The Atlanta Hawks were in action on New Year’s Eve to face the Timberwolves. The losing has continued for the Hawks, as it has jumped to seven games after their defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The good
news for the Hawks is that they got Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis back, but they missed Trae Young for a second straight game with a right quad contusion.
Zaccharie Risacher started it off for the Hawks with a three-pointer.
The Hawks used ball movement to get open shots in the first, which led to this Jalen Johnson jumper.
The Hawks kept the lead through the first due to their shot-making and defense. Porzingis didn’t make his first three shots, but he did knock down this deep three-pointer.
Asa Newell did his work on the glass in the first, and got this putback flush to extend the Hawks’ lead. Going into the second quarter, the Hawks led 33-26
Luke Kennard got it started for the Hawks in the second.
Johnson and Porzingis connected in the quarter for this one-handed alley.
The Hawks kept running up the score, as they continued to turn their defense into offense. Johnson was the beneficiary of that, and got a free lane to the rim.
The hustle the Hawks had in the first half was unmatched, and they showed who wanted the ball more on this possession.
They kept the pressure on the Timberwolves to end the first half, and they led 70-49.
The Timberwolves tried to make it a game in the third quarter and cut down their deficit, but the Hawks stayed afloat. Johnson pulled out his quarterback skills midway through the third and found Risacher for the touchdown pass.
Johnson got into his bag of tricks later in the quarter and put the moves on Rudy Gobert.
The Hawks were able to end the third on a good note, and held the Timberwolves to only 24 points despite their start to the quarter. Going into the fourth, the Hawks led 98-73.
Dyson Daniels had a sneaky good stat line in this game, and it was his able to get into the lane and make things happen, similar to this.
This was the play that probably made head coach Chris Finch wave the white flag almost halfway through the fourth.
Later on in the quarter, the Quin Snyder also pulled his starters, and the Hawks finally walked away with a win.
Johnson finished with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, Okongwu finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, Porzingis finished with 16 points, and Daniels finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists.
The Hawks will be back in action on Friday against the New York Knicks.
