Atlanta Hawks: Bogdan Bogdanovic broke out of slump with monster performance
The Atlanta Hawks (35-35) got a much-needed 120-105 win over the Memphis Grizzlies capped off by a monster performance from Bogdan Bogdanovic. This win puts them back in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and 1.5 games back of the Brooklyn Nets for the eight-seed with just 12 games to go in the regular season.
They did it without Trae Young (thigh contusion) and John Collins (finger, foot) and with the Grizzlies on a four-game win streak. This was the Hawks 15th win in their last 17 games at Stae Farm Arena where they are 10 games above .500 at 23-13.
Delon Wright stepped up for the injured Young while the Hawks still finished the night with five players in double figures.
Bogdan Bogdanovic’s aggressiveness early helped the Atlanta Hawks put the Grizzlies away in the fourth quarter
Whereas Wright got things started in the right direction with 11 points and four of his five steals, Bogdanovic finished off a tough Memphis squad with 13 fourth-quarter points on 83.3 percent shooting from the floor including 3-of-4 threes. As if that weren’t enough he also notched threes steals and dished out a pair of assists in the frame.
He finished with a game-high 30 points, three assists, three steals, and two rebounds with just one turnover in just under 30 minutes.
The five-year NBA vet set a new high in points for the season – just two points shy of his best mark while in a Hawks uniform which he did twice last season – and tied his season-high with five made threes.
This is also the fourth time he’s had at least three steals this season.
Averaging 35.5 percent from downtown on the season, that number was 37.5 percent before a six-game stretch that saw him knock down just 9-of-51 triples (17.6%) dropped it. That Bogi was able to average 12.1 points in that span is a testament to how good of a scorer he is as the Hawks trod water.
https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1504999126596915202
The only thing that may be better than snapping out of the slump is how he did it, going first to the free-throw line knocking down 7-of-8 including 5-of-6 in the second quarter alone.
Bogdanovic was shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor at halftime. But he still had 12 points thanks to knocking down his only deep look to that point while staying aggressive and attacking making a living at the charity stripe leading to a 19-point Hawks lead at the break.
His eight takes and seven makes at the line are both new high highs for the season too.
With his second three-pointer tonight, Bogdan Bogdanovic has reached 700 career triples.
— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) March 19, 2022
After getting subbed out with 7:02 to go in the game and the Hawks up 17 points, he had to come back in at the 5:17-mark after the Grizzlies cut the lead down to 11 points.
The Hawks were outscored 33-29 in the fourth quarter. But Bogdanovic hit two big threes – Wright hit another – as Atlanta held serve, outscoring Memphis 17-16 from the point he re-entered the game.
He had upped his fourth-quarter scoring efforts from 3.3 points before the slump to 4.7 points during. But it was a slog as he shot just 28.6 percent from the floor and 17.4 percent from downtown compared to 39.7 percent overall and 32.4 before it began. This was truly a great performance for Bogdanovic individually on so many levels.
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That, in turn, is great news for the Hawks who thrived with Bogdanovic closing games during his hot February.