The Hawks needed a spark in the fourth quarter on Wednesday against the Cavaliers.
Following Jalen Johnson’s injury and the Cavs’ 40-point quarter — all in the third — Atlanta’s 21-point lead had vanished. Their engine had sputtered.
But Saddiq Bey and Bogdan Bogdanovic answered the bell, catching fire in the fourth. While dropping 23 points each in the game, the two combined for 17 points in the final quarter, helping lift the Hawks to a 112-101 victory.
“Both of them kind of had a feel for what the team needed,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “Saddiq didn’t hesitate from three and then he’s able to attack the rim as well … and (Bogdanovic) was determined to make plays, and not only shooting his midrange, I thought he passed the ball well too.”
Breathing room was minimal throughout the final 12 minutes of play as both teams duked it out for leverage. However, Snyder pointed to the team’s strong defense and connectivity down the stretch that allowed them to take back the momentum.
Bey and Bogdanovic showed up defensively too, each picking up a steal. Bey capitalized on the Hawks’ other steal in the fourth quarter by Bruno Fernando, taking it coast-to-coast and finishing at the rim while being swarmed by three Cleveland defenders. The fast-break layup upped Atlanta’s lead to four with six minutes left.
Bogdanovic’s takeaway put the game away, intercepting Darius Garland’s pass with less than a minute remaining. The steal led to a De’Andre Hunter contested floater and pushed the Hawks’ lead up to the final score.
“No matter what happens on the offensive end, we can control our defensive effort,” Bey said. “It’s just trying to lock in on that end and just being the best team you can be and multi-dimensional.”
The two took over following Bey’s acrobatic finish, scoring 11 straight points. This included a 3-pointer from each — Bogdanovic at the 3:13 mark and Bey at 2:10 — nearly at the same spot on the left wing.
Credit: Jason Getz
Credit: Jason Getz
With less than a minute and a half to go, they came through again. As Bey attempted to post up Garland near the right elbow while Bogdanovic had the ball at the right wing, the latter flung it to Clint Capela at the free throw. The center didn’t hold the ball for longer than a second, flipping it up to a cutting and leaping Bey.
State Farm Arena erupted to what Bey referred to as an “instinctual” play.
“They both hit big shots for us and they’re both very versatile players, so they can do a lot out there,” Hunter said. “Jalen is a guy that could do damn near everything on the floor, so when you lose someone like that everyone has to come together and try to make up for those stats.”
Snyder added the two didn’t force themselves on the game, instead focusing on filling the voids that the team needed — an area that Johnson has exceled in.
With the third-year standout’s return uncertain, Bey and Bogdanovic’s performances on both ends of the floor will be critical for the Hawks.
“It’s kind of down the stretch right now, last 20 games, so we want to win every game. Obviously, all season, but definitely right now,” Bey said. “Sometimes the call doesn’t go our way, so it’s like, how can we respond? So, that’s something I learned in college this next play attitude and just try to get the win.”
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