Five observations from the Hawks’ 117-96 win over the 76ers Saturday at Philips Arena.
1. These Hawks score in waves. They had six double-digit scorers and another player with nine points. Against a team like the 76ers, with a very thin bench, they can't compete with that much scoring. Tim Hardaway Jr. (20), Kent Bazemore (17), Dennis Schroder (16), Kyle Korver (14), Kris Humphries (13) and Dwight Howard (10) were the main wave runners on the night.
“I just feel like we have a lot of guys who are playing well right now, a lot of guys playing with a lot of confidence,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They are mixing and matching well. They are sharing the ball well. I think to have that, if you want to call it a wave, different guys making plays that’s what it takes for us to be good.”
The Hawks have had at least five double-digit scorers in eight of their nine games.
2. While the Hawks have been impressive scoring the basketball – scoring more than 100 points in all but one game – they credit early-season success on defense and rebounding. Howard had his seventh double-double of the season. The Hawks have held opponents to an NBA-low 20.1 points per game in the fourth quarter after allowing the 76ers just 18 points. They again out-rebounded an opponent, winning the battle of the boards 52-39.
“The biggest thing is defense and rebounding,” Howard said. “Those are the two big areas that we have to continue to focus on. We want to be the best defensive team and we want to be top five in rebounding. It starts with myself, Paul and the bigs. We’ve got to do a good job every night of making sure we box out and hold teams to one shot. By doing that every single night, it will give guys like Kyle and Baze and Dennis opportunities to get out and get up the floor.”
3. It is worth noting that the Hawks won with Paul Millsap having just six points and four rebounds. That's what having the kind of depth the Hawks have shown early in the season can do for a team.
“I think it’s a huge plus for our team to have several guys who can fill it up,” Korver said. “We have a bunch of guys who scored in double-figures and Paul wasn’t one of them. It’s pretty awesome.”
4. Tim Hardaway Jr. continues to be a force off the bench He scored his 20 points in 18 minutes of play. He is fourth on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, one of five Hawks who average in double-figures. He led the Hawks with a plus-16 rating.
“I just feel like we are going to go with whoever has the hot hand,” Hardaway said. “When you have a team like that, with that much depth, it shows how much trust we have in one another when someone is getting hot.”
5. Turnovers have been an issue for the Hawks this season. They turned the ball over nine times in the first quarter, leading to 13 points for the 76ers. In fact, they had as many field goals as turnovers in the period. The Hawks had just seven turnovers the rest of the way and they controlled the basketball much better. The Hawks had double-digit turnovers in every game this season. They are coming off a season-high 24 turnovers against the Bulls. Korver said it is the biggest area in which the Hawks must improve.
Six different Hawks had turnovers in the first quarter.
Said Budenholzer: “I just feel like we are going to go with whoever has the hot hand. When you have a team like that, with that much depth, it shows how much trust we have in one another when someone is getting hot.”
About the Author
