Atlanta Hawks: Studs and duds from first home loss of the season

Atlanta Hawks stud from first home loss of the season: Clint Capela just grinds

It needs to be re-iterated just how steady Clint Capela has been as he makes his second appearance as the standout performer. The big man drew what was easily the toughest defense with three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert draped patrolling the paint.

Capela responded with his fourth straight double-double and sixth of the season.

Except, he did most of his damage against backup center Hassan Whiteside and forward Bojan Bogdanovic.

Gobert held Capela to 1-for-3 shooting and just two points when he guarded him while going 3-for-3 with seven points on the other end. If we were going off of that alone Capela might have made the dud section.

However, he not only played in the most minutes he’s seen all season — no small feat given his limited action in the preseason — but he also went 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.

This might not be a fluke either as he continues to get his legs under him.

The attempts were a season-high and Capela is shooting a career-high 68.2 percent at the charity stripe. Even more encouraging, Capela is knocking down 86.7 percent of his free throws over the last four games.

His scoring and rebounding numbers are also trending in the right direction after a slow start.

Capela is averaging 14.0 points on 64 percent shooting and 12.7 boards while shooting over 90 percent at the free-throw line over the last three games.

This recent rate is probably unsustainable but if he can stay in the mid-to-high 60s percentage-wise opponents won’t be able to get him off of the floor in high-leverage situations.