The Hawks nearly came back from a 16-point deficit but fell to the Suns, 117-110, Tuesday in Phoenix.
Next up, the Hawks will play in San Antonio Thursday.
Below are some takeaways from the loss:
1. Lou Williams arrived in Phoenix Monday, but since it took him a few days from being acquired to join the team, he wasn’t available to play Tuesday. He will likely be able to play in Thursday’s game in San Antonio, though, after getting up to speed. The Hawks also felt the absence of some of their better defenders in Kris Dunn (right ankle surgery), Cam Reddish (right Achilles soreness) and De’Andre Hunter (right knee soreness), who is still struggling with swelling in his knee after coming back from injury to play in two recent games.
2. John Collins was replaced late in the second quarter and didn’t return to the game, which meant the Hawks became even more shorthanded. He diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. Collins had stepped on someone’s foot and come down wrong on the ankle, per interim coach Nate McMillan, and tried to play through it for four or five minutes before needing to be subbed out. Before departing, Collins had nine points, four rebounds and three assists in about 15 minutes.
3. Battling back from a 16-point deficit, the Hawks got within two, 85-83, after a surge by the second unit at the end of the third quarter, sparked by a steal from Kevin Huerter, which set up Bogdan Bogdanovic for a wide-open 3-pointer. The Hawks made a few clutch shots to keep it close and buckled down defensively, and two free throws by Trae Young tied the score, 103-103, with about three minutes to play. In the final minute, Young missed a layup out of a timeout and Jae Crowder responded with a 3-pointer, and it was all Suns as they pulled away for the win. Young finished with a double-double of 19 points and 13 assists. “They made big baskets down the stretch,” interim coach Nate McMillan said. “They got offensive rebounds. Offensively, for us, when we had possession, we had worked our way back into the game but we had a couple turnovers down the stretch and we missed a couple of open looks and that’s the difference between winning basketball games.”
4. Bogdanovic stayed in the starting lineup, which he has worked his way back into after missing time with injury. He led the team in scoring with 22 points, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range, sinking a 3-pointer with 1:08 to play to keep it close, 109-108. Bogdanovic added six assists, four rebounds and three steals.
5. Phoenix benefited from 23 second-chance points’ to the Hawks’ 11, grabbing 57 rebounds (11 offensive) to the Hawks’ 39 (six offensive).
Stat of the game
23-11 (the disparity between the Suns and Hawks’ second-chance points)
Star of the game
Devin Booker (led the Suns with 21 points)
