With huge performances by Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela, the Hawks surged in the fourth quarter and beat the Pistons 123-115 in overtime Wednesday at State Farm Arena.
Next up, the Hawks (7-7) will play in Minnesota Friday.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. After trailing by as much as 17 points early in the fourth quarter, the Hawks ultimately found their shot and outscored the Pistons, 28-14, in the fourth to send the game to overtime. Trailing by two with 20.3 second to play, Young found Capela for a dunk to tie it up, 106-106, and a clutch block by Collins sealed the end of regulation. In overtime, the Hawks took an eight-point lead over Detroit (3-11) and put the game out of reach with a reverse layup and free throw from Capela, a dagger of a deep 3-pointer by Young an an alley-oop dunk from Capela. The Hawks were held to 16 points on 35.3% shooting in the second quarter, but got much better as the game went on, coach Lloyd Pierce said, crediting Young for his game management: “When we were getting stops, we we able to get down and get organized, and obviously we made some big plays down the stretch, but that’s just good execution by Trae leading that group.”
2. Bigs Capela and Collins and had stellar performances, with both providing commanding presences on the court from start to finish, and both making plays in the final minute of regulation to send the game to overtime. Capela had a season-high 27 points and a career-high 26 rebounds, adding five blocks. It was the Hawks’ first game with at least 25 points and 25 rebounds from one player since Dikembe Mutombo’s 27 points and 29 rebounds against Minnesota on Dec. 14, 1999. Collins finished with a season-high 31 points against the Pistons, adding 11 rebounds for a double-double.
3. Young came alive with 21 points in the third quarter, after struggling to get going in the first half (2-for-11 from the field, an uncharacteristic 1-for-5 from the line). Young finished with a double-double of 38 points and 10 assists, and stayed poised while leading the Hawks to a comeback win. He’s been in a shooting rut the past few games, so this is a good sign he’s headed in the right direction. “The lid wasn’t on the rim,” Young joked of the difference between his first-half performance (six points) versus the second half and overtime (32 points).
4. This Pistons team looked very different from the one that lost to the Hawks 128-120 on Dec. 28 when it was missing Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose. Jerami Grant led Detroit with 23 points, Griffin added 17 and had a crucial three-point play with 1:04 left in the fourth to give the Pistons a five-point lead. Rose added 14 points. However, those three combined for just five points in the fourth quarter, and though Grant scored nine in overtime, the only Piston to score in that period, the Hawks limited them sufficiently to pull away for the win.
5. The injury-plagued Hawks can’t catch a break, with their two second-year wings in De’Andre Hunter (right knee soreness) and Cam Reddish (left knee contusion) ruled out for this game. Averaging 16.7 points per game, Hunter has been one of the Hawks’ most consistent scorers, and he and Reddish are two of the team’s best defenders. Kevin Huerter and Solomon Hill started in their places. They’re still missing Bogdan Bogdanovic (avulsion fracture, right knee), Kris Dunn (right ankle surgery) and Danilo Gallinari (right ankle sprain). The bench only contributed four points in the win (two from rookie Onyeka Okongwu, two from Rajon Rondo).
Stat of the game
17-9 (what the Hawks outscored the Pistons by in overtime, as Grant was the only Detroit player to score)
Star of the game
Capela (had a career-high 26 rebounds, adding 27 points, dominating from start to finish)
Quotable
“We don’t come back in this game if Trae Young doesn’t turn into Trae Young down the stretch. ... He’s our closer.” (Pierce on Young finding a rhythm in the second half)
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