The Atlanta Hawks began 2025 with a 120-139 defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets snapped Atlanta’s six-game-win streak at State Farm Arena on Dec. 8 and again played the spoiler role to start the New Year.
Atlanta had no answer for Nikola Jokić, who dominated with 23 points, 15 assists, and 17 rebounds. While Trae Young punched back with 30 points and nine assists, Atlanta’s defense could not consistently stop Denver’s attack.
Jalen Johnson was a late addition to the injury report with right shoulder soreness and got ruled out about an hour before tip-off. Bogdan Bogdanović’s absence was extended to five games, but Dyson Daniels returned after recovering from an illness. Garrison Mathews, who finished with nine points, started for Johnson.
Neither team could string together consistent stops in the first half. The Nuggets held a 74-71 lead at halftime. However, the Hawks built their lead on the back of some hot three-point shooting from Young, De’Andre Hunter, and Vít Krejčí. Throughout this season, the Hawks have not shot the three-ball well, but they have relied on their defense to slow down the opposition. They never found a counter to Denver’s well-oiled machine in this game.
The Nuggets shot well from inside and out. Russell Westbrook, who had 16 points with 11 dimes, and Jokić wreaked havoc in the paint. Michael Porter Jr. torched the Hawks for 21 points on 5-9 shooting from deep. The Nuggets scored at least 34 points in each of the first three quarters, including 40 in the first and 41 in the third. They won the third quarter by 17 points behind a 22-8 run to grab a 17-point lead. In contrast, the Hawks came to a screeching halt in the second half offensively. They shot just 9-26 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc. Since the Hawks could not stop Denver, they needed to keep scoring, and without Johnson, it was a tough task. The Nuggets squashed any hope of a comeback when they forced the Hawks into seven fourth-quarter turnovers.
Daniels struggled in his return for nine points on 4-17 shooting. Zacchaire Risacher had 13 points (6-12 FG), while Hunter added 20 points. Krejčí made his first three triples for 14 points, five assists, and six boards in a good performance off the bench.
The Nuggets collected 76 points in the paint and 44 assists. Jamal Murray scored 21, while Christian Braun totaled 15 points. Julian Strawther also had 13 points off the bench.
The Hawks will look to bounce back ahead of their matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Crypto.com Arena.
