It took two overtimes, but the Hawks (20-46) finally put away the Hornets 143-138 Monday at State Farm Arena.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. The Hawks had a rough night from the line, until it mattered most. With 13.3 seconds to go, rookie De’Andre Hunter was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three of his free throws. With 3.3 seconds left, Cam Reddish was fouled and went 2-for-2.
Before those five makes, they were 11-for-22 from the line (50%), and they ended up finishing 16-for-27 (59.3%). Hunter finished with a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Reddish finished with 22 points and seven assists, adding a big cutting dunk off a Trae Young assist to take a three-point lead with 33.6 seconds left in double OT.
Young went 3-for-4 from the line, missing one that could have won the game in regulation, with the game tied at 122. “I remember being on the bench and I saw (Treveon Graham) miss a couple free throws and I looked up at the screen and I saw we were shooting 50% from (the line),” Young said. “That was just new. We don’t usually shoot that bad from the free-throw line. So for us to go through that adversity and still come out on top was good.” Entering Monday’s game, the Hawks were eighth in the league in free-throw shooting (79.3%).
2. Despite the struggles at the line, the Hawks shot exceptionally well from the field. They shot 55.2% from the field and 48.8% from 3-point range. That’s a season-high percentage from distance, as is their 21 made 3’s, which makes sense given the two added overtimes. Young led the team with six 3’s and Reddish, Hunter and Vince Carter added three each.
3. Had the Hawks held on to their nine-point lead with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter, the game need not have come down to the wire. A burst of offense — a 3-pointer by Reddish and an alley-oop and 3-pointer by Kevin Huerter — lifted the Hawks to a 115-106 advantage.
They couldn’t sustain it, though, with the Hornets taking a one-point lead with a little over a minute to play, and again with 5.5 seconds to go after a foul by Reddish (Young was off the floor for that defensive possession and was fouled on that next possession, going 1-for-2). Young also missed a floater that could have clinched it in the first overtime. But he scored 12 of the Hawks’ 21 points in the combined overtime periods, and led them in scoring with a double-double of 31 points and 16 assists. Young on hanging on for the win: “It especially felt good for me, because I’m the reason why it went to overtime. It really shouldn’t have went that far. But it was fun and I’m proud of the way we all fought for four quarters and then in the overtime. We really battled tonight and it was good to see that.”
4. John Collins could barely miss. The power forward ended up going 12-for-13 from the field (92.3%) in a little more than 45 minutes, which is fewer shots than ideal, but finished with 28 points. He also added a game-high 11 rebounds (five offensive), which helped the Hawks out-rebound the Hornets, 53-35.
5. Amid coronavirus, the Hawks are taking extra steps to keep State Farm Arena clean and safe for fans and employees. Per CEO Steve Koonin, they have increased the cleaning staff by 10%, installed more than 100 sanitation stations throughout the arena and will have it cleaned with a fog machine that can chemically disinfect hard-to-reach surfaces. That's in addition to the traditional spraying and wiping down surfaces, giving extra attention to things that would be touched often by those in attendance (chairs, handrails, elevator buttons, doorknobs, etc.).
By the Numbers
40 (Hornets guard Terry Rozier led the game in scoring and was tough to contain)
Quotable
“People did step up when their number was called, especially from the young guys. We expect a lot from them and a lot is put on their plates. They’re stepping up.” (Collins on Hunter and Reddish)
