The Hawks flashed some potential in their first exhibition game, even though it ended in a 116-112 loss to the Orlando Magic Friday at State Farm Arena.
Next up, the Hawks host the Magic at 5 p.m. Sunday
Below are some takeaways from the loss:
1. Throughout the offseason, De’Andre Hunter had said he wants to become more aggressive in his second year in the NBA. He showed that Friday, particularly in the second half, and ended up leading the Hawks with 18 points, going 5-for-10 from the field, 2-for-5 from 3-point range and 6-for-8 from the line, adding three rebounds. With 9:24 to play in the fourth quarter, Hunter bullied a defender while driving for a layup, then followed it up about a minute later with a cutting layup off an assist by Cam Reddish (who finished with 13 points). “I thought his mindset was tremendous,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said of Hunter. “He was attacking the rim, he was getting to the rim, and that’s why he shot the eight free throws.”
2. Preseason games are expected to be messy. With nine new players on the roster (five who played Friday), and with most of the team having a nine-month or more layoff from NBA games, that’s amplified even more. The Hawks registered 23 turnovers, with Trae Young adding six (to go with seven points), Reddish had six and John Collins finished with four (with 14 points and nine rebounds). Pierce attributed most of those to players shooting for big plays instead of keeping it simpler: “Home runs. I think three of them we’re trying to hit the big just as he’s crossing half court. ... We’re just looking for the home run plays,” Pierce said. “We had a couple lob attempts that went over and out of bounds and just some sloppy play. I don’t think it’s a chemistry thing, I just think we were looking for the home run plays right now, and when you’re not in great shape, you’re just trying to make the easier, home run play, as opposed to the one that makes the defense work.”
3. Four new Hawks are injured and weren’t able to make their debut with the team: Rajon Rondo (right knee soreness), Kris Dunn (cartilage disruption, right knee), Onyeka Okongwu (inflammation, sesamoid bone, left foot) and Tony Snell (inflammation, cuboid bone, right foot and not with team, self-isolating). Okongwu practiced with the team yesterday, so he’s done some contact work. They were shorthanded in another way, too: everyone was operating on a minute restriction of 24-25 minutes, though Pierce accidentally played Hunter 26 minutes. But, the Hawks are viewing these exhibition games as an extension of practice. Their closing lineup, once many guys had reached their playing time limit, consisted of two-way players Nathan Knight and Skylar Mays, Brandon Goodwin, Bruno Fernando and Solomon Hill.
4. For the first time since Jan. 29, Clint Capela played in a basketball game. The center had been dealing with a nagging heel injury since before the Hawks acquired him from Houston at last season’s trade deadline. Now fully healthy, Capela had an immediate effect on the Hawks’ ability to effectively rebound the ball, grabbing a team-high 14 rebounds (five offensive, nine defensive). Overall, the Hawks out-rebounded the Magic 61-49.
5. Newly acquired Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic made their first appearances as Hawks, too. Gallinari showed his ability to draw fouls (going 7-for-8 from the line) and went 3-for-7 from the field with 14 points. Bogdanovic added nine points (3-for-19 from the field, 1-for-5 from 3, making a pair of free throws. Pierce is confident Bogdanovic will find his offensive footing quickly: “The makes and misses, we’ll be fine there,” Pierce said. “We’ll be fine making shots. Gallo is going to do what he does. He’s going to be able to get to the free-throw line and if you play off him, he’s going to be a knock-down guy. ... I’m not worried about Bogi making shots. He’s already become one of our hardest post-practice workers and he does it at game speed. I trust the work, I trust the shooting. Those things will happen for him, but they’re just getting used to each other, that’s all.” As a team, the Hawks didn’t have a great offensive night, taking the game down to the wire despite shooting 37% from the field, 31.2% from 3-point range and 82.9% from the line.
By the Numbers
41 (the amount of times the Hawks got to the free-throw line, as opposed to the Magic’s 29)
Star of the game
Hunter (18 points, 3 rebounds, 5-for-10 FG)
Quotable
“Just them being more confident and more comfortable out there. You can see it; I think that’s just what we’re going to need this year.”
-- Young on Hunter and Reddish’s aggressive performances
About the Author
