Hawks Game 34: Jan. 1, 2024
Atlanta Hawks at Denver Nuggets
Final Score: ATL 120 – DEN 139
The Denver Nuggets welcomed the 2025 with a blowout victory over the Atlanta Hawks at home. Both matchups between these squads this season resulted in runaway victories for Denver. A big reason for these results? Jalen Johnson missed both games. He was a late addition to the injury report in this contest with right shoulder soreness and was ruled out about an hour before tip-off.
The Hawks kept pace with the Nuggets’ high-powered offense in the first half despite shooting 47% from the field compared to the home team’s 60%. Denver carried just a 74-71 lead at halftime because Atlanta made four more triples. Neither team put together a long run of stops until the second half.
The Hawks’ hot shooting cooled off, and the defense continued to allow Nikola Jokić and Russell Westbrook to live in the paint. The Nuggets scored a whopping 76 points in the paint. Denver won the final two frames 65-49 behind a 41-point third quarter. The Hawks shot just 9-26 from the field in the frame, and the Nuggets went on a 22-8 run to create their big lead.
Trae Young dropped 30 points and nine dimes, and De’Andre Hunter had another 20-point game off the bench. Dyson Daniels returned after a two-game absence but struggled, going 4-17 from the field for nine points.
Jokić had a dominant triple-double performance: 23 points, 15 assists, and 17 boards. Westbrook scored 16 points and 11 dimes, while Michael Porter Jr. shot 5-9 from deep for 21 points. Jamal Murray also scored 21 points.
Game 35: Jan. 3, 2024
Atlanta Hawks at Los Angeles Lakers
Final Score: ATL 102 – LAL 119
Many NBA fans have probably heard the phrase- “It’s a make-or-miss league.” The Hawks epitomized this saying when they fell short against the Los Angeles Lakers to kick off the weekend. Atlanta’s offense struggled mightily despite forcing Los Angeles into 18 turnovers. The Hawks only managed 14 points off those miscues and shot 41% from the field and 6-34 (17%) from beyond the arc. They did not reach the 30-point mark in any quarter and scored just 16 in the final frame.
Bogdan Bogdanović returned after missing the previous five games with a lower leg injury. Atlanta’s bench has been a strong source of scoring over the past month, and he adds another scoring weapon. However, Hunter, Garrison Mathews, and Bogdanović combined to shoot 3-22 from the field in this game, including 1-14 from deep.
LeBron James led Los Angeles with 30 points and eight assists. He scored nine straight points, including back-to-back tough fadeaway jumpers, in the fourth quarter to put the Lakers up 109-96. This sequence seemed to put any chance of a Hawks’ comeback to bed. Anthony Davis shot 6-17 from the field but still dropped 18 points with 19 boards, three steals, and three blocks. Austin Reaves continued his hot-shooting run for 20 points, six assists, and seven rebounds.
Young hit three of his squad’s six triples for 33 points and nine dimes. Johnson had 19 points and eight boards, while Onyeka Okongwu impressed in 24 minutes with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Daniels collected five steals and scored 13 points.
Game 36: Dec. 4, 2024
Atlanta Hawks at Los Angeles Clippers
Final Score: ATL 105 – LAC 131
The Hawks left Los Angeles without a win after the Los Angeles Clippers took them down in blowout fashion. Johnson missed his second game this week with right shoulder soreness, so Vít Krejčí started at power forward.
While Atlanta was down a key starter, Kawhi Leonard made his season debut for the Clippers. He scored 12 points in 19 minutes and did not need to over-extend due to the big difference on the scoreboard. Normal Powell led the Clippers with 20 points, and James Harden orchestrated the offense for 15 assists. Los Angeles had eight double-digit scorers, scoring 32 points off the Hawks’ 22 turnovers. The Clippers dominated the points in the paint, 74-40, and fastbreak points, 46-14.
Without Johnson, Young had to shoulder a big load on offense, and the Hawks struggled mightily when he sat. Los Angeles blew the game wide open in the second quarter on a 25-4 run, which included a 12-0 stretch with Young on the bench. The Clippers won the frame 45-26 and took a 74-54 lead into halftime. The Hawks cut the deficit to 15 points multiple times in the second half but turnovers them from mounting a comeback.
Young finished with 20 points and 14 dimes, while Hunter and Mathews had 18 and 15 points off the bench, respectively.
Ivica Zubac dominated the paint for 18 points and 18 rebounds. Los Angeles also had great bench production. Amir Coffey added 17 points, Kevin Porter Jr. had 15 points, and Derrick Jones Jr. slammed six dunks for 12 points.
The Hawks still have games against the Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns to try to salvage two wins on the road trip after going 4-0 the previous week.
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