The return of Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis, and Zaccharie Risacher from minor injuries was not enough to elevate the Atlanta Hawks over the Chicago Bulls.
Porzingis started the game on fire, recording 10 of the team’s first 14 points as the Hawks pulled ahead to a 13-point lead in the first quarter. They would maintain a comfortable lead before Chicago cut the lead to one at half, thanks to a 14-4 run of their own in the final four minutes of the second half.
The Bulls would shoot the lights out in the second half, converting on 55% of their threes (11-20). Atlanta would also shoot a scorching 46% from three in the second half, but this came on just 13 attempts. Despite the Hawks comfortably looking like the better team on both ends of the floor, preventable mistakes and poor shooting luck were able to swing the game in Chicago’s favor.
Trae Young had quite an impressive game today, despite a box score that may appear underwhelming. He couldn’t find his shot today, shooting 31.8% (7-22) from the field and 10% (1-10) from three. Still, Young tallied an awe-inspiring 17 assists and was clearly the only player capable of consistently creating clean looks in the halfcourt.
The Hawks cannot continue to lose games like this
Simply put, this loss is inexcusable.
On paper, the Hawks are supposed to be leagues better than the Bulls. Even when Young has an uncharacteristically bad night as a scorer, the team should have the top-end talent and depth to overcome a single shaky performance.
While it is an overreaction to blame the loss on coach Quin Snyder, a head-scratching decision late in the game was clearly the turning point in the fourth quarter. The Hawks pulled Young from the game with 8:24 remaining and the Hawks up one point. The idea was to give him a momentary break without losing momentum. The team would pull to a six-point lead with 5:44 left, when Chicago would call a timeout.
Snyder inexplicably kept Young on the bench and would pay for it, as the Bulls cruised on a 7-0 run that gave them the lead. Atlanta was forced to use a timeout to end the run and allow their star to return to the floor.
Considering the Hawks' empty injury report, the talent disparity, and the points left on the table, this loss is a red flag for the Hawks. While their 1-2 record to start the season wasn’t ideal, they beat the Magic without Porzingis and remained competitive against the defending champions despite missing three starters.
This loss, however, cannot be explained away. If the team continues to need all its players to perform at their very best to beat “inferior” teams, such as the Chicago Bulls, serious questions will be raised.