The Atlanta Hawks kicked off their New Year Monday night with what can only be described as a soul-crushing double-overtime loss at the hands of Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors. Atlanta fell at the final buzzer, 143-141, after a put-back by Golden State’s, Kevon Looney, in the second period of overtime.
Atlanta battled all the way back from a 21-point first-half deficit to lead by nine points with just under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. However, in what has become a worrying theme for the Hawks this season, their offense came to a screeching halt down the stretch. Atlanta went 1-10 from the field, and were outscored 15-6 by the Warriors over the final 5:46 of the fourth quarter.
The Hawks also made a few head-scratching decisions on the final possession of regulation, opting not to foul with 9.5 seconds to go, with a three-point lead and a foul to give. Add in the fact that Trae Young was on the floor and John Collins on the bench during the most important defensive possession of the game. The Warriors secured 2 offensive rebounds and were able to get off three shots during this possession, including the game-tying three from Donte Divincenzo with 0.7 seconds left.
Overtime could not have started any better for the Hawks, as they took a five-point lead in the opening 81 seconds thanks to a John Collins corner three and Bogdan Bogdanovic turning an errant Jordan Poole pass into an easy two in transition. Golden State answered with an 8-0 run themselves, started by Thompson and capped off by a Poole three. The Warriors held a three-point advantage going into the final minute of the first overtime period.
An Anthony Lamb turnover, sandwiched by Young free throw’s, would give Atlanta a one-point lead with 30 seconds to go, before Thompson put Golden State back up by two with an ice-cold three. Though it felt like it at the time, this was not the dagger as Young would find his way to the line yet again, hitting two more free throw’s to tie the game, and Golden State botched their last possession, sending the game to another period of overtime.
Neither team could gain an edge over the first 2:30 of second overtime period, until a Lamb lay-up and Draymond Green three gave the Warriors a five-point lead with 43 seconds to go. Murray nailed a three on the Hawks next possession, and a Thompson miss on the other end cracked open the door for Atlanta to tie or take the lead with 12.5 seconds remaining.
On the Hawks final possession, Young wasted no time getting into the lane to hit a game-tying floater. Having no timeouts left, Golden State smartly pushed the pace and were able to get a good look for Thompson off a dribble-hand-off with Green, leaving enough time for an offensive rebound.
Collins’ was the Hawks lone big man on the floor and had contested Thompson’s shot, leaving Murray, Young and Bogdanovic to deal with Looney and Lamb on the offensive glass. Thompson missed, Looney secured the offensive rebound and his putback attempt dropped through the net just as time expired, giving the Warriors the final lead of the night.
Trae Young led the way for the Hawks with 30 points and 14 assists, though he struggled from the field, going just 8-22, and only 3-10 from three on the evening. It is also worth noting that Young had 9 assists in nine minutes during the Hawks 42-25 run in the third quarter.
Dejounte Murray finished 3 assists shy of a triple double, with 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and while Murray-led units overall looked a bit better tonight, his defense in the first half left a bit to be desired, and his shot selection down the stretch was disappointing. Bogdan Bogdanovic, who continues to be a sieve on defense since his return from injury, was fairly efficient on offense, scoring 21 points on 9-16 shooting, doing most of his damage from the second-half onwards. De’Andre Hunter chipped in 17 points on 6-13 shooting in his first game back from injury. John Collins and Onyeka Okongwu were able to capitalize on the Warriors’ lack of size, combining for 41 points, 16 of which came in the third, 25 rebounds and 5 blocks.
For Golden State, it was the Klay Thompson show, as he poured in a season-high 54 points, going 10-21 from downtown. Looney finished with 14 points, and was dominant on the glass, securing 20 rebounds on the night. Green was doing “Draymond Green things,” racking up 11 assists to go along with 13 rebounds, 5 points, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Jordan Poole scored 28 points on a wildly inefficient 11-31 shooting performance.
The Hawks have now lost four in a row and will get a chance to recoup before heading to Sacramento to take on the Kings and former-Hawk, Kevin Huerter. Tip-off for this one is at 10 p.m. eastern from the Golden1 Center in Sacramento.
