The Memphis Grizzlies conquered the Hawks in a close 123-119 victory at State Farm Arena on Sunday. The contest featured two of the most exciting, young point guards in the NBA- Memphis’ Ja Morant and Atlanta’s Trae Young. Both stars did not disappoint, as Morant put up 27 and six assists, and Young totaled a 28-point, 10-assist double-double. However, the Grizzlies ultimately came out with the win.
Both teams struggled to shoot efficiently out of the gates. The Hawks held a brief 14-12 lead, but that would be their only lead in the game. Atlanta forced Memphis into six turnovers with 2:51 left in the opening quarter, but the Hawks still trailed 21-22. In the last two minutes and change of the frame, Atlanta’s perimeter defense struggled, and the Grizzlies caught fire from beyond the arc. They ended the first quarter making 6-12 threes and putting up 12 fastbreak points to take a 34-27 lead into the second quarter. In contrast, the Hawks struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 1-9 from downtown.
Bogdan Bogdanovic provided a spark off the bench, scoring 10 points in 10 minutes near the start of the second quarter. Luke Kennard and Tyus Jones played similar roles for Memphis, dropping 11 and 10 points, respectively. Kennard did most of his damage from the three-point line, going 3-7 in the first half. However, the Hawks were only down 61-56 entering halftime. Jaren Jackson Jr. ensured Atlanta scored nothing easy in the paint with five blocks and 11 points, while Desmond Bane led Memphis with 12 points. For the Hawks, Young dropped 14 along with Bogdanovic’s 10 points, but as a team, they struggled mightily from beyond the arc (2-16 3PT).
In the third quarter, Atlanta tied the game at 63 when Clint Capela blocked Morant’s floater, leading to a Young transition three. This play sent State Farm Arena fans into a frenzy, but the Grizzlies continued to keep the Hawks in the rearview mirror at 88-83. After not hitting a three in the first half, Young knocked down 3-4 from downtown in the third quarter, but Atlanta still trailed 89-96 entering the final frame. Capela dominated inside, putting up 14 points and 15 rebounds through three quarters.
The Hawks began the fourth on an 8-2 run, punctuated by a Saddiq Bey and-one to bring the deficit to 97-98. However, Memphis pulled away throughout the quarter, taking advantage of Atlanta’s vulnerable transition defense. The Grizzles put up 24 fastbreak points, doubling the Hawks’ 12. De’Andre Hunter struggled mightily with his shot in this game, but he hit a clutch three with 23.2 seconds left to bring the deficit to 119-122. Young struggled in the final quarter, scoring one point, and ultimately, Atlanta could not get the perimeter shots to fall to mount the comeback.
Hunter finished with 17 points but shot 1-8 from downtown. Capela owned the paint with 18 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks. Dejounte Murray’s poor shooting continued with 13 points on 3-11 from the field. In contrast, Onyeka Okongwu kept up his stellar play, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven boards in 19 minutes off the bench.
For Memphis, Bane totaled 25 points on 11-18 shooting. The Grizzlies’ starting frontcourt made their presence known. Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and three steals. Xavier Tillman put up 15 points, eight rebounds, two blocks and three steals. Jones and Kennard finished with 13 and 14 points, respectively.
With this defeat, the Hawks now sit in the eighth seed. They are tied with the Toronto Raptors, but Atlanta owns the tiebreaker. The Chicago Bulls remain only one-half game back of Atlanta and Toronto, so each game is incredibly important to maintain homecourt advantage in the first round of the play-in tournament. The Hawks do battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers at home on Tuesday to continue the intense race to the postseason.
