What did we Learn From Hawks 132-91 Victory over Charlotte?
The Atlanta Hawks came back from their five-game road trip last night and they did so in style.
After going 1-4 on the West Coast, the Hawks (who are still one of the most injured teams in the NBA) got to face their division rivals, the Charlotte Hornets, who are also going through a lot of injuries right now. The result last night was a 41-point victory and one of the most complete performances of the year from Atlanta.
The Hawks are hoping to get some of their injured players back soon and they might need them with the schedule they have ahead. Atlanta has two games vs the Celtics and one vs Milwaukee coming up this week.
So what did we learn last night from Atlanta’s dominant performance?
- Atlanta got huge performances from Bruno Fernando and Garrison Matthews
With so many guys injured the Hawks have had to reach deep into their bench to try and find production and that has not always worked. De’Andre Hunter has done well off the bench, but he is back to a starting role now. The Hawks have not gotten much production from their bench, but that changed last night with big performances from Bruno Fernando and Garrison Matthews, who both had perhaps their best games as Hawks.
Fernando shot 11-14 and scored 25 points, a new career high, and Matthews shot 6-8 (4-6 from three) and scored 20 points. Atlanta’s offense has had to rely on Dejounte Murray to produce big games on offense, but they got great games from their supporting cast last night.
2. Atlanta got enough from their defense
Yes, the Hornets are missing LaMelo Ball and traded away Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward, but they still have guys (Miles Bridges and Brandon Miller) who can put up big games in a hurry. Bridges was able to score 27 last night, but it did not matter. The Hawks held Charlotte to 41% from the field and 28% from three, limiting them to just 91 points. The Hawks have struggled to defend all year and while Charlotte is one of the worst offenses in the NBA, Atlanta defended at a high level after the first quarter and got the win.
3. Will the Hawks be healthy enough to win two games in the play-in tournament?
With all of the struggles the Hawks have had, they are almost certainly going to be the No. 10 seed and the last team in the NBA play-in tournament. A lot of that is due to Brooklyn completely falling apart, but the Hawks have suffered through their fair share of injuries.
Right now, Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, and Kobe Bufkin are still out, but they might all be back in time for the play-in tournament. While the Hawks have found a way to hold on to the last spot, they are going to need those guys back (especially Young), if they want to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
