The Atlanta Hawks moved to 2-0 on the season with a 125-120 win over the Charlotte Hornets at State Farm Arena, Friday night. In addition to Kobe Bufkin’s absence (shoulder injury), Bogdan Bogdanović missed this game due to hamstring tendinopathy. As a result, Garrison Mathews and Vít Krejčí saw increased minutes.
The Brooklyn Nets never fell far behind Atlanta in the last game due to the Hawks’ poor free-throw shooting. While they rectified their shooting from the line (33-38), Atlanta struggled to keep the Hornets off the offensive glass. Charlotte grabbed a whopping 22 offensive rebounds in the game, and at one point held a 14-1 advantage. Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu struggled to box out Nick Richards, who ended with 12 points and 13 boards.
The game was headlined by two of the NBA’s best point guards- LaMelo Ball and Trae Young. Both delivered stellar performances, but Young’s squad ultimately came out on top. He came firing and finished with 38 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, and four steals. Young was everywhere on the court on both ends, diving for loose balls and driving downhill. Ball shot 9-14 from three-point range for 34 points, five assists, and five rebounds but had 10 turnovers.
In contrast to Young’s fast start, Ball went scoreless in the first quarter, and Charlotte began the game 6-25 from the field, mustering just 16 points in the first frame. Led by Dyson Daniels and De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta’s defense forced Charlotte into many tough shots. However, this all changed after Daniels picked up his third foul with nine minutes left in the second quarter.
With Daniels on the bench for the rest of the half, Ball took advantage. He got hot from beyond the arc and put 18 points by halftime. After a rough first frame, the Hornets put up 42 points in the second quarter to cut Atlanta’s lead to 62-58 after 24 minutes.
Midway through the third frame, Atlanta put together a 7-0 run to grab a 77-67 lead. Daniels and Young ignited some easy transition buckets with active hands to create separation; however, the Hornets did not go quietly. They went on an 11-1 run shortly after to cut Atlanta’s lead to just one point, and the Hawks entered the fourth up 88-85.
After going back and forth for most of the frame, the game’s biggest play happened at 3:24 on the game clock. Ball was called for a moving screen after great ball-denial from Daniels, preventing the Hornets’ star from closing the game. As a result, Charlotte Head Coach Charles Lee went with Tre Mann, who finished with an inefficient 17 points (6-19 FG), as the go-to closer down the stretch. He had trouble dealing with Daniels’ defense, as the Hawks closed out the game with free throws.
Daniels put up a career-high 18 points (2-4 3PT), four assists, two steals, and two blocks, despite playing just 22 minutes. Hunter has had a great start to the season and finished with 24 points, seven rebounds, and three dimes. The trio of Young, Daniels, and Hunter were the catalysts to propel Atlanta to this victory.
The Hawks’ next game comes Sunday when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first road game of the young season.
