Delon Wright went from backup to out of the rotation and had to fill in as a starter in the Atlanta Hawks122-113 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. The Hawks have now won three in a row to get back to .500 at 34-34 and exacted a little bit of revenge over the squad that beat them 136-131 on the road back in early January.
They also have a four-game lead over the Washington Wizards, who fell to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, as well as a 0.5-game lead over the Charlotte Hornets – who knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder – for ninth.
Atlanta is just one game back of the Brooklyn Nets who were idle Monday but take on the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.
The Atlanta Hawks got just what they needed from Delon Wright as a starter
Wright finished the night with four points, four assists, and four rebounds with three steals and one block in a bit over 30 minutes of action. He did not connect on any of his three attempts from the floor – including 0-2 from deep – getting all of his points at the free-throw line. His well-rounded performance showed up in another way too.
He also finished as a team-best plus-17 on the night. For context, Trae Young had 46 points, 12 assists, and six boards but he still finished as a plus-10 in this one.
Nate McMillan talked up the former 20th-overall pick’s defense in the second half on Blazers swingman Josh Hart who had 31 points while shooting 52.4 percent shooting and hitting 4-of-7 triples on the night but just six points coming on 2-of-9 shooting after the break.
Wright has scored double-digit points once in the last 30 games.
That was versus the Magic in February) and he has done it just four times all season. But he has had at least a neutral (zero) plus-minus in 35 of his 62 appearances. They’re 23-12 in those games; 21-9 when his plus-minus is negative. They are 9-18 in games that he has finished with a negative plus-minus
McMillan told reporters Wright would be out of the rotation just a few days ago. He wants a rotation that more closely resembles what they had last season.
Delon defense to Onyeka offense pic.twitter.com/8qqK2Ch4wa
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 15, 2022
As fate, or rather injuries, would have it, John Collins has a pretty gruesome finger injury that stands to severely hamper his performance if he returns before it is fully healed. Meanwhile, the Hawks were without Danilo Gallinari as he popped up on the injury report with a sore Achilles.
A similar injury cost him a game in January.
The game wound up being closer than it needed to be with the Hawks giving up a 67-point half to a Damian Lillard-less Blazers squad. They allowed them to shoot 56.5 percent from the floor and knock down 7-of-11 three. In the end, a win is a win and the Hawks are stacking them up after so many speed bumps along the way; Collins’ latest injury included.
They will be in most games because of Young. But it will take more performances like Wright’s coming from others to get the tough wins down the stretch and in the postseason.