The Atlanta Hawks faced the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night in search of their ninth consecutive victory. Notably, this was De’Andre Hunter’s return game, as the young Hawks striker had been out since January 29, due to a knee injury.
Despite leading by 22 points at the end of the third quarter, Atlanta were unable to bring home the victory. The Clippers’ second unit had a lively run that extended from the end of the third quarter to the fourth, and Kawhi Leonard did the rest, taking them to a 119-110 victory.
Trae Young had 28 points and eight assists in defeat, while John Collins had 23 points and seven rebounds. Clint Capela scored 12 points and 14 rebounds. Hunter scored eight points in 20 minutes on his return.
Leonard had 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the return win, while Paul George had just eight points and seven assists.
Los Angeles got off to a hot start, leading 9-2 and then 21-11 in the first quarter.
Atlanta rode a 16-5 race (9-0 to get ahead) from there to take a one point lead at the end of the first.
The Hawks were behind the Clippers by one point, going to the second, but overall it was a solid quarter, considering that Los Angeles threatened to mount a significant advantage in the beginning.
Marcus Morris Sr. led all scorers with 13 points in the first quarter, while Young led Atlanta with seven points and three assists.
Atlanta ran 11 to 0 at the start of the second, holding a 41 to 34 lead at the 7:45 mark.
Young exploded at the end of the second, which turned out to be a 13-point quarter for him. The Hawks extended its overall run to 52-27, as it dropped double digits in the first quarter. They ended the semester with a 15-5 run, largely driven by Young.
Young led all scorers with 20 points at the break, while Collins and Capela scored 10 points in the first half.
Leonard had 11 points in the first two quarters, while George had five points and three assists. Morris Sr. led the Los Angeles scorers with 14 points before the break, while Ivica Zubac scored 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Clippers mounted an 8-0 run at the start of the third, but a three-point play by John Collins on the rim interrupted the change of momentum, putting the Hawks back at 71-56.
A pair of Tony Snell buckets put Atlanta at 80-59 at the 6:29 mark on the third, the biggest advantage of the game up to that point.
Atlanta led 88-66 a few moments later, but a 13-0 push from the Clippers’ bench narrowed the margin to nine points at the end of the third.
Luke Kennard was on fire at the end of the quarter, scoring 13 points in six minutes of play, including a half-court shot to end the quarter that reduced the Hawks’ lead to just eight points towards the fourth, while Atlanta scored just two points in the fourth. final four minutes of the period.
Kennard hit all eight strokes in the game and scored 20 points in 18 minutes. Terance Mann was also great in this turnaround for Los Angeles, scoring 21 points and ten rebounds off the bench.
The second Los Angeles unit continued to recover early in the fourth, reaching just four points from the tie with the Hawks before the starters returned.
Leonard reduced the lead to four again with an e-one leading to the basket with 5:52 remaining. The Hawks asked for a timeout after the free throw with a 103-99 lead. The Clippers extended their run to 10-0 after the time limit, tying the score at 103.
Young gave the Hawks the lead again with a 3 deep with 3:24 to go, giving the Hawks a 108-105 lead. Los Angeles, however, responded with a rapid 11-0 explosion to retake the lead. Leonard hit a three dagger to score 116-108 with 1:23 to go.
The Hawks failed to scold from there, losing 119-110. In all, the Clippers overcame the Hawks by a margin of 53-22 in the final 16 minutes.
The streak is over and they will head to Sacramento for a showdown with the Kings on Wednesday night.