The Hawks had to win to finish on a high before the All-Star Break. The mission was accomplished without too much trouble, Orlando having held less than a quarter against the outside address of Atlanta.
The Magic had however started the meeting by putting rhythm and intensity to each possession, like the big dunk of Franz Wagner in transition on a perfect service from Cole Anthony.
Not enough to impress the Hawks, however. Atlanta notably relied on an imperial Trae Young from far (at 3/3) and an equally sharp transition game to respond and then take the lead on a 14-3 powered by two missiles behind the arc and a lay -up by Bogdan Bogdanovic (20-34).
Delon Wright concluded the Hawks festival at 3-points (7/10) in the first quarter (25-37) in order to calm the ardor of the locals. The trend was confirmed later (13/19 at the break) with Kevin Huerter and De’Andre Hunter to accompany the 3-pointers of the Young-Bogdanovic pair and increase the gap to +19 in favor of Atlanta at the break (53-72).
A lead that the Hawks took care to keep until the end after returning from the locker room, with the help of the Huerter-Gallinari-Capela trio to keep Cole Anthony’s teammates at bay after three quarters (82-104) . The Georgie franchise was thus able to head for success without trembling, with the dunks of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Delon Wright and Onyeka Okongwu to animate a last act deprived of suspense (109-130).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Hawks fireworks. Difficult to play a team when it is so euphoric from afar. Trae Young showed the way by starting with a 3/3 behind the arc, but the whole team was in tune, clocking in at 68.4% success at the break! The skill percentage then went down (18/33 at the end of the match, or 54.5%), but the match had been played for a long time.
– Lou Williams in the story. Author of 9 points and 4 assists in 18 minutes, the Hawks veteran came off the bench for the 985th time in his career. He thus overtakes Dell Curry who previously held this NBA record for the least original of the player who came into play the most off the bench.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Trae Young. The Hawks leader led the way in the first quarter, responding single-handedly to the Floridians’ aggressive start to the game. Nothing exceptional but a solid game on his part, with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists, to contribute to the success of his team.
✅ Bogdan Bogdanovic. Trae Young’s perfect relay in creation and finishing. The Serb was efficient with his 23 points at 9/13 shooting (4/6 from 3-pointers), but also his 6 assists and 2 interceptions for a single lost ball in 26 minutes. He confirmed what we already knew before this match: he is essential to the good performance of the Hawks.
✅ ⛔ Jalen Suggs. The talent is there, the desire too, the drives are hard-hitting but the whole thing is still punctuated by too much waste, especially at the finish. The rookie spared no effort in this game, finishing with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. But his marksmanship remains his Achilles heel, which was again the case in this match (6/19, 0/4 at 3-points).
THE FOLLOWING
Orlando (13-47): the Floridians will not resume competition until next Friday with the reception of Houston.
Atlanta (28-30): the Hawks travel to Chicago next Thursday.
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