They call him ‘Chicken Man.’
Wait, what? Was that really what many of the Hawks players were chirping at Lou Williams?
“His name is Chicken Man,” Jeff Teague yelled, to no one in particular, in the Hawks’ locker room following a 118-85 drubbing of the Jazz Friday night.
“Chicken Man needs to keep that up,” Al Horford responded.
Williams bounced back from two sub-par games to pour in a game-high 25 points in the win over the Jazz. His night included a career-high tying six 3-pointers, four steals, two assists and two rebounds.
Let’s go straight to the chicken’s mouth for the explanation of the nickname.
“It’s a term we use when we score,” Williams said. “We just say ‘chicken.’ Like you are eating. You know what I mean? We like to eat so they dubbed me Chicken Man because I score points. I was extra crispy tonight.”
Williams scored 27 points in loss to the Knicks last Saturday. However, he scored just five points in a win over the Lakers Monday and two points in a win over the Kings Wednesday. Williams did have eight assists against the Lakers. He was particularly annoyed by the game against the Kings as he made just 1 of 5 shots in 20 minutes. Williams said he did some extra shooting in practice leading up to Friday’s game to get back on track.
Frivolity aside, Williams has been working his way back into the rotation after returning from a right torn ACL suffered last season. His addition has led to limited minutes for Cartier Martin, who missed the past two games with a left ankle sprain, and rookie Dennis Schroder, who recently returned from a stint in the NBA Development League.
Williams had two 3-pointers in the second and third quarters and one in the first and fourth against the Jazz. Eight of his points came in just seven minutes of playing time in the final period.
“It’s always good to see Lou (score),” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He’s a shot-maker. That is why he has had a heck of a career and he’s got a lot more to give us. I think he still has even more. I think when he gets more comfortable, more confident going to the basket and finishing, we are going to get more. It’s good for him to see the ball go through, see him get his confidence and get in his rhythm.”
Entering his ninth season, the South Gwinnett High product is bouncing back for the first serious injury of his career. Williams is no longer on a no back-to-back games restriction and his minutes have increased. He is currently averaging 10.0 points and 3.4 assists in 21:49 of his 14 games.
“We’ve always known that he is very capable,” Horford said. “For him it was just getting used to the system, getting used to playing with us more and more. He’s more confident with himself. That is what we need from him.”
The Hawks moved a season-best three games over .500 (15-12) with the win over the Jazz. Next up is the two-time defending champion Heat in Miami on Monday. The Heat have won eight straight against the Hawks, who will need all of their recent offense of 114 or more points in the past three games.
Nogueira update: Hawks first-round draft pick Lucas Nogueira is now in Atlanta and will have doctors affiliated with the team involved in the rehabilitation of the severe tendinitis in his knees. Nogueira, who recently suspended his contract with his Spanish League team to seek additional medical advice, will miss two months. The center will split his rehabilitation between Atlanta and Los Angeles, where he also saw doctors, before eventually returning to play for Asefa Estudiantes Madrid. The decision to use Peachtree Orthopaedics Clinic was made by the player and his agent. However, it will allow the Hawks to monitor his progress.
D-League update: Hawks assignee Jared Cunningham had 30 points, eight assists and three rebounds for the Bakersfield (Calif.) Jam in a 123-108 win over the Santa Cruz Warriors Friday.
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