Sporting their City Edition jerseys on MLK Day, the Hawks (6-7), who had lost six of their last seven games, got a much-needed win against the Timberwolves, 108-97.

Next up, the Hawks host the Pistons Wednesday night.

Below are some takeaways from the win:

1. Turnovers kept Minnesota (3-9) in the game for far longer than the Hawks would have liked. The Hawks had built up to a 13-point advantage midway through the second quarter, but 16 first-half turnovers prevented them from pulling away more, and they led by seven at halftime. They finished with 26 turnovers total, with the Timberwolves scoring 26 points off those. Plenty of them were unforced, and simply the result of a bad pass or decision.

Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said playing too fast was part of the reason, and they’ll have to settle things down and focus on getting organized moving forward: “We continue to try to play fast, and then we don’t have anything, we stay unorganized, and a lot of our turnovers is instead of just settling down, getting us organized into a set, we just start making up things. And obviously the ball is slippery, and it’s just flying all over the place, and we’re throwing lazy passes and cross-court passes.”

2. De’Andre Hunter had a season-high 25 points (8-15 FG, 3-6 from 3, 6-7 FT) and continues to look much improved shooting and handling the ball. He added 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and had 6 turnovers. Thirteen games into the season, this marks Hunter’s fourth 20-plus point effort after registering eight such games last year.

It’s clear his consistent scoring has taken a leap.

“Consistent worker, he’s a consistent performer, he’s got the challenge of chasing guys around on the defensive end and really not being a focal point offensively, but finding his rhythm on the second side,” Pierce said. “We have opportunities to post him, we can space him. He’s in position to attack down hill. He’s consistently getting to the free-throw line.”

Atlanta Hawks defenders Kevin Huerter (clockwise from left), De’Andre Hunter and Clint Capela force a jump ball as they defend Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.  (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com)

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

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Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

3. After struggling from 3-point range the past few games, the Hawks got a few timely 3′s, scoring on 11 of 28 attempts (39.3%).

4. All five Hawks starters finished in double-digit scoring. Hunter led with 25 and Clint Capela, with no Karl-Anthony Towns to battle with inside, finished with a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds, adding 3 blocks. Both Towns and Ricky Rubio were ruled out due to health and safety protocols. Trae Young added a double-double his own with 20 points and 13 assists, to go with eight rebounds and three steals. Kevin Huerter, starting in place of Cam Reddish (left knee contusion), had 17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and 3 steals. John Collins had 15 points, 7 rebounds and a career-high tying 4 blocks. The bench added 8 points.

5. Monday’s game on MLK Day marked the Hawks’ debut of their City Edition jerseys meant to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who was born and raised in Atlanta. The jerseys feature MLK’s initials across the front, marking the first time in NBA history the initials of an individual have been featured prominently on the chest of an official uniform. The Hawks also had a special court design, which included a stained-glass motif for the center logo.

The Atlanta Hawks logo is multicolored ahead of the Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves game on MLK Day, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com)

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

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Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

Stat of the game

32 (the season-high amount of assists the Hawks tallied)

Star of the game

Hunter (led the Hawks in scoring)

Quotable

“It wasn’t pretty, but it’s a win. We’ll take a win.” (Pierce on getting a win despite 26 turnovers and numerous mistakes)