In early December 2022, the Atlanta Hawks were 13-10 before suffering a three-game losing streak. Since then, the organization had not reached three games over the .500 mark in more than two calendar years, but that changed for Atlanta on Sunday evening. The Hawks blasted the Toronto Raptors by a 29-point margin, pulling away in the second half, and that improved Atlanta’s record to 18-15 for the season.
It was also the fourth straight win for the Hawks to close 2024. Overall, it was a strong two-way performance for Quin Snyder’s team, but it was also marked by some absolutely wild statistics.
At the top of the list was the Hawks generating 22 steals in a game in which havoc-creating ace Dyson Daniels was unavailable due to illness. It was the most steals that the team has generated in a game since 1998, and Atlanta came within one steal of tying the franchise record of 23. Led by that live-ball creation, the Hawks finished with 31 turnovers created, shattering their previous season high on the defense.
Candidly, the Raptors’ lack of ball security had a lot to do with Atlanta’s defensive showing. Still, the Hawks held Toronto to fewer than a point per possession over 48 minutes, and Atlanta allowed Toronto to attempt only 24 three-pointers in the game.
On the offensive side, Trae Young bolstered his Eastern Conference Player of the Week case with a 34-point, 10-assist performance. Atlanta’s offense also performed quite well on the whole, but it wasn’t the lights-out shooting game one might expect from a 29-point blowout. Instead, it was a well-rounded effort that included strong ball security, potent offensive rebounding, high-end playmaking, and quality shot selection.
With the win, the Hawks are now sitting at No. 5 in the Eastern Conference and only 1.5 games out of the No. 4 spot as of Monday morning. Things are tightly bunched in the Eastern Conference but, as the Hawks begin a Western Conference swing to begin January, the team was able to bank important wins to finish 2024.
