Hawks Game 54: Feb. 10, 2025
Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic
Final Score: ATL 112 – ORL 106
The Atlanta Hawks are 3-0 since the NBA trade deadline after defeating the Orlando Magic to kick off the week. After George Niang impressed in his Hawks debut, Terance Mann and Caris LeVert provided critical sparks off the bench in this game. Mann hit all four of his shots, including three triples, for 12 points. LeVert was Atlanta’s second-leading scorer with 18 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes. Trae Young only made one shot in the first half but rebounded in the second to finish with 19 points (6-17 FG) and eight assists.
Both teams turned the ball over a lot in this contest- 17 for the Magic and 16 for the Hawks. As a result, this turned into a gritty, defensive battle. In the last couple of seasons, Atlanta’s defensive ranks have been near the bottom of the league. However, it ranks 13th in defensive rating (DRTG) after this game. Orlando ranks third in DRTG, but the Hawks’ team approach on offense was a big reason for the victory. They collected 29 assists on 38 field goals.
In contrast, the Magic had 22 dimes on 37 made shots. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner had 31 and 37 points, respectively. The next highest scorer on the team was Tristan da Silva (nine points on 2-5 shooting).
Game 55: Feb. 12, 2025
Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks
Final Score in Overtime: ATL 148 – NYK 149
The Hawks’ win streak ended at Madison Square Garden just as the All-Star break began. The New York Knicks beat them in a high-scoring overtime thriller. In fact, this contest was the highest-scoring game in the NBA this season. All the stars showed out in a big way.
New York held an18-point lead in the second quarter, but the Hawks ended the half on a 12-2 run to grab momentum and shrink their deficit to 60-68 at halftime. As crunch time approached, New York still held a 137-131 lead with under 20 seconds to go. Niang hit a triple to give Atlanta life, and then Dyson Daniels stole Karl-Anthony Towns’ inbound pass. He only knocked down one free throw after getting fouled, but the Hawks grabbed the offensive rebound. Josh Hart then fouled Young, who knocked down two free throws to tie the game. Atlanta scored six points in nine seconds, and Jalen Brunson missed a three to send the contest to overtime.
The Hawks started hot in the extra period, grabbing their first lead of the game and stretching it to five points. However, two costly turnovers shifted the momentum over to the home team. New York had a 147-146 lead with 24 seconds left. Onyeka Okongwu hit two clutch free throws to give his squad a one-point lead, but Brunson hit a stepback mid-ranger to take back the lead. Mikal Bridges blocked Young’s floater on the final possession, but Okongwu grabbed the loose ball and swung it to Niang in the corner for an open triple. However, it did not fall, sealing Atlanta’s fate.
Brunson and Towns combined to score over half the Knicks’ points. Brunson put up 36 points and eight dimes, Towns had 44 points and 10 boards, while Precious Achiuwa also had a season-high 26 points.
Young struggled in the first half, shooting just 2-11 from the field, but finished with 38 points and 19 assists. Daniels added 23 points with four steals, and Okongwu delivered a strong 21-point, 14-rebound double-double. LeVert and Niang fit seamlessly into Atlanta’s rotation. They tallied 20 and 21 points, respectively. LeVert also had 10 boards and seven dimes.
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