Atlanta Hawks get big rebound win on the road, 97-86

Friday night’s game for the Hawks was a complete disaster and a shot to the confidence of the fans. The game that followed this Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks needed to be a nice rebound for the Hawks to get their swagger back. For the first quarter of the game, it looked like it was going to be a dominating runaway in favor of the good guys. Atlanta was playing inspired defense, flying all over the floor, and making some key outside shots. After one period, it was Hawks up 22-13.

Things looked even better at the start of the second quarter as the Hawks quickly extended their lead to 15 points. Milwaukee has no answers for Dennis Schroder, Jeff Teague, and Paul Millsap. As the first half progressed, I got the feeling that the Hawks were playing in full-on-make-up mode for their lackluster performance on Friday night. They were trying to exorcise the demons of doubt that had crept into the minds of fans all over Atlanta, and perhaps even their own. The half closed with the Hawks leading by 13, and holding the Bucks to just 35 points total. A true defensive domination.

Then the third quarter happened. I don’t really even want to talk about it. The third quarter was like watching two children fight over the last crescent roll at Thanksgiving. It was ugly, fruitless, and made me want to turn off the television. Bob Rathbun on the broadcast used both the phrase “dumpster fire” and “train wreck” to describe the festivities. He wasn’t wrong. And yet, after all the bad shooting (23% for the Hawks on the quarter), and the bad turnovers (I counted 9 for the Hawks), Atlanta still led by two points going into the last quarter.

Luckily, the good Hawks showed up again in the fourth quarter. Three big three-pointers by Kyle Korver really struck the Bucks quickly to start the period, combined with some help from Schroder and Kent Bazemore. Just like that, the Hawks were up by 11 points, and fans were breathing a little easier. The two teams see-sawed on those points for about seven minutes until Paul Millsap took over with his big inside presence, making 6 straight points and extending the lead to 15.

That would be all she wrote. With less than five minutes on the clock, very few NBA teams are going to come back from a 15-point deficit, and the Bucks aren’t one of those teams. All five starters for the Hawks ended up with double-digit points in the game, which is a testament to their mental fortitude given the middle-game shooting woes. Paul Millsap gets the MVP nod for his 23 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. Paul was in full-on beast mode near the end of the game, and that made the difference.

Next up, the Hawks face off against the Dallas Mavericks in Phillips Arena on Wednesday night. Dallas is currently 6th in the West, but they have 37 wins, so they are no push-over. The Hawks will have to shoot better and continue to move the ball well to get past that Dallas squad. Don’t miss it!