MINNEAPOLIS — Setting a franchise record for made 3′s, the Hawks (13-12) beat the Timberwolves, 121-110, Monday in Minnesota.
Next up, the Hawks will take Tuesday off then host the Nets Friday.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. The Hawks were unstoppable from 3-point range in this game, sinking a franchise-record 25 3′s. It surpassed the 23 3-pointers set last season. It only took three quarters for them to set a season-high in made 3′s, heading into the fourth quarter with 21, which easily trumped their previous season-high of 18 set in the loss to Utah Nov. 9. They finished 25-for-49 (51%) overall. The Hawk going 9-for-15 from beyond the arc in the first quarter established an early 33-24 lead, with nine triples marking a season-high for triples in a single quarter, not showing any signs of heavy legs despite playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The Hawks entered Monday’s game averaging 12.1 made 3′s per game (No. 17 in the league).
2. Six Hawks players made multiple 3′s, so breaking the record was a team affair: Luwawu-Cabarrot led the way, going 7-for-14 from 3-point range with 23 points, Trae Young went 4-for-9 with a team-high 29 points, Danilo Gallinari went 4-for-6 with 20 points off the bench, John Collins went 3-for-6 with 13 points, Gorgui Dieng went 3-for-4 with nine points and Kevin Huerter went 2-for-6 with 10 points.
3. Excellent ball movement enabled the success the Hawks had from 3-point range, with Atlanta tallying 31 assists to Minnesota’s 22. Young led the Hawks with 11 assists, Delon Wright added six, Clint Capela (nine points, 16 rebounds, four blocks) had four, Huerter had four and Luwawu-Cabarrot and Gallinari each had two.
“Good ball movement, it normally puts you in a rhythm, and you’re taking shots you’re taking every single day, a catch-and-shoot,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “It’s just like the coaches passing you the ball in practice. … When you have a team or a player that teams have to double-team, and teams are trapping Trae, get the ball out, trust your teammates. Tonight we got the ball out and our guys were knocking down shots. We’re capable of doing that, we’ve just got to get the ball movement.”
4. Luwawu-Cabarrot’s seven 3-pointers is a career-high, and he continues to step up with the team shorthanded. In his fourth consecutive start, Luwawu-Cabarrot was scrappy on defense in addition to making shots.
On the injury front, Cam Reddish was a game-time decision but ended up missing his fourth straight game for the Hawks, battling a non-COVID illness and left wrist sprain he re-irritated in the loss to the Knicks Nov. 27. Solomon Hill was out with a hamstring injury he suffered in the loss to Charlotte Sunday, with De’Andre Hunter (right wrist tendon surgery), Bogdan Bogdanovic (right ankle sprain) and Onyeka Okongwu (right shoulder injury recovery) out, as well. D’Angelo Russell (right ankle soreness) and Patrick Beverly (left adductor strain) missed this game for the Wolves.
“He’s been really good,” McMillan said of Luwawu-Cabarrot. “I really like way he plays. He’s able to establish the type of defense we want to play out there. He’s drawing that assignment of the best one, two, three guy on the opponent’s team. He’s physical defensively. He can get into the ball and pressure the ball… When he’s out there knocking down shots like that, it’s really what we need like that, especially in that first unit.”
5. After up-and-down shooting to start the season, Gallinari is now averaging 18.3 points over the past three games, shooting 46.6% from 3-point range over that span (7-15). That production is key to give the Hawks’ second unit a scoring boost.
Stat of the game: 25 (the amount of 3′s the Hawks made in the game, setting a franchise record)
Star of the game: Luwawu-Cabarrot (made a career-high seven 3-pointers, finishing with 23 points)
Quotable: “He was just making plays. And it was good to see and we needed all of it tonight.” (Young on Luwawu-Cabarrot stepping up for the Hawks)
