Atlanta Hawks: 3 Takeaways From Monday’s Loss to Denver
By Dallin Duffy
Picking three main takeaways from the Atlanta Hawks’ 123-115 Loss to the Denver Nuggets.
The Atlanta Hawks just can’t seem to string together any wins, as after beating the Pacers on Saturday, they bounce back into the loss column after their encounter with the Nuggets.
Atlanta shot well and played well in general for the most part, but Nikola Jokic was just too much, scoring a new career high in points with 47.
Trae Young has 29 on just 12 shots, while Kevin Huerter and John Collins rounded out the Hawks’ top scorers with 22 and 17, respectively.
The Hawks really struggled defensively, especially to close out the game. The Nuggets scored on seven straight possessions in the late fourth, just after the Hawks cut the led to one. More on the defensive showing later.
Lloyd Pierce, who has had no problem using double-digit rotations since taking over as head coach, but injuries have limited him in that regard this season. Both a more healthy roster and some foul trouble seemed to open up the bench gates a bit wider, with 12 men checking into the game before the half.
The loss drops Atlanta to 8-29, 2-8 in their last ten, still hanging on to the title of the league’s worst record. Meanwhile, the Nuggets stick to the 2nd best record in the Western Conference, improving to 25-11. The team with the 3rd best record, Houston, will be in Atlanta to be the Hawks’ next opponent on Wednesday.
Before we look ahead too far however, we’ll be looking back at this Nuggets lost one more time. Here we’ll be picking the three biggest takeaway from the game to keep a tab on moving forward.