The Atlanta Hawks just had one of their strangest back-to-back sets in franchise history. After allowing their highest point total of the season to an opponent in regulation, the Hawks came back 24 hours later and held the Miami Heat to their lowest point total for an opponent this season.
The Hawks won 98-86 at home, overcoming an unusually rough shooting night for their backcourt. Trae Young and Dyson Daniels shot a combined 0/10 from three and 9/26 from the field, but it didn’t deter Atlanta from its best defensive performance of the season.
The Hawks held the Heat to 32.1% shooting from the field and 17.5% shooting from the 3-point line. Miami committed more turnovers (17) than assists (15). In contrast, the Hawks combatted their own 3-point struggles with 29 assists that fueled a 58.5% mark from inside the arc.
In his postgame press conference, Quin Snyder addressed the amazing turnaround Atlanta made after allowing 148 points to Detroit the night before.
“We gave up 148 last night – I thought we were locked in and played good defense (against the Heat),” Snyder said. “There are nights where you’re on one end of that and nights where you’re on the other – they had some looks that didn’t go in … At the same time, I thought our guys executed defensively really well. It was really good to see. Our bench was terrific, guys were coming in ready to go.”
The Atlanta Hawks are playing their best defense since drafting Trae Young
For the first time in the Trae Young era, Atlanta has boasted one of the league’s top-15 defenses. The Hawks have the No. 15 defensive rating in the NBA this season, but they have owned the No. 10 defense over their last seven outings.
From adding defensive superstar Dyson Daniels to surrounding Young with more complimentary defensive-minded role players, Landry Fields has laid the groundwork for a new era of Hawks basketball defined by a focus on two-way excellence. Young’s defensive deficiencies may hold his team back from becoming one of the truly elite defenses in basketball, but his ability to run an offense as well as anyone in the league should allow the Hawks to succeed as long as they don’t have a bottom-of-the-barrel defense.
In order for them to contend in the coming seasons, the Hawks will need to become basketball chameleons. Recent Atlanta teams have struggled to adjust to various in-game scenarios and playstyles, often banking on sheer talent to win games.
In their latest victory, the Hawks showed why they have done more with less this season. Despite countless injuries and a younger overall roster, Atlanta has found ways to win different types of games all season long. After all, the Hawks are tied for the third-most clutch wins in the NBA.
Snyder commented on his team’s willingness to grind through a lower-paced game against Miami just one night removed from a shootout against Detroit.
“You just have different types of games, and I think the challenge is to be able to compete in both types of games,” Snyder said. “Whether a pace is different or a pick-and-roll coverage is different … Part of that for us is continuing to learn how to communicate with each other. That’s something that, particularly with new players, is hard. We’re still trying to get acclimated.”
The Hawks will face the Heat again in what could be a pivotal game for play-in seeding. Atlanta and Miami are practically tied for the No. 8 seed right now. Snyder will hope to get another defensive masterclass out of his squad in the upcoming February 26 rematch.