The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Atlanta Hawks, 100-92, extending the latter’s losing streak to five games. Despite missing many key players, Atlanta fought hard to keep this game close. Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Larry Nance Jr. missed this contest- three starters, Atlanta’s top two scorers, and its best perimeter defender. Zaccharie Risacher and De’Andre Hunter made their returns to action. Head Coach Quin Snyder elected to start Keaton Wallace, Vít Krejčí, Risacher, David Roddy, and Onyeka Okongwu.
Even though Hunter came off the bench, he played 32 minutes, scoring a career-high 35 points on 12-21 shooting. He dropped 22 points in the second half, trying to will his squad to a comeback victory. However, outside of Hunter, the Hawks did not have a second double-digit scorer. They only scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, turned the ball over 21 times, and posted a 90.3 offensive rating. This led to their second consecutive contest under 100 points. Inside five minutes to go with the Timberwolves up 97-89, Wallace and Hunter had two wide-open looks from deep but could not convert. Atlanta only made one shot with 5:16 left on the clock, sealing its fate. Wallace finished with 13 points and seven assists, while Clint Capela had a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double in 21 minutes.
Despite grabbing the victory, the Timberwolves did not play their best basketball. They went on a 13-2 run in the first and an 11-0 run in the second frame to build a 60-43 halftime lead. However, Minnesota scored just 40 points and committed 11 turnovers in the second half. The Hawks’ physical defense bothered the home team, but they could not take advantage of it on the offensive end to capitalize. Just like Atlanta, the Timberwolves went ice-cold from the field late in the fourth quarter. Their only field goal inside the final five minutes came from a Rudy Gobert dunk with eight seconds left. Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle led Minnesota with 23 and 20 points, respectively. They shot a combined 13-37 from the field.
The Hawks sit at 22-24 with a tough schedule coming up. They need to regroup quickly if they want to stay in the running for a playoff spot. Atlanta’s next game is on Tuesday against the red-hot Houston Rockets at home.
