Hawks Game 46: Jan. 27, 2025
Atlanta Hawks at Minnesota Timberwolves
Final Score: ATL 92 – MIN 100
The Atlanta Hawks lost their fifth consecutive game to kick off this week. Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, and Jalen Johnson all missed the action, but the young Hawks put up a fight against the much healthier Minnesota Timberwolves. Atlanta held the Timberwolves to 100 points and just 40 in the final 24 minutes, but it could not capitalize on offense. For the second straight game, the Hawks failed to reach 100 points, posting a 90.3 offensive rating.
Neither team scored for the first two minutes until Julius Randle led the Timberwolves on a 13-2 first-quarter run. They stretched their lead out more after an 11-0 run midway through the second quarter, going up 60-43 at halftime.
Atlanta made it interesting in the fourth quarter, thanks to De’Andre Hunter. He scored a career-high 35 points, 22 coming in the second half. The Hawks cut the deficit to 95-88 with five minutes left. However, Hunter’s triple with 1:28 on the clock was their only field goal for the rest of the game. The Hawks also held Minnesota to one made shot in the final five minutes, but they could not score enough to come back.
Clint Capela posted a 10-point, 15-rebound double-double in 21 minutes off the bench, and Keaton Wallace, who started for Young, had 13 points and seven dimes.
Anthony Edwards had 23 points but shot 6-20 from the field, while Randle scored 20 points (7-17 FG). Rudy Gobert collected 18 points and 10 boards.
Game 47: Jan. 28, 2024
Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks
Final Score: HOU 100 – ATL 96
The Houston Rockets outlasted the Hawks’ fourth-quarter comeback at State Farm Arena. Atlanta trailed 80-96 with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter but went on an 11-0 run to make things interesting in crunch time. Young and Daniels hit back-to-back floaters to cut Houston’s lead to 98-95 with 47 seconds remaining. Before Daniels stepped up to the stripe to complete his three-point play, officials gave out double technical fouls to Young and Dillon Brooks for this altercation.
Dillon Brooks and Trae Young received offsetting technical fouls on this play 👀 pic.twitter.com/7xh5kfJMqe
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 29, 2025
After Atlanta got a stop on the next possession, it had a chance to win the game. Hunter had a wide-open three from the top of the key, but the shot went halfway down and bounced out of the rim. The Rockets secured the board, leading to an Alerpen Şengün dunk to seal the win.
This was the third straight game in which the Hawks scored under 100 points. Even though they forced Houston into 21 turnovers, they could not capitalize on their offense. Over the last two weeks (since Jan. 29), they have held the second-best defensive rating (105) in the NBA; however, they rank 28th in offensive rating (100.7). Atlanta must find an offensive rhythm soon to dig out of this hole.
Jalen Green scored 25 points on 24 shots, doubling Sengun and Brooks’ 12 attempts from the field. Sengun had 18 points and 10 boards.
Young and Hunter scored 21 (7-16 FG) and 16 points (5-16 FG), respectively, but neither shot well from the field. The Hawks shot just 11-47 from deep.
The following day, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Johnson would miss the rest of the campaign due to a left shoulder injury. It was later revealed he suffered a left shoulder injury, leading to a torn labrum. The Hawks are 4-7 on the season without Johnson in the lineup. Mouhamed Gueye, Dominick Barlow, and David Roddy could see extended minutes. This injury likely puts Atlanta out of the running for a big buy trade at the deadline.
An @emoryhealthcare injury update:
Jalen Johnson, who left our Jan. 23 game vs. Toronto after sustaining a left shoulder dislocation, has been diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
He is scheduled to undergo surgery next week at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex,… pic.twitter.com/59CdlyQUIF
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 29, 2025
Game 48: Jan. 30, 2025
Atlanta Hawks at Cleveland Cavaliers
Final Score: ATL 115 – CLE 137
Atlanta reached the 100-point plateau but fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for its seventh straight loss. While the Hawks have been strong defensively during this losing streak, they struggled against the Cleveland inside in the paint. The Cavaliers scored 66 points in the paint, outrebounded the Hawks 49-36, and posted a 134.6 offensive rating. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined for 25 boards.
Atlanta only turned the ball over 11 times but still struggled to shoot from beyond the arc. At the end of the third quarter, the Hawks were just 8-30 from downtown. They found the range in the fourth, going 5-9, but the game was out of hand at that point. Atlanta was only down 63-71 at halftime. However, Cleveland started the third frame on a 17-6 run and scored eight straight points near the end of the quarter. It outscored the Hawks, 39-21, to make this a blowout defeat.
The Hawks’ big bright spot in an ugly loss was Zaccharie Risacher. The first-overall pick in this year’s draft scored 30 points on 11-14 shooting (5-6 3PT). He hit his first seven shots, scored 12 straight Atlanta points in the second quarter, and had 20 at halftime. Hunter played well off the bench, scoring 25 points and hitting all 12 of his free throws.
The Cavaliers’ All-Star backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell led the charge. Garland totaled 26 points and seven dimes, while Mitchell had 24 points with four triples. Mobley posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Game 49: Feb. 1, 2025
Atlanta Hawks at Indiana Pacers
Final Score: ATL 127 – IND 132
The Hawks continue to sink further in the Eastern Conference standings. They lost a close game to the Indiana Pacers to close out this week for their eighth consecutive defeat. Johnson’s absence has sunk Atlanta to rock bottom, and the Hawks must find a way to gain ground because they cannot tank. They do not own their pick in this year’s draft.
The Pacers got a red-hot start, shooting 7-14 from beyond the arc for 40 points in the first quarter. Atlanta got down 16 points after the frame, but it responded well in the second. The Hawks returned the favor with their own 40-point frame. Garrison Mathews scored all 14 of his points in the quarter, and the Hawks held Indiana to just 1-8 from deep.
Both teams scored 31 points in the third frame to set up a tightly-contested fourth. Indiana led 127-122 with 1:30 left on the game clock. Young hit a heavily contested three off a Risacher offensive rebound to cut the Hawks’ deficit to two. Atlanta tried to go for the steal with 20 seconds left, but it had to resort to the foul game. Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith iced the game at the line for the home team.
Young delivered a masterful 34-point, 17-assist double-double, while Daniels scored 23 points on 8-15 shooting. Risacher got hot in the fourth, scoring 10 of Atlanta’s first 16 points and with 17.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 20 points, nine boards, and five dimes, and Andrew Nemhard added 19 points with five assists. Obi Toppin provided a spark off the bench for 18 points, while Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin had 17 points each.
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