, John Collins recorded his 23rd double double of the season, finishing with 19 points and a game high 14 rebounds.

Box Score Notes:

• Omari had the only notable night for bench players, putting up 9 points, 6 of them in crunch time.
• Just one field goal attempt for Jaylen Adams after also taking just one last night. Compare this to the 12.5 he took as a senior and the 13.5 he attempted as an Erie BayHawk. We’ll see if he becomes more aggressive as he grows more comfortable in the league.

A shaky, yet noble win pulls the Hawks just 4 wins behind their win total from last season. They’l get a break for a travel day as they head to Houston to take on MVP candidate James Harden for the first time this season on Monday night.