Hot 3-point shooting helped the Hawks demolish the Magic 130-109 Wednesday in Orlando.
Next up, the Hawks (28-30) will enjoy a week off for the All-Star break, then will play Feb. 24 in Chicago.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. This marked the final game for the Hawks before the break, which they enter on a solid note. They picked up an excellent win vs. the Cavaliers (No. 4 in the Eastern Conference) on Tuesday, then pummeled the Magic on Wednesday in Orlando despite having to travel for the second night of a back-to-back. Granted, the Magic are the No. 14 team in the East, but the Hawks entering the break on two straight wins is a much better note than losing four of their last five, the case before these past two victories. They maintain the No. 10 spot in the East.
“I really like our focus (Tuesday) and (Wednesday’s game),” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “I thought both games we established ourselves right from the start. We had our focus on both ends of the floor, we played solid from start to finish, so absolutely, I thought our guys did a great job.”
2. Making a season-high-tying 13 3-pointers in the first half put the Hawks up 72-53, and they encountered minimal resistance the rest of the way. The Hawks ended up shooting a season-high 54.5% from 3-point range (18-for-33) overall, with Trae Young (22 points, six assists, three rebounds, one steal) and Bogdan Bogdanovic each adding a team-high four 3-pointers.
3. Bogdanovic continued his hot streak, thriving since being moved to a bench role, with a team-high 23 points, plus six assists and two steals. Bogdanovic has scored 10-plus points in 11 of his last 12 games.
“I like his aggressiveness,” McMillan said of Bogdanovic. “He’s playing with the second unit, and that allows him to play with the ball a little bit more. ... With him coming off the bench, we’ve been able to feature him, both he and Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) and Lou (Williams) in that second unit, and they’ve been playing well.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
4. In the second half, the Hawks’ lead never slipped below 15 points, and they entered the fourth quarter up 22. With a comfortable lead, the bench, which has been a strength for the Hawks particularly since Bogdanovic’s addition, got a chance to shine. That unit amassed 60 points, with Onyeka Okongwu adding 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks, Williams adding nine points, four assists and two rebounds and Delon Wright adding 10 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal. Leading by 28 with 6:04 to play, McMillan subbed in Jalen Johnson and Kevin Knox (three points, five rebounds, one assist), and about two minutes later subbed in Skylar Mays, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Gorgui Dieng (three points, three rebounds), emptying the bench.
5. Williams, who has won Sixth Man of the Year a record six times, officially played his 985th game off the bench Wednesday, becoming the league’s all-time leader in games played off the bench, jumping ahead of Dell Curry (984).
Stat of the game: 13 (the Hawks tied a season high for a single half with 13 3-pointers in the first half, which put them firmly in control)
Star of the game: Bogdanovic (tallied a team-high 23 points and tied Young for a team-high six assists)
Quotable: “Understanding we know break is tomorrow, or literally right now, but not to look ahead and focus on this game and make sure we got this game before we started break.” (Young on the Hawks’ mindset to not look ahead to the All-Star break)
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