Clint Capela: Atlanta Hawks win over WAS was ‘what we had to do’
The Atlanta Hawks (42-38) know had to put on a show for their fans according to their big man, Clint Capela. Their 118-103 victory over the Washington Wizards on Fan Appreciation night might have taken more effort than some would have preferred, but the result was a wildly entertaining clash between divisional opponents.
Matchups like that should bring out the best in any team.
Trae Young was certainly up to the task with 30 points and 11 assists including a stretch where he accounted for 14 consecutive Hawks points.
Danilo Gallinari made a triumphant return to the lineup following a one-game absence with 26 points while Bogdan Bogdanovic chipped in 18 points. The duo combined to go 10-of16 from beyond the arc and each scored nine points in the fourth quarter alone.
Clint Capela knows the importance of the Atlanta Hawks home crowd
Capela had just seven rebounds, his fewest in eight games when he had six in the Hawks win over the New York Knicks on March 22. He took just one shot attempt in that game, though, putting a different context to it. Capela took 11 shots in this one, fifth-most on the team, but finished as the third-leading scorer.
Afterward, he spoke with Bally Sports digital reporter Annie Finberg about the State Farm Arena crowd.
"“They (the fans) mean so much, they helped us the whole season. This win is what we had to do to show appreciation.”"
He also showed his appreciation in a tweet simply captioned, “For the A”.
Before even getting to that, though, Capela got into what was behind the Hawks win. The Swiss big man said whenever their threes are falling and they can get stops, it gives them a good chance to come away with a win.
The Hawks held Washington to a 37.8 field-goal percentage and just 3-of-16 triples in the second half after a late burst in the second quarter briefly gave the Wizards a couple of small leads. But a three, free throw, and a lob to Capela from Young gave Atlanta a two-point lead at the break.
It would prove to be all they needed as they outscored the Wizards 51-38 in the second half and their lead never shrank to fewer than five points after Washington got it down to two early.
Capela only took three shots in the second half for four total points, but he once again set a physical tone early that permeated throughout the team. This was easily a game that the Hawks could have phoned it in and taken their foot off of the gas.
Instead, they got tremendous efforts from some very key players.
That includes that absolutely ridiculous no-look lob from Young to Capela and, as we strap in for the final two games of the regular season, the likes of Bogdanovic and Gallinari. There aren’t many better ways to close out the home slate than with a thrilling win. As Capela put it, the Hawks “had to”.
dark. Next. The College Park Skyhawks did all that they could do
The Hawks are now 27-14 at home, fourth-best in the East. Compare that to their 15-24 road record, 11th in the conference, and it is clear why they need to stay in ninth or hope that they get to seventh somehow.