The Atlanta Hawks led by as many as 19 points in the first half on Monday evening, only to see that lead evaporate. Quin Snyder’s team entered the fourth quarter trailing the Minnesota Timberwolves but, as they had the entire night, the Hawks continued to bury shots in the fourth quarter as the team’s defense stiffened. The end result was a double-digit victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves to snap a three-game losing skid and bounce back to 15-15 on the season.
While Atlanta’s defense was stout in the game, the Hawks’ shooting was an unlikely catalyst. Entering the game, the team was well below the NBA average in three-point shooting accuracy and volume. The volume (36 attempts) was not massive for Atlanta in this setting, but the Hawks set a new season high in converting 50 percent of those attempts. Garrison Mathews was the No. 1 catalyst, tying a career high with seven three-pointers on only eight attempts.
Defensively, the Hawks were outstanding for much of the night. That peaked with a 79 defensive rating in the fourth quarter, holding the Wolves to only 15 points in the competitive portion and only 19 points in the 12-minute period. The combination of hot shooting and stellar defense keyed what was a resilient win for the Hawks.
It was not a night without flaw for Atlanta, as the team continues to battle turnover issues, particularly when Trae Young is off the court. The Hawks committed 23 turnovers in the win and, with Young on the bench, Atlanta committed a turnover on 34.4 percent of offensive possessions. That is a mind-blowing number and, while it did not bite the Hawks in this game, it is an area of focus for the future.
