INDIANAPOLIS -- The Hawks battled throughout Friday night’s matchup against the Pacers all the way until the final buzzer. With a 113-111 win, the Hawks started the first night of their back-to-back road trip on the right foot.
Here are five observations
1. Despite having a tough time against the Pacers most of the night, John Collins didn’t let the off-night get to him. The 26-year-old tipped in the game-winning layup despite making just one field goal up until that moment.
The Hawks and Pacers were tied at 111 after a 3-pointer from Trae Young and then two free throws from the Pacers’ Buddy Hield.
Even though the Hawks had a timeout to use, coach Nate McMillan thought that his team matched up well with the Pacers on the floor. With 27 seconds left in the game, McMillan trusted the read that Young would make.
The 24-year-old took the ball across half court before pulling up for a jumper from 31 feet. That didn’t fall and Hawks’ Dejounte Murray grabbed the offensive rebound then took a shot. When that one didn’t fall, Collins was there to tip the ball in for the win.
“It means a lot, obviously,” Collins said. “Team-wise, I mean, just happy to do it. Personally it feels like when spraying Febreeze in the bathroom a little bit. I don’t like it, but it helps a little bit. You know what I mean? It helps. So I just try to move on. I’m always trying to tell the guys on the team to move on and keep their heads up. So I’m gonna try to do it. Keep it going.”
2. The Hawks saw the return of Young to the rotation after the guard missed the last game with a non-COVID illness. Upon his return, he showed why he is the key part of the Hawks’ plan moving forward.
The team built an 11-point lead early in the second quarter based on the 24-year-old’s shots, as well as his feeds to Onyeka Okongwu. Young ended the night with 26 points, hitting six of his 10 attempts from 3-point range. Young has been plagued by shooting troubles this season. But he put up one of his best nights of the season so far, helping to give the Hawks enough of cushion when the offense went cold.
3. The Hawks struggled to find some kind of flow on the offensive end when Young left the game, but the Pacers had no such issues offensively. They carved the Hawks up using their defense to generate their offense.
The Pacers lead the league in fast-break points and the Hawks knew that they would need to keep them in front to slow them down. But they allowed them to score 30 on Friday night after they failed to get back to the other end of the floor after missing a shot.
Much of the Pacers’ damage came in the second quarter when they held the Hawks to 19 points. The Pacers scored 19 points off the Hawks’ turnovers, using aggressive and physical box outs in the paint. Indiana played scrappily on the perimeter, jarring the ball loose.
4. Despite that, the Hawks competed hard on the glass, thanks to a career night from Okongwu. The 22-year-old got started early, picking up a double-double in the first half of the night.
The Hawks have struggled on the boards in the absence of Clint Capela, who has been out with a right calf strain. But Okongwu approached the night with an aggressive mindset and he helped the Hawks stay in the game with his physicality.
Okongwu scored a season-high 18 points, had 20 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and two steals. It’s part of the continued growth that McMillan has seen from the 22-year-old after the team elevated him to the starting five.
5. The Hawks got another big night from De’Andre Hunter, who seems to have struck a rhythm since returning from an ankle sprain. This season, Hunter is averaging a career-high 15.5 points but has averaged 19.8 points per game over the last five games.
After tying his career-high of six 3-pointers made on Friday, Hunter is shooting over 44% from long range on 5.4 attempts per game. The Hawks have needed big nights like this from Hunter and he has benefited from the team’s willingness to share the ball.
“I think that’s big for us because we have a lot of guys who just score at times; it gets tough out there with only one basketball so it’s hard for guys to catch that rhythm,” Hunter said. “But I think we did a pretty good job of sharing the ball and you know, everyone touching, everyone having a rhythm.”
Stat to Know
1 - Friday’s game winner was the first one completed in one second or less in John Collins’ career.
Quotable
“That is growth. Absolutely. Anytime you can get that experience starting and going up against starting rotations and you’re a young player in a backup role it certainly should help you for the rest of the season. Because he’s gaining confidence. He’s learning how to play the game. And, he’s learning to play the game in clutch time and clutch minutes. So that should definitely help him.” -- Coach Nate McMillan on Onyeka Okongwu’s starting minutes helping him mature.
Up next
The Hawks face the Raptors on Saturday in Toronto.
About the Author
