Atlanta Hawks: 4 Observations from Grizzlies Game

The Atlanta Hawks suffered their second defeat of the preseason on Wednesday night to the Memphis Grizzlies by a final score of 82-81.

Wednesday’s game between the Grizzlies and the Atlanta Hawks began quite well for the home team, as the Hawks got out to a 24-7 lead by the end of the first quarter. In the ensuing quarter, the Atlanta Hawks offense began to struggle, allowing the Grizzlies to get back into the game and took a 37-33 lead into the locker-room at halftime.

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The Grizzlies owned the third quarter, outscoring the Atlanta Hawks by 7 points to take a 58-55 lead going into the 4th. The Grizzlies dominated the early going of the final quarter of play, but a valiant comeback on the part of the Atlanta Hawks narrowed what was at one point over a 10 point deficit.

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This game was a tightly contested match near the end, as a Paul Millsap 3-pointer with just over a minute remaining gave the Atlanta Hawks their first lead in quite some time at 77-76. In the next Grizzlies’ possession, PG Mike Conley answered with a three-pointer of his own, as the Griz reclaimed a lead they would not reliquish.

Kent Bazemore led the Hawks in scoring with 18 points on the night and Paul Millsap added 17. This game had the feel of a regular season contest, and as the start of the 2015-16 campaign approaches, was a good litmus test for the Atlanta Hawks. Here are 4 observations from Wednesday night’s game.

1. Dress Rehearsal Game: As previously mentioned, Wednesday’s game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Memphis Grizzlies had the feel of a regular season contest. Every starter played over 30 minutes in this game, with Jeff Teague leading the way with 36 minutes of court time. The defensive intensity was present on almost every possession, and the game going down to the wire gave us an indication that Mike Budenholzer was preparing his team for regular season competition — especially against a very tough Grizzlies team.

2. Kent Bazemore Stars: Kent Bazemore shined for the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, leading the team in scoring with 18 points on 7-10 shooting, including shooting 2-3 from beyond the arc. Bazemore recorded a team high +20 in 31 minutes, showcasing his athleticism, defensive intensity and improved shot. It’s beginning to look more and more likely that Kent Bazemore will begin the season as the starting SF for the Atlanta Hawks and may remain entrenched in the starting role for the rest of the season. It’s clear Bazemore’s game has come a long way, and if he continues to play as he did on Wednesday, he will become an important asset for the Hawks’ this season on both ends of the floor.

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3. Bud Uses a 10 Man Rotation: Wednesday’s game also gave fans a glimpse of the rotation that Head Coach Mike Budenholzer will most likely use most frequently throughout the season. Bud only played 10 men on the night, and there were some notable ommissions from the rotation that received DNP-CD’s. Justin Holiday, Shelvin Mack and Walter Tavares did not play, but Mike Scott was the most notable omission from the game, as Budenholzer elected to play Mike Muscala extensively on Wednesday. Muscala has developed into a nice piece for the Atlanta Hawks, and against Memphis he played 18 minutes. His size may give him an advantage over Scott in the rotation, so it’s interesting to see if he will continue to get regular minutes for the Hawks.

4. Al Horford Shooting 3’s: Atlanta Hawks’ center Al Horford has stated during the preseason that he worked on his three-point shooting this offseason in an attempt to gain another advantage over other big men. In a similar fashion to how Paul Millsap has added three-point shooting to his repetoire, Horford has fired away this preseason from long-range. On Wednesday, Horford hoisted 5 three-point attempts, and only made one of them as time expired. Though his three-point shooting does need some improvement, I find it exciting at the prospect of the Atlanta Hawks’ All-Star center shooting three’s this season.

The Atlanta Hawks conclude their preseason slate of games on Friday against the Detroit Piston in Auburn Hills, Michigan; and will then begin the regular season against Detroit at home on Tuesday.

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