Giving the Atlanta Hawks grades for their performance against the Blazers.
The Atlanta Hawks met the Portland Trailblazers for the second and final time on the season Saturday, wining by double-digits 129-117.
The Hawks have not played well in the second of a back-to-back all season, and that made itself true once again in the very weird first quarter. luckily the Blazers were not very sharp either, and the two teams stumbled through the first 12 minutes that featured multiple turnovers, air-balls and a Kevin Huerter block.
https://twitter.com/HawksOnFSSE/status/1233917796565868544
The Hawks woke up in the second quarter, especially from three. They turned a deficit that was at one time nine, to a lead of nine, going into the halftime locker room up seven. Atlanta shot 23 first half threes, making ten.
They stayed hot out of the break, with De’Andre Hunter feeling it from deep and Trae Young heating up. After a flurry of activity that involved a flagrant foul on Trevor Ariza and a technical on Trae, the Hawks led by 20. The Hawks out-scored Portland 44-34 in the third period, taking a 17 point lead into the final 12 minutes.
Things got a bit shaky for the Hawks as they tried to close the game out, with sloppy play on both ends letting Portland hang around. Threes by John Collins and De’Andre Hunter in back-to-back possessions with just over three minutes left seemed to finally put the nail in the coffin.
The Hawks finally get a win on the second of a back-to-back, their first time doing that this season. They move to 19-43, and have probably played their best two game stretch of the season to close out February.
Player grades are next.