Hawks fall to Clippers following abysmal third quarter

The Hawks fell to the Clippers 121-98.

Here are five observations.

1. The Hawks have never scored fewer than 15 points in a quarter this season. But they scored the same number of points as they had turnovers in the frame while the Clippers seemed to make nearly every one of their shot attempts.

The Hawks went 0-for-6 in the first three minutes of the quarter and did not make a single shot until 8:03 seconds remained in the frame. But the Hawks made just three more baskets after a floater from guard Trae Young out of the timeout.

Young, Onyeka Okongwu and Dominick Barlow scored the Hawks’ points, while the rest of the rotation went 0-of-11 from the floor.

“I think we had a couple of tough turnovers as a team, and they made shots, we missed shots,” Hawks guard Caris LeVert said. “That’s sometimes what happens with this game. Got to tip our hats to them. They had a good game plan. Obviously, at halftime they switched some things up. So you got to tip your hat to them.”

2. Young had a tough time in Friday’s game after he said center Jusuf Nurkic hit him in the matchup against the Hornets on Wednesday. The Hawks guard wore a compression sleeve to start the game and it impacted his ability hit some of his usual shots, making just two of his nine field goal attempts.

When the Hawks guard returned to the floor after the first half, he took off the sleeve.

“I had it on,” Young said. “I tried it again. I got it hit last game when Nurkic fouled me in the first quarter. So yeah, it was hurting again, so I just tried it again, and yeah, I kind of took it off. I was just frustrated I wasn’t making some of my shots I usually make, but I’ll be all right.”

3. Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher led the team in scoring for much of the night. Risacher went 5-of-5 from the floor and 1-of-1 from 3. He did not miss his first basket until 6:33 remained in the third quarter.

“It’s always hard to react right after a game,” Risacher said of the third quarter.

4. Former Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to State Farm Arena for the first time since last month’s trade deadline. Bogdanovic returned to warm cheers from fans in attendance. The 32-year-old looked comfortable in his return to the arena hitting shots that fans have come to know him for.

Bogdanovic hit a midrange jumper off a screen from Ben Simmons, then later hit a 3 in the corner after the Hawks left him wide open.

But returning to Atlanta proved to be adjustment for Bogdanovic, who told reporters following the game that he had to learn where the visiting team’s locker room was.

“I was nervous at the beginning, when I was walking in, I didn’t know it was a guest locker room,” Bogdanovic said. “It’s good to come back at the end of the day. You know, I didn’t have to wait so long to see it.”

5. Dropping Friday night’s game, of course did not help the Hawks’ case for postseason seeding. The Heat did lose their matchup to the Celtics and the Magic also lost to the Timberwolves in Minnesota. So the Hawks were fortunate and they held onto their cushion as the seventh seed.

But with 15 games remaining in the season, the Hawks still have not guaranteed their place in the first seven versus eight play-in game.

Stat to know

12 -- Former Hawks player Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 12 for the Clippers.

Quotable

“It was weird to see Bogi on the other team.” Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher on Bogdanovic.

Up next

The Hawks head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Sunday at the Barclays Center.

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LA Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (10) attempts a three-point shot against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) and Atlanta Hawks guard Terance Mann (14) during the first half at State Farm Arena, Friday, March, 14, 2025, in Atlanta. Bogdanovic was an Atlanta Hawk earlier this season before he was traded to the Clippers. Los Angeles won 121-98. (Jason Getz / AJC)