With a fourth-quarter comeback, the Hawks (39-31) beat the Wizards 120-116 Wednesday at State Farm Arena, clinching a top-six playoff spot.
Next up, concluding their final back-to-back of the season, the Hawks will host the Magic Thursday.
Below are some takeaways from the win:
1. Although they had already clinched a spot in the play-in tournament, this win vs. Washington (32-38) assures the Hawks a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. That’s vital, as it will allow them a few more days of rest before the postseason begins, and also give them more favorable seeding. This will be the Hawks’ first trip to the playoffs since the 2016 season.
2. Trailing 91-83 entering the fourth quarter, the Hawks got down by as much as 13 before attempting a comeback. After the team had struggled to find a 3-point shooting rhythm for the whole game, Bogdan Bogdanovic (20 points, three assists, three steals) and John Collins each made 3-pointers, and the Hawks used a 9-0 run to make it a three-point game, 102-99, with 7:13 to play. A driving layup and free throw by Trae Young brought the Hawks within a point. Center Clint Capela (17 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) blocked a shot by Russell Westbrook on one end and, down two with 24.8 seconds to play, Young found Collins, who swished a 3-pointer to take the lead, 117-116, and the Wizards fouled on their next possession. Two free throws by Solomon Hill put the Hawks up by three, and they were able to close out the win. The Hawks outscored the Wizards 37-25 in the fourth quarter.
“You saw a team tonight show some growth, continue to believe in each other, continue to believe in the things that they do out there and found a way to win the game,” interim coach Nate McMillan said. “They played a 48-minute game which is what we’ve been talking about, really, all season long.”
3. Collins has now shot 45.4% from 3-point range (10-22) over his past six games, though none of those were bigger than his go-ahead shot that put the Hawks up by one in the final minute. He finished with 18 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Young, for his part, never doubted that shot would fall: “I knew it was going in. ... He always gets frustrated sometimes when shots don’t go in, and I was just telling him to keep it going, we’re going to need you. And we really did.”
Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
4. For the third straight game, Young scored 30-plus points, finishing with 33 points (12-for-25 field goals, 2-for-8 from 3, 7-for-7 free throws), eight rebounds and nine assists.
5. With this win, the Hawks crept up to the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference standings, a half-game ahead of the Heat and the Knicks. Although the Hawks are happy to have secured a top-six spot, they’re not satisfied with that, and will aim to finish in fourth place, which would give them homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@
Stat of the game
5-for-11 (or 45.4%, what the Hawks shot from 3-point range in the fourth quarter after going 5-for-22, or 22.7%, the first three quarters)
Star of the game
Collins (hit a 3-pointer with 24.8 seconds left to give the Hawks their first lead since the first half)
Quotable
“One word to describe my mood is ecstatic.” (Collins on how he felt after the big win)
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