Brad Rowland here, the host of the daily Locked On Hawks podcast, with your daily Locked On Hawks newsletter. Each day we bring you the biggest stories about the Hawks and the NBA, including the hottest links to other stories you need to read. Plus, Josh Lloyd delivers daily fantasy notes to crush your league.
Can the Hawks win four in a row?
Nov 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) chase a loose ball during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser/Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Hawks have been on a roll, clinching their third consecutive victory in just four days. Their latest triumph came in a hard-fought battle against the Charlotte Hornets, ending with a narrow 107-104 win. Despite the win, it was far from a smooth ride for the Hawks, who faced a challenging game marked by fatigue and a relentless opponent.
The game in Charlotte was anything but pretty. Both teams were playing their third game in four nights, and it showed. The Hawks, who hadn’t won in Charlotte for nearly two years, were determined to break that streak. Missing Bogdan Bogdanovic due to injury management, the Hawks were still the healthier team compared to a depleted Hornets squad missing key players like LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.
Despite being favored by five and a half points, the Hawks struggled on the offensive end for much of the night. The game was a classic example of “taking care of business,” as Atlanta managed to secure a win in a matchup they might have lost in previous seasons.
Dejounte Murray’s return
The Hawks host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday evening in what is expected to be the return of Dejounte Murray to Atlanta. The veteran guard suffered an injury in the first game of the 2024-25 season, forcing him to miss the next 17 contests. However, Murray returned for the last two games, and he comes back to State Farm Arena for the first time since a trade that sent him to New Orleans this summer in exchange for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and a pair of future first round picks.
The Pelicans have been stricken by injury all season long, leading to an ugly win-loss record. New Orleans is also facing the second night of a back-to-back with travel after a road game in New York on Sunday evening.
December 1, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada/Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
You’d be forgiven if, a quarter of the way through the season (yes), you haven’t given the following teams that much attention. Maybe your main rooting interest has been struggling, and it’s taken all your psychic energy to will them through the slump. Better yet, maybe your team is thriving and you’ve been enjoying the ride. Maybe you’re still looking for a team to get behind, in which case, the following three franchises would make great options.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks being on this list has not alleviated my general wariness of the Hawks as a whole, but they’ve been playing through some of the things that make me doubt them. First, the Hawks love to play up. That is, they tend to excel against technically better and markedly more skilled teams; teams farther along the competitive timeline that I always get they feeling Atlanta would rather emulate than put the work in to be at the same level with.
This season, the Hawks are still playing up — they’ve beat the best in conference Cavaliers twice — but they’re recognizing what should be easy wins, like against the Charlotte Hornets. With Trae Young injured and in and out of the lineup, Atlanta’s bench has provided some of the most needed and entertaining offensive bursts in the league, with De’Andre Hunter back with a vengeance after being out for 10 games with a knee injury. Hunter’s regularly putting up 20-plus points per night, and hounding the glass.
Atlanta has a string of high-low games this week, facing the Pelicans, Bucks, Lakers and Nuggets, which should be an ample test to whether they can play and stay consistent.
Katie Heindl is a credentialed NBA and WNBA writer, her bylines have appeared with The New York Times Magazine, SLAM, The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Dime, Rolling Stone, among others. She writes the bestselling Substack, Basketball Feelings and is working on a book of the same name.
Home and Away
Analysis Watch out, Hawks opponents. It appears No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher is hitting his stride and finding his confidence. (Soaring Down South)
Preview The Hawks host the Pelicans tonight at 7:30 PM ET. Read the preview.(NBA)
Milestone Jimmy Butler misses shot so Bam Adebayo can record a triple-double in Heat win (Bleacher Report)
Monday, Dec. 02 | 7:30 PM | State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA) | Get Tickets
Hawks @ Bucks
Wednesday, Dec. 04 | 7:00 PM | Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, WI) | Get Tickets
Lakers @ Hawks
Friday, Dec. 06 | 7:30 PM | State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA) | Get Tickets
3peat (ICYMI)
Don’t let these episodes pass you by — stay locked in with the latest Locked On Hawks podcasts.
Hawks snap skid with resilient, impressive win over Wolves The show centers on Monday’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, with focus on the end of Atlanta’s losing skid, Garrison Mathews’ massive shooting contributions, Dyson Daniels’ continued excellence on the defensive end, notable contributions from Trae Young, red-hot shooting as a team, continued ball security problems, and much more.
Poor defense, dismal first quarter doom Hawks in blowout loss to Grizzlies Topics include the absences of Trae Young and Ja Morant, a dismal first quarter for the Hawks, continued turnover problems, porous defense, the need for improvement from Bogdan Bogdanovic, and much more.
Hawks stumble on offense, lose overtime thriller in San Antonio Topics include Atlanta’s offensive shortcomings, Trae Young’s apparent ankle tweak, ball security issues, Larry Nance Jr.'s hot shooting, De’Andre Hunter’s continued offensive explosion, a rough one for Dyson Daniels, and much more.
