Ten days ago, we were more than worried for the Hawks, and especially for Nate McMillan. But everything is going very quickly in the NBA, and the 2021 conference finalists win 113-91 against the Hornets to sign a 4th victory in a row. A success built from the first minutes, thanks in particular to a first heat stroke from Trae Young. In his wake, the Hawks sign a 12-2, and from 16-16, the score goes to 28-18 on a furious dunk from Danilo Gallinari.
Very clumsy, the Hornets have great difficulty finding breaches in the defense of the Hawks, especially against their “second unit” led by the scarecrow Onyeka Okongwu. Dropped by the Ball-Rozier duo, Charlotte lacks solutions and only Kelly Oubre Jr tries to shake up his teammates. Opposite, the defense is still active and Trae Young steals a ball to send De’Andre Hunter to dunk. Danilo Gallinari on tap and then 3-point did more damage, and Atlanta kept control at the break (55-44).
Back from the locker room, Trae Young gets angry, and the Hawks take off with a gap that reaches 22 points. Like Delon Wright, the Atlanta defense put a lot of pressure on the backs, and the Hornets failed to develop their game, to the point that LaMelo Ball cracked.
While the gap even reached 27 points after a dunk from Kevin Knox, Atlanta won 113-91 to come back on the heels of the teams concerned by the “play-in”.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The clumsiness of the Hornets. After three straight wins, the Hornets have fallen heavily, and the explanation lies behind the 3-point line. At the break, the Hornets were 0 out of 16 behind the arc! They will have to wait for the last five minutes of the 3rd quarter to register an award-winning basket, and they finish at 4 out of 36 from a distance. The prize goes to the titular backcourt: 0 out of 14 for Ball and Rozier.
– The ugly fall of De’Andre Hunter. Two days after Alex Caruso, cut in the air by Grayson Allen, it’s Hunter’s turn to experience the same misadventure. While he had taken the baseline to go to the dunk, he was jostled in the air by Kelly Oubre Jr, and he fell heavily on his arm. Like Allen, the Hornets winger was ejected on the spot.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Trae Young. On his own, he made twice as many 3-point shots as the Hornets. From his first shoot, rainbow, we felt he was in for a great night. We saw him putting pressure on Ball and Rozier, dropping the ball quickly. A very good game with 30 points and an 8 of 15 from 3-pointers.
✅ De’Andre Hunter. Before his big fall, he had shone with his defense and his game on transition. His presence is reassuring, and he clearly relieves Young in defense.
✅ The Hawks bench. With Okongwu and Wright in defense and the Gallinari-Williams duo to ensure in attack, Atlanta has a balanced and quality bench. When Bogdan Bogdanovic returns, Kevin Huerter will regain his role as joker, and it could do more damage.
⛔ LaMelo Ball. Despite a few tidbits of his own, like that back pass for Mason Plumlee’s dunk early in the game, Ball disappointed. Clumsy, he finally cracked with a flagrant foul, followed by a technique.
THE FOLLOWING
Atlanta (21-25) : Kings reception Wednesday night.
Charlotte (26-21) : travel to Toronto on Tuesday.
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