Hawks Down Miami, 75-71, for 1st Summer League Win

Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mike Scott (32) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Hawks defeated the Sixers 124-101. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

I may say this after each and every Summer League game, but the win-loss result doesn’t matter a whole lot. With that said, the Hawks grabbed a 75-71 victory over the Miami Heat late Sunday night.

Mike Scott put the game away with a big 3-pointer with under 20 seconds to go, and that was the key play of the night. As many people know, I am completely in the tank for Scott, and it was nice to see him assertive (he attempted 12 field goals) and productive (13 points in 23 minutes) on this night.

The Hawks were led in scoring, for the second consecutive game, by John Jenkins who finished with 19 points on 6-14 shooting. Jenkins is clearly the most established player on the roster, but it is fun to see him in a primary role that he likely won’t hold when the season arrives. However, if Lou Williams is slow to recover, the Hawks may need some defined scoring punch early in the year, and Jenkins looks poised to provide it if the first two summer games are any indication.

The rookies were, again, a mixed bag, but most of the news was encouraging. Dennis Schröder continues to bully his way into the hearts of the Hawks faithful with tremendous energy and athleticism, and that helped him grab 4 steals on the night in a team-high 32 minutes. It wasn’t always pretty with the point guard, but he also managed to rack up 8 assists and was consistent in attacking throughout the night.

Schröder’s counterpart under the rim, rookie Lucas Nogueira, is even more raw, and that is showing through. He finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks during 24 minutes, and that is encouraging. However, he is consistently manhandled on the block (in Summer League, no less) and the reports of him needing to add bulk were understated if anything. Fortunately, the connection between Nogueira and Schröder appears to be real even at this early stage, and with the level of athleticism and length that each guy provides, that could be scary going forward.

The Hawks will take on San Antonio at 10:00 pm ET on Monday night, and the game will be televised on NBA-TV. Tune in!