The Hawks nearly pulled off a miracle.
Trailing by 23 points in the third quarter against the NBA-best Golden State Warriors, the Hawks stormed back and took a fourth-quarter lead.
It slipped away.
The Warriors turned to their best two players – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson – for a late run that resulted in a 102-92 victory Monday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (31-27) have lost three in a row and five of the past six games. They have lost each of their three games at home following the All-Star break. They are holding to sixth in the Eastern Conference after being fourth at the break.
The Warriors (50-5) continued their assault on the NBA’s all-time best record in impressive fashion as Curry and Thompson combined for 63 points.
Here are the key players and five observations on the game:
Three key players
Stephen Curry: The Warriors guard finished with 36 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Al Horford: The Hawks center had a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds with six assists, five blocks and three steals.
Klay Thompson: The Warriors guard finished with 27 points, 12 in the fourth quarter.
Five observations
1. Splash Brothers
In jeopardy of losing a game they led by 23 points, the Warriors called upon the Splash Brothers of Curry and Thompson. Having erased their deficit and holding an 80-76 lead, the Hawks watched as the duo combined to score 17 points in a 19-4 Warriors run. Thompson had 10 points and Curry had seven points, including a shimmy-followed 3-pointer in front of the Hawks bench. Just like that a four-point deficit was an 11-point advantage. The scare was over.
2. Incredible comeback
The Hawks trailed by 70-47 midway through the third quarter. They then went on one incredible run. The Hawks went on a 28-6 run to end the quarter and pull within 76-75. They appeared to take the lead as Thabo Sefolosha hit a corner basket at the buzzer but it was waved off as late. No matter. The Hawks scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, making their run 33-6, to take four-point lead. In the third, the Hawks outscored the Warriors 36-18 and shot 13 of 22 from the field. Al Horford and Dennis Schroder each scored eight points in the period, including combining on an alley-oop dunk to send the Philips Arena crowd into a frenzy.
3. Fast-break points
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer and players stressed the importance of transition defense before the game. Still, they couldn’t keep up with the Warriors. In the first half, the Warriors held a 16-0 advantage in fast-break points as they went 7 of 12 from the field in transition. The Hawks were 0 of 2. With their third quarter, the Hawks made it 19-8 in fast-break points heading into the final period.
4. Warriors punch first … hard
The Warriors opened the game with a barrage from long range. Their first three field goals were 3-pointers. They opened a 17-9 lead 5:20 into the game as they went 6 of 11 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3-point range. The Warriors ended the first quarter with a 15-point lead, 30-15, when Leandro Barbosa hit a 3-pointer to end the period. In the quarter, the Warriors also got two 3-pointers each from Curry and Harrison Barnes and one from Klay Thompson.
5. Close, by not close enough
The Warriors took a 16-point lead in the second quarter before the Hawks went on a mini-run. They got as close as 37-30 with seven minutes left in the first half with a run of 15-7, including eight consecutive points. The Warriors then put squashed any thought of a comeback with a 21-9 run to end the half. It gave them a 58-39 advantage at intermission.
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