Takeaways From Atlanta's 115-114 Loss to Charlotte
The Hawks looked like they were cruising to a home win last night vs the Charlotte Hornets, but a wild fourth quarter saw the Hornets erase an 18-point deficit and come back and defeat the Hawks. Charlotte spoiled the return of Trae Young and the final home game of the regular season for Atlanta.
It was apparent from the start of the game however that head coach Quin Snyder and the Hawks were thinking big picture when it came to this game yesterday. Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and Wesley Matthews sat out yesterday's game. Young was on a minutes restriction and played around 20 minutes, along with Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela. The Hawks let the bench players play the fourth quarter and that is when Charlotte took advantage.
So what are the takeaways from last night?
1. The Hawks are almost certainly going to be the No. 10 seed...
Atlanta tried to overtake Chicago for the No. 9 spot so they could host the play-in game between the two teams, but Atlanta is now 1.5 games behind the Bulls with only two games left and it seems as if Atlanta is fine with going to Chicago to play the Bulls. It will be difficult to win two road games to get into the playoffs, but that is the path the Hawks are looking at right now. The good news is that they should be relatively healthy for those games now that Young is back. In the final two games vs Minnesota and Indiana, keep an eye on how many minutes some of Atlanta's key players play. Snyder might be saving them for the play-in game and they might not play their usual number of minutes.
2. Trae Young looked mostly like Trae Young in his return...
Young was wearing a big brace on his hand, but he was still making incredible passes and scoring in the lane in his limited action last time. He scored 14 points and dished out 11 assists in just 20 minutes of action last night. If Atlanta wants any shot of getting out of the play-in and being competitive in the playoffs, they need Young to be at his best.
3. Mouhamed Gueye flashed his potential in his stint...
Gueye has not played much for the Hawks during his rookie season, but he showed his athleticism and potential during his 17 minutes of playing time. Gueye finished with three points, seven rebounds, and three assists, as well as a blocked shot. Gueye has impressed while at College Park when he was healthy and his skillset is intriguing for the future.
4. Bogdan Bogdanovic continued his great season by setting a record...
With under eight minutes to go in the third quarter of tonight's game, Bogdanovic hit his 234th three-point shot of the season, setting a new single-season record for the Hawks. It has been a disappointing season for the Hawks, but Bogdanovic has been one of the best players for Atlanta all year and tonight was a huge achievement.
