The Atlanta Hawks fell behind the Orlando Magic quickly and by a sizeable amount in the first quarter of their Play-In Tournament matchup. They attempted to make a run in the second, but were unable to cut their deficit down to 10 points before halftime.
There were myriad reasons for the Hawks, who struggled to a 21.4% clip from beyond the arc and also struggled at the free throw line.
It did not help that their head coach, Quin Snyder, was compounding issues.
Faced with foul trouble in his starting frontcourt duo of Mouhamed Gueye and Onyeka Okongwu, Snyder decided to roll with a combination of reserves, youngster Dominic Barlow and veteran Georges Niang.
Hawks HC compounds issues vs Magic
Niang is a poor defender, while Barlow is passable but was forced to play out of position given the team’s injuries.
Snyder’s choice left “Locked On Hawks” host Brad Rowland perturbed.
“I’ve done this rant plenty of times but ‘foul trouble’ is not a reason to play Niang/Barlow minutes in the first half of a postseason game,” Rowland posted on X on April 15.
Moreover, Rowland noted how long Snyder left Gueye – the Hawks’ best healthy defensive big – on the bench for an extended period. Gueye sat from the 4:01 mark in the first quarter until the 6:30 point of the second.
-9 with this group in about 3 minutes. https://t.co/FIZVQlye6f
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) April 16, 2025
“Look, mo gueye is a limited player and not a savior in his second nba season,” Rowland said in a separate post. “But i have no idea why he sat that long with 2 fouls given the roster the hawks have available and the opponent they are facing.”
The Hawks trailed 20-15 when Gueye first went to the bench. They faced a 47-30 deficit by the time he returned.
The Hawks went into the break trailing 61-47, utilizing a 6-0 run to cut into their deficit.
They will still have one more opportunity to reach the postseason even if they fall to the Magic, but the issues they put on display are undoubtedly concerning. The Hawks had a chance to make the playoffs outright but faltered as the Milwaukee Bucks recovered.
Snyder returned to the fateful lineup in the second half, and the Magic quickly got their advantage back to double digits.
Snyder is 76-88 through two full seasons as the Hawks’ head coach.
He has navigated injuries, roster construction, and changes in his tenure. Still, decisions like he made against the Magic stand out in games such as this and will be even more notable if the Hawks cannot right their ship under him.