The Atlanta Hawks picked up a win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday after returning home from a long six-game road trip. Jalen Johnson (right shoulder inflammation) and De’Andre Hunter (left foot soreness) missed this contest. Two of Atlanta’s top three leading scorers were out. Before the game, I asked Head Coach Quin Snyder how the Hawks could improve their 2-4 record without Johnson before this game.
“Some of the things he [Johnson] does for us are unique… to push it the way that he does, the defensive rebounds because of his height and his athleticism and his playmaking. You look to the rest of the group to do that collectively,” replied Snyder.
The Hawks answered the call with a number of players stepping up in Johnson’s absence.
Trae Young scored 43 points and shot 6-12 from beyond the arc. He shouldered a big offensive load in this game. Head Coach Quin Snyder knew how important it was for Young to take charge in this game without Hunter and Johnson.
“Tonight was one of those nights where we needed his scoring,” said Snyder.
The Hawks’ star point guard came through, registering a season-high in both field goal attempts and usage- 31 shots from the field and 41.7% usage.
Onyeka Okongwu had a monster performance in the paint against Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro. Atlanta’s center finished with 22 points and 21 boards- his first career 20-and-20 game. Phoenix deploys small lineups when Kevin Durant sits on the bench. Royce O’Neale plays the backup power forward, and they even put Durant at center a few times in this game. Okongwu took advantage, leading his squad to outrebound the Suns 54-37.
The Hawks shot 12-18 from beyond the arc in the first half in Phoenix last week, but their shot shooting ran out over the final two frames, leading to a loss. However, in their win on Tuesday, they held their efficiency from deep across both halves, finishing at a 17-41 clip. In addition to Young’s six triples, Vít Krejčí and Garrison Mathews shot 3-6 and 5-8 from deep for 15 and 19 points, respectively. Krejčí also added six dimes and pushed the ball quickly and effectively in transition.
The vast majority of the Suns’ offense came from Durant and Devin Booker. They finished with 31 and 35 points each, but the offensive production dropped off outside of the stars. Rookie Ryan Dunn had 14 points, while Bradley Beal managed 11. Phoenix lost the bench points battle 50-26.
After brief stop at home, the Hawks take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night at the United Center. It is the first stop on a three-game road trip.
