Make that five in a row! The Hawks have been flying through opponents as of late, and this game was no different. If you saw the score and assumed this game was a blowout from start to finish, you missed out. The Kings came out scorching hot, and lead by as many as 14 points at the beginning of the second period, as Atlanta’s starters struggled to find rhythm.
Nate then made the switch to the all-bench lineup, and boy were they hot. McMillan has been criticized for using an all-bench lineup at times this season, but tonight it worked to perfection. The Hawks went on to win the second quarter by a tally of 46-17, and did not look back after that. It was performances from Bogdan Bogdanovic, who was playing against his former team, and Onyeka Onkongwu that catapulted Atlanta to a 17 point lead at the half. The bench’s net rating for this game was an astronomical +86.
Bogdanovic, who had not played since January 12th with an ankle injury, returned like he never left. He had a rough start to the beginning of the season, but after a game like this, expectations should be for him to continue his offensive output, and mirror what we saw toward the end of last season. “The Serbian Sniper” tallied 18 points and 7 assists in just 23 minutes of playing time. He shot 6-of-11 from the field overall and 3-of-8 from outside the arc.
Onyeka Okongwu had a similar offensive output, as he dropped 18 points in just 19 minutes. OO was solid on both ends, but his showtime dunk in the second was what gave the Hawks momentum for the rest of the game.
McMillan had this to say about why the bench units production has shifted as the season has progressed, “I think it is getting healthy, I think they’re in better shape, a lot of these guys started the season and I didn’t think their conditioning was good enough… it takes you to be in good shape to play both offense and defense, I think they are in better shape than when they started”.
This type of performance will leave a tough decision for Nate McMillan on whether to start Bogdanovic or Kevin Huerter, who has been playing well in his own right as well; however, changes should not be expected for the next couple of games, as Bogi will still be on a minutes restriction. McMillan’s handling of the bench and their play allowed the starters to play around 20 minutes this game.
The Hawks finished this game 121-104. They now turn their sights to the Boston Celtics this Friday at home. This game could be considered a “must-win”, as the Celtics are clinging onto the 8th seed, and only a couple games separates the two clubs in the standings. Tip-off for that game is at 7:00pm eastern from Atlanta.
