Atlanta Hawks keep rolling, top the Minnesota Timberwolves for 16th straight win
It was a weekend where it was good to be an Atlanta Hawks fan.
The streak is still alive, Coach Mike Budenholzer is going to coach the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game and the boys were at home in Phillips Arena. Winning.
The Atlanta Hawks continued their phenomenal run Sunday night, winning their 16th straight against the struggling 7-36 Minnesota Timberwolves 112-100.
Although they own the worst record in the NBA, Minnesota made it a game early.
Timberwolves point guard Mo Williams sparked the offense with seven points and three assists. Atlanta power forward Paul Millsap led the starting five with seven points of his own, but the Hawks bench continued to help out as the finished the first quarter with 10 points. But Minnesota hung around to trail by only one going into the second quarter.
The calling card for the Atlanta defense was blocked shots.
Hawks center Al Horford blocked two shots to add to the first half total of five blocks. The frustration mounted for the Wolves as the second quarter saw two shot clock violations due to a stingy Hawks defense. Minnesota coach Flip Saunders also earned a technical foul after a he thought one of those blocked shots was goal tending.
Rising Minnesota star Andrew Wiggins was quiet with only six points and five rebounds in the first half. Atlanta rattled off eight fast break points and kept living behind the arc as they made seven 3-pointers in the first half to take a comfortable lead 61-47.
The third quarter saw an offensive surge by Minnesota as forward Thaddeus Young exploded on the boards and in the paint. He would wrap up the third with 22 points. Williams and Wiggins would also pitch in with key offensive possessions. But Millsap would lead the Hawks with three more steals and see his point total climb to 20. However, the Wolves would outscore the Hawks by five to close the gap.
Atlanta would turn to defense and quality minutes from the bench to finish strong. Dennis Schroder led the Atlanta bench with 11 points and four assists. Young kept Minnesota in the game down the stretch, but the Hawks were clutch beyond the arc once again. Kyle Korver would have four 3-pointers sink on the night, two coming late to seal the win. Atlanta shot 71 percent in the fourth quarter and claimed its 16th straight win.
The Hawks will get a few days rest before former Atlanta wing Joe Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets come to town on Wednesday. Brooklyn will look to gain some ground in the East and play spoiler in the ATL.