The Hawks’ four-game winning streak was ended last night in the NBA by the Clippers. The Hawks fought back after the Clippers jumped off to a large lead.
The Hawks have suffered losses similar to this one before. This season, their defense has let them down numerous times. Even though they had a fantastic offensive night, they lost a game because the Clippers hit 60% from three-point range.
1. The Hawks squandered one of the season’s best offensive performances
You should win most of the time when you score 144 points, shoot 54% from the field and 51.3% from three, and have an offensive rating of 137.3. The Hawks’ inability to stop the Clippers destroyed one of their best offensive performances. James Harden nearly recorded a triple-double, going 6-9 from three, while Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points on 13-20 shooting. The Hawks were unable to make any headway with the Clippers’ numerous outstanding playmakers.
2. De’Andre Hunter had a great appearance
Hunter played just two minutes in the fourth quarter due to a minutes limit, but he still produced one of his greatest games of the season and his best performance as a Hawk.
Hunter led Atlanta in scoring with 27 points on 10–12 shooting from the field and 3-5 from three, despite not even getting to play 20 minutes. When he was on the court, he also performed a strong defensive job.
Hunter proved last night why he is one of the Hawks’ most valuable players. When he is able to play more minutes, the Hawks should gain a lot from his absence, which Atlanta missed.
3. The superstars of the Clippers outperformed the Hawks stars
Sometimes, all that matters in a game between two teams with stars on them is whose star plays the best. Paul George, Leonard, and Harden performed better than Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in this instance.
While George did not play as well as Leonard or Harden, he still managed to score 18 points on 7–13 shooting and occasionally play strong defense. There are two players whose contributions are not to be disregarded: Russell Westbrook and Amir Coffey. They scored 26 points in total last night, with some crucial baskets in the fourth quarter.