MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Hawks couldn’t keep up with the Grizzlies, who pounced early and handed them a 128-103 loss.
Here are five observations:
1. The Hawks (14-14) missed four of their five starters Monday night, and they started slowly. The Grizzlies made their first nine shots.
The Grizzlies’ field-goal percentage never dipped below 50% as they pounded the Hawks all over the floor. They were 36 of 49 in the paint, made their only shot from midrange and torched the Hawks from distance.
“They have good ball movement,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “They’re playing good basketball, you know, when a team is moving the ball like that, like they do, they do a good job of playing on catch. They catch you in rotation, and they attack your rotation. Again, 36 assists, you’re sharing the basketball. You’re making that defense work, and everybody’s involved.”
In the third quarter, the Grizzlies shot 15 of 22 and outscored the Hawks 40-25 to take a 102-76 lead.
Monday night was an opportunity for some of the Hawks’ rotational players to step up in the absence of their starters. But the Grizzlies shut down the short-handed Hawks.
2. While the Grizzlies (18-9) were blazing hot on offense, they proved to be just as stifling on defense.
With Jaren Jackson and Brandon Clarke locking down the paint, the Hawks struggled to knock down shots. The Hawks made 21 of 55 (38.2%) shot attempts in the paint and four of their baskets from midrange.
Jackson finished with eight blocks to tie the Grizzlies’ franchise record for a game. He also scored 15 points and had seven rebounds.
“He’s a problem,” McMillan said. “He’s a big forward. I mean, he’s a throwback NBA player. That’s what the power forwards used to look like back in the day. Now they’re called spread forwards. But his ability to play inside as well as outside. He’s starting at the four, but he comes back at the five position, and with his size, basically he just dominated the paint, protected the rim for those guys.”
3. The Hawks outdueled the Grizzlies on the glass, but with shots not falling, they couldn’t capitalize. The Hawks had 20 offensive rebounds but made 5 of 21 second-chance opportunities.
“We knew our game plan was to keep them off the boards and keep them out of the paint,” Trent Forrest said. “And, I mean, they’re one of the best teams in the league for a reason. So, we had a hard time doing that. I feel like it kind of just compounded other things.”
Forrest started at point guard for Trae Young (low back tightness) on Monday and finished with four points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals. Forrest and Aaron Holiday handled the bulk of the ballhandling duties in Young’s absence.
Holiday, who had 15 points, three rebounds, six assists and four steals, gave the Hawks some spark off the bench. Along with Forrest, AJ Griffin, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, he helped spark a 12-4 Hawks run that saw them tie the game at 27 toward the end of the first quarter.
4. After missing four games this season, De’Andre Hunter returned to his spot in the starting rotation in the last two. On Monday, Hunter shouldered some of the offensive load as the lone starter remaining.
Hunter scored 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the floor as he worked to get his legs back under him after his absence.
The Hawks eventually sat Hunter after 20 minutes and the game essentially out of reach. But his presence on the floor forced the Grizzlies to commit extra defenders to try to slow him down.
For Hunter, it was a good night to try to work himself back into basketball shape.
“I was a little tight out there,” he said. “But, overall, I felt pretty good.”
5. The Hawks also had a good start from Johnson, who scored eight of the Hawks’ 29 points in the first quarter. Johnson knocked down a couple of 3-pointers early that helped keep the Hawks in the game in the first quarter.
He looked confident knocking them down, too.
But the Grizzlies began to hone in on him, and he missed his next three attempts. He finished with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting and had nine rebounds. He also handed out three assists, as the Hawks have encouraged him to use his talents as a facilitator.
Stat to know
Griffin tied Young for the third-longest 3FGM streak by a Hawks rookie (13 straight) with his first 3-pointer in Monday’s game. It’s also the longest active rookie 3-point streak in the league.
Quotable
“You’re gonna have injuries, and guys are gonna have opportunities to step up, and tonight, they were just faster, stronger, better tonight, out there. Injuries are part of it. This league is unforgiving. And they did what you need to do when a team is coming in limping. They took care of business right from the start, and they didn’t let up at all throughout this game. So, it was total control from start to finish.” – McMillan on what Monday’s loss to the Grizzlies tells him about developing the rest of the roster.
Up next
The Hawks continue their three-game road trip and take on the Magic in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday night.
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