The Atlanta Hawks returned from the All-Star break in style, making a 15-point comeback in the final six minutes and securing a victory over the Toronto Raptors. From there, the team returned to the State Farm Arena for their first home game in more than two weeks, with the Sacramento Kings making their annual visit to Atlanta. After an uneven start, the Hawks started the jets, and when the final bell rang, Atlanta came out with a 121 to 106 victory for the fourth consecutive victory.
The home team fought hard to get out of the gate, especially at the defensive end. Sacramento scored 24 points in the first seven minutes – with little resistance from Atlanta – and the Hawks dug a 14-point hole as a result.
On the more positive side, 8 of Atlanta’s first 10 points came from Dunks of Clint Capela.
The Hawks leveled off a bit, with an 8-2 straight going, but Atlanta was still losing double digits at the end of the first quarter. Things changed in a hurry, however, when Rajon Rondo took a massive run to start the second period.
It was undoubtedly the best single pass of the Rondo season, attacking the rim offensively, wreaking havoc on the defensive end and pushing the Hawks to 11 consecutive points. After a Kings timeout, which extended to 18-2 overall, giving Atlanta the lead, Kevin Huerter took down three in a row to give the Hawks a 46-35 lead.
In all, that race was 24-2 in favor of the Hawks, and it was the biggest reason why Atlanta gained a 10 point advantage in the locker room at halftime. Another reason was Capela’s game, which led the team with 18 points and seven rebounds in the first half.
Outside the break, the Hawks scored the first five points, building the lead to 66-51 after Trae Young’s three-pointer.
The Kings awoke, but not before another moment worth mentioning, when Huerter met John Collins for a dunk.
Although Sacramento withstood the first storm early in the third quarter, the Hawks left a mark on the second wave. Atlanta made a 12-2 straight, with two Young trios, and that gave the Hawks an 85-66 lead with 4:49 remaining in the period.
Atlanta led with 23 points in the period before settling with a 17 point advantage after 36 minutes of play. The fourth quarter included a slight push from the Kings, but the game was never in doubt as the Hawks maintained a comfortable lead.
Noteworthy in the final period was that Tony Snell tried (and made) his first free throws of the season. It took Snell 471 minutes to reach the line, which was the longest in the NBA with no free throw in 2020-21. From then on, Atlanta simply took care of business against an opponent struggling to stop them, and the end result was a 15-point victory.
Young led the way with 28 points and nine assists, needing just 32 minutes of court time to compile those numbers. Capela had 24 points and 14 rebounds in 27 minutes, with 16 points from Collins and 15 points from Gallinari.
With the win, Atlanta now has a four-game winning streak for the first time since April 2017. The Hawks now face a quick turnaround, with the Cleveland Cavaliers arriving in Atlanta for a fight on Sunday night.
Stay tuned.