The Los Angeles Clippers took down the Atlanta Hawks, 131-105, on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome. In most blowout defeats for Atlanta this season, there is a common theme- Jalen Johnson’s absence. The Hawks were without Johnson due to right shoulder soreness. He has missed two out of the last three games with right shoulder soreness, so fans should monitor his injury status closely moving forward. Bogdan Bogdanović also missed this contest due to injury management after returning from his lower leg injury.
In contrast, Kawhi Leonard made his season debut for the Clippers. While he only played 19 minutes, it will be interesting to see how the usage shakes up between him, James Harden, and Norman Powell, who is having a career year. Powell led his squad with 20 points, Harden collected 15 assists, and Ivica Zubac posted an 18-point, 18-rebound double-double. Los Angeles had eighth double-digit scorers.
The Clippers took advantage of the Hawks’ 22 turnovers and converted them into 32 points. They also dominated the points in the paint and fastbreak point battles- 74-40 and 46-14, respectively. Even though Atlanta’s halfcourt defense was fair, Los Angeles created so many transition opportunities off live-ball turnovers that it did not matter.
The Hawks’ shooting woes popped up again after a rough performance against the Los Angeles Lakers just the day before. The visitors shot 43% from the field and failed to reach the 30-point mark for the second consecutive game. Trae Young played well, shooting 4-9 from beyond the arc for 20 points with 14 assists; however, once he went to the bench, Atlanta’s offense crumbled.
The Clippers went on a 14-0 run to take a 13-point lead when Young exited midway through the first frame. The Hawks turned the ball over on five straight possessions, giving Los Angeles easy fastbreak buckets. They did not score from the 6:03-1:55 mark on the game clock until Garrison Mathews converted a four-point play. When Young re-entered, Atlanta countered with its own 14-0 run, scoring on six consecutive possessions and cutting the Clippers’ lead to 29-28 after the first frame.
Los Angeles broke the game open in the second. Powell got hot, and Derrick Jones Jr. had six dunks to lead a 25-4 scoring stretch. This included a 12-0 run, all with Young on the sidelines. The Clippers won the frame 45-26 and turned a one-point lead into a 74-54 advantage at halftime. While the Hawks cut the deficit to 15 multiple times, they never recovered after the Clippers broke the game open.
Zaccharie Risacher finished with 13 points, while Mathews and De’Andre Hunter scored 15 and 18 points, respectively.
Leonard had 12 in his season debut. Amir Coffey and Kevin Porter Jr. led Los Angeles’ bench attack with 17 and 15 points, respectively.
After a four-game win streak, the Hawks have dropped their last three contests. They have a good opportunity to get back over .500 against the Utah Jazz on the road on Tuesday.
