Swingman Kevin Huerter is in the midst of what is, arguably, the best stretch of his Atlanta Hawks (40-37) career. The team came away with their fourth straight victory, a 130-100 smashing of the Cleveland Cavaliers that has them three games above .500 for the first time all season. Their record at State Farm Arena moves to 25-14.
This is the third streak of at least four wins for the Hawks this season and the first since they won seven straight near the end of January.
They are now locked in a three-way tie with the idle Charlotte Hornets and the Brooklyn Nets for eighth. Brooklyn fell 120-119 in overtime to the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday and will visit the Hawks on Saturday.
The Hawks secured themselves an 83rd game at the very least thanks in large part to Huerter.
Kevin Huerter has been lights out shooting the ball for the Atlanta Hawks
Head coach Nate McMillan referred to Huerter as the “Player of the Game” after his 23-point effort on 58.3 percent shooting including knocking down 5-of-6 triples. This marked his fourth straight 20-point outing and his ninth of the season. He also notched two rebounds, two assists, and two steals on the night.
The performance follows his 20-point effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder just the night before and gives him 9-of-11 triples in the last two games and 20-of-33 threes over his last four games.
This stretch comes after he had hit a bit of a rough patch where he hit just 4-of-20 from deep over a four-game stretch and 0-for-10 across two games.
He spoke about what it means for the Hawks to secure a spot in the postseason.
Kevin Huerter finished with 23.@KevinHuerter | @laurenjbara pic.twitter.com/H8wJ5lCY0W
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) April 1, 2022
In a solid all-around effort, Trae Young notched another 30-point, nine assist performance while Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu combined for 29 points and 26 rebounds. The duo shot 73.3 percent from the floor including 7-of-10 in the restricted area.
Still, it was Huerter that Nate McMillan deemed as the standout of the night and it wasn’t just for his offense as he cited the fourth-year wing’s defense on Darius Garland.
The Cavs dynamic point guard struggled on his way to 18 points shooting just 33.3 percent.
With the Nets coming into town after a day off, the Hawks need Huerter to keep this up. They were always fit to be a threat in the postseason. And, now that we know they will indeed be there, it is up to everyone to perform at their best. Slowly but surely, despite still dealing with significant health issues, they are rounding into form.
Huerter not only seems to be doing that, but he is also taking his game to another level – a level that we saw at times during last season’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.