The Hawks edged out the Los Angeles Clippers Friday night at State Farm Arena 112-106. This was a back-and-forth affair, as the Hawks biggest lead was 11 and the Clippers once led by seven. Lately, the Hawks have struggled to execute their offense down the stretch in close games. Tonight, Trae Young led the Hawks’ offense and made an excellent pass to De’Andre Hunter for a layup to put the Hawks up by four inside the final minute. Young also iced the game at the free-throw line with two clutch free throws that ultimately put the game out of reach for the Clippers.
Clippers forward, Marcus Morris Sr., scored the first seven points and hurt the Hawks from the mid-range. However, in the third quarter, Morris Sr. was ejected with his second technical foul after arguing a travel call. This cost the Clippers one of their main focal points on offense, as he is known for creating his own shot in the mid-range area.
The Hawks moved the ball like a well-oiled machine. Atlanta had six players in double-digit scoring. The Hawks relied on scoring inside, only shooting 29% from three, but bested the Clippers 54-44 in the paint. Atlanta scored their first 14 points in the paint, until Danilo Gallinari finally hit a three-point with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.
Young dazzled with 27 points and 11 assists, for his 34th double-double of the season. The Clippers started the game trapping Young and then moved to drop coverage later in the second half. It was a lose-lose situation for the Clippers because he picked apart their defense mercilessly.
Hunter came out of the gates strong but unfortunately got into foul trouble, picking up his fourth foul at the start of the second half. He finished with 12 points. In contrast to the hot starts of Hunter and Young, Kevin Huerter caught fire late in the fourth quarter, finishing with 16 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting and eight rebounds. He hit two clutch three’s down the stretch just when the Hawks needed a bucket.
Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu both deserve a lot of praise for locking down the paint. Capela wasted no time letting the Clippers feel his presence, blocking two shots within the first five minutes of the game. He finished with another double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Okongwu, off the bench, finished with six points and nine rebounds, but the rebounds he collected were crucial. On multiple occasions, he grabbed rebounds between two Clipper players, out-hustling them all night. Okongwu also had a monster dunk, posterizing Clippers center, Ivica Zubac, that fired up his teammates and State Farm Arena. Both centers’ efforts did not go unnoticed as the Hawks out-rebounded the Clippers 47-36.
Surprisingly, John Collins did not appear on the injury report, even though he had his fingers wrapped in tape. This may have affected his shooting, as he only mustered only nine points. Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. Bogdanovic continued his great run of playmaking, dishing out six assists.
In a surprise move from Coach Nate McMillan, Delon Wright did not play in the first half. He only played five minutes total, but McMillan spoke to that in the postgame press conference that he is shortening the rotation to nine players. He commended Wright for being ready to check in when Hunter was in foul trouble.
Clippers guard, Reggie Jackson, scored 24 points but carried an even ratio of five assists to five turnovers. Zubac also put up a great double-double performance with 24 points and 12 rebounds, as well as two blocks. Nicolas Batum and Luke Kennard both contributed 13 points each. Kennard started the game red-hot, hitting his first three shots. However, he was not as aggressive in the second half, even though he shot a perfect 3-of-3 from deep.
The Hawks move on now to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday and the Portland Trailblazers on Monday, for a back-to-back home stand at State Farm Arena. Atlanta needs to feed off their fans to return to an even record before going on the road to face the Charlotte Hornets on March 16. That game could have huge playoff implications as both teams are exactly two games under .500 currently. Tip-off for Sunday’s game against Indiana is at 7:00 p.m. eastern.
