Hawks Game 26: Dec. 11, 2024
Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks
Final Score: ATL 108 – NYK 100
NBA Cup Quarterfinals
The Atlanta Hawks are going to Las Vegas to play the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup semifinals. They took down the New York Knicks on the road in an impressive defensive performance. Coming into the contest, the Knicks ranked first in the association at a 119.9 offensive rating, but Atlanta held them to their lowest-scoring output of the campaign. Dyson Daniels frustrated Jalen Brunson defensively all game. New York’s star guard finished with 14 points on 5-15 shooting.
The Hawks struggled to hit shots throughout the first half but only found themselves down 22-28 after one frame. New York went on a 10-2 run in the second, capitalizing on Atlanta’s live-ball turnovers to take a 45-34 lead. The Madison Square Garden crowd thought the Knicks were ready to break it open, but the Hawks rebounded and cut the deficit to seven at halftime.
Jalen Johnson had a slow start but erupted early in the third frame. He scored nine points in the first four minutes and led the Hawks on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 60-62. Trae Young then hit back-to-back triples and scored 10 straight points, giving Atlanta its first lead of the night. The Hawks’ offense caught fire, and the defensive intensity remained. Atlanta went on a whopping 25-6 run and flipped the script, winning the third frame 34-18 with a nine-point lead to the fourth. The Knicks never recovered.
Young finished with 22 points, 11 dimes, and zero turnovers in the second half. Johnson had 21 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists, while De’Andre Hunter scored a game-high 26 points off the bench. Onyeka Okongwu added 12 points and 11 boards, and Atlanta won the bench battle, 43-14.
Josh Hart totaled 21 points and eight rebounds, Mikal Bridges had 19 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns collected a 19-point, 19-rebound double-double.
Game 27: Dec. 14, 2024
Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks
Final Score: ATL 102 – MIL 110
NBA Cup Semifinals
The Milwaukee Bucks ended the Hawks’ quest for the NBA Cup in Las Vegas behind their stars- Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, 14 rebounds, nine assists, and four blocks, while Lillard had 25 points, seven dimes, and five triples.
Young broke out in a big way for 35 points (9-18 FG) and 10 assists, but the Hawks struggled overall offensively. They shot 42% from the field and just 22-34 from the charity stripe. Johnson and Hunter had 15 points each, but both struggled to find the range inside the three-point arc.
Atlanta, once again, got off to a slow start, down 7-0 in the blink of an eye. The offense recovered later in the quarter, with Bogdan Bogdanović hitting back-to-back threes in a 12-2 Hawks’ run. When Young sat on the bench at the beginning of the second, Milwaukee went on a 12-0 run, spearheaded by two A.J. Green triples. When Young took the floor, the Hawks bounced right back with an 11-3 stretch. Clint Capela cleaned up at the rim with three first-half blocks, and despite shooting 15-44 from the field, Atlanta only trailed by six at halftime.
Capela added a highlight sequence out of halftime, rejecting Antetokounmpo’s dunk and finishing a tough layup on the other end.
Clint Capela dominating both ends—protecting the rim and finishing strong 💪🔥
🏆 ATL-MIL | #EmiratesNBACup Semifinals #TrueToAtlanta #NBA
pic.twitter.com/hDqHRwJJE9— OutOfSightSports🚀™️ (@OOSSports) December 14, 2024
The Bucks led by eight points on three separate occasions in the third quarter, but the Hawks responded with runs of their own to keep the game close.
Clinging to a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Atlanta only put up 19 points in the final frame compared to Milwaukee’s 28. Due to their tenacious defense, the Hawks had multiple opportunities to cut into the Bucks’ 103-98 lead with three minutes left. Young and Johnson found themselves open from beyond the arc but could not find the bottom of the net.
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