The Hawks couldn’t hold a 17-point first-quarter lead en route to an 82-81 loss to the Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks fell behind by as many as 13 points but battled back to take a 77-76 lead on a corner 3-pointer by Paul Millsap with 1:07 left. The Grizzlies answered with a 3-pointer from Mike Conley on the ensuing possession. They held the lead after the teams exchanged free throws in the final seconds and Al Horford hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 18 points. Millsap added 17 points and nine rebounds. Horford had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Randolph led the Grizzlies with a game-high 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Here are five observations from the game:
1. Bazemore likely to start
It’s clear that Bazemore will start the season at small forward. He has been part of the Hawks’ starting lineup five of the six exhibition games. Thabo Sefolosha is an option when he returns fully from injury. He has seen his minutes increased through the past four exhibitions. Still, Bazemore is a hard-nosed athletic defender. That’s an attribute coach Mike Budenholzer relishes. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
2. Dress rehearsal
Both teams used the game as a full dress rehearsal for the regular season. Each started regular lineups. The Hawks used just 10 players in the game. In addition to the starters of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Bazemore, Millsap and Horford, only Tiago Splitter, Dennis Schroder, Thabo Sefolosha, Mike Muscala and Tim Hardaway Jr. played. Mike Scott was given the night off and may have been part of the rotation in a regular-season contest.
3. Hardaway Jr. role
The role of Hardaway Jr. is a work in progress. He has not been the primary backup to Korver at shooting guard. He entered the game for the first time with 4:39 left in the third quarter. With Korver out, the Hawks used Bazemore at the guard spot and the combination of Teague and Schroder in the same backcourt. Hardaway Jr. hit a 3-pointer in the third period. He has struggled from the field this preseason entering the game hitting 8 of 33 shots.
4. Fast start doesn’t last
The Hawks jumped to a 24-7 lead after just one quarter. They shot 10 of 20 from the field with Korver putting up seven points in the period – including a two-handed dunk and a 26-foot 3-pointer. The Grizzlies, by stark contrast, shot 3 of 25 from the field. They had six turnovers and four shots blocked. The Grizzlies climbed back in the game in the second quarter and took their first lead with 3:17 left in the third quarter. They led by as many as 13 points in the second half.
5. Big lineup will be used
The Hawks will use big lineups this season. Splitter was the first substitute, taking the place of Bazemore, to play with Horford at power forward and Millsap at small forward. The Hawks used Muscala at the power forward at times.
“I think it’s something we are going to take a look at, not just in the preseason but during the season we’ll consider it, look at it,” Budenholzer said this week. “I don’t know that it’s going to be a matchup-based thing. I think it’s something we’d like to use naturally during the course of a game. We’ve got a lot of depth on the front line, a lot of good players there, may we can take advantage of that.”
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