The Hawks got 43 points, 9 assists and 4 steals from their point guard position on Wednesday night.
True, there was some overlap as Jeff Teague played 34 minutes and Dennis Shroeder 22 in a 112-102 win over the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.
But it’s still a pretty dynamic, speedy and skilled 1-2 punch at the point.
Teague had just five points in the first half but came alive in the third quarter after the Heat had cut the Hawks’ lead to one. Teague had 10 points in the third quarter and 12 in the fourth.
“Teague in the second half was very good – he was more aggressive and active on both ends,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said after his team improved to 11-6 with their fourth straight win. “Jeff and Dennis together gave us a lot of offense.”
Defense was another story.
Make no mistake - the Hawks won this game with their shooting. Defensively, they allowed the Heat to shoot 56.3 percent from the floor. But that deficiency was wiped away by an offense that shot 54.1 percent, including 12 of 25 on three-pointers (48 percent).
“We have to get better defensively,” Budenholzer said.
Teague finished with a team-high 27 points, and Schroeder had a career-high 16 points.
Schroeder’s performance came on the heels of his 15-point game in 23 minutes against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night, giving him a career high in points two nights in a row.
Budenholzer said it’s obvious that Schroeder’s confidence is growing on almost a daily basis.
“His understanding of pace – he’s so fast but sometimes you need him to slow down,” the coach said. “He needs to know when to attack, angles to attack, where the screens are and when to get teammates involved.”
Both guards are ultra quick, but who is faster?
“Probably him,” Teague said of Schroeder. “He’s a lot younger.”
Teague said Schroeder is like a “little brother” to him.
“He’s growing up fast,” Teague said. “He’s playing well.”
