The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Charlotte Hornets 123-110 on Wednesday night at State Farm Arena. Neither team found a shooting rhythm for most of the contest. The Hawks made three fewer shots from the field than Charlotte. They shot 42% and the Hornets ended 45% on the night. However, Atlanta dominated the bench points, 57-18, and forced 21 Hornets turnovers. It scored 25 points off those miscues.
The Hawks won the points in the paint over the first three games of this streak. Tonight, they lost in that area, 40-50, but their aggressive defense and bench production led the way. Four of the five Atlanta reserves scored in double digits compared to zero for the visitors. I asked Trae Young how this win shows they can win games in a multitude of ways.
“It’s important for any good team to… win in a variety of ways because it’s not going to be the same every night… The best teams in the league, they’ve all won in different variety of ways throughout the season,” replied the Hawks’ star.
On a night when Young shot 7-20 from the field, he still scored 35 points (and 12 assists) because he went 21-21 from the free throw line. Atlanta converted 35-39 from the charity stripe for the game, taking advantage of the Hornets’ undisciplined defense. Head Coach Quin Snyder commented on Young’s ability to compromise an opposing defense after the game.
“He puts a lot of pressure on the defense… He was going by people. A lot of times, when somebody that’s really quick is by you, there is opportunities to draw fouls…” Snyder emphasized.
On the Charlotte side, Miles Bridges led the way with 31 points (11-19 FG), 11 rebounds, and four blocks. LaMelo Ball totaled 25 points and nine assists but shot just 6-21 from the field. Terance Mann and Dyson Daniels combined to play strong on-ball defense against Ball throughout the game. DaQuan Jeffries added 20 points, including four triples. Both teams made 14 threes on the night.
The Hawks end their six-game homsteand on Friday when they face the Los Angeles Clippers. Bogdan Bogdanović returns to State Farm Arena to face his old squad. Atlanta aims for five straight wins.
