DENVER – The Hawks (18-16) failed to extend their four-game winning streak into 2025, giving up their second-highest point total of the season in a 139-120 defeat to the Nuggets (19-13).
Here are five observations on the Hawks’ New Year’s Day loss:
1. Heading into Wednesday’s game, the only team to score more than 140 points against the Hawks was the evening’s opponent, the Nuggets. The Hawks’ defense fared almost as poorly in the teams’ second matchup, surrendering 139 points and allowing their hosts to make 56.4% of their field-goal attempts. The Hawks’ defensive calling card, their aptitude at creating turnovers, did not materialize, either. One game after forcing a franchise-record 31 turnovers against Toronto, the Hawks caused just 13 against the Nuggets.
The Nuggets’ offense was particularly effective utilizing cuts and converting in the paint.
“We weren’t shifted the way we need to be,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said after the game. “Our reactions were slow, and it started in transition. We were just spread out and the lane was open. Particularly with their size and (Nikola) Jokic’s ability to find those cutters. If there’s any window, he’s going to find it. We needed to do a better job of that, and we didn’t. We knew they were going to cut — they cut on us last game, and that’s what they do.”
2. The Hawks let it fly from three with 46 attempts from long range, but the approach yielded mixed results. Forward De’Andre Hunter hit his first three 3-point attempts and led the Hawks with 16 points at the half, and forward Vit Krejci tallied 14 points with a trio of second-quarter treys. The duo’s hot streak from beyond the arc lifted the Hawks to their first lead of the game halfway into the second quarter, but the hot start did not last. The Hawks missed their next 15 threes, bringing their offensive production to a halt. Guard Trae Young hit a pair of shots from long-range to end the drought midway through the third quarter, but by that point, Denver’s lead had ballooned to 26 points.
The Hawks hit just 16 of the 46 3-point attempts (34.8%) in the game.
“You’ve got to give them credit,” Young said. “Any time guys miss shots, you’ve really got to give the defense credit, a little bit. We had some good looks that we need to hit, but that’s just part of it.”
3. In the Hawks’ home matchup with the Nuggets on Dec. 8, Nuggets center Jokic torched the Hawks’ defense for 48 points and 14 rebounds in a 141-111 Denver victory. The Nuggets registered that 30-point rout without guard Jamal Murray, who was back in full force for the teams’ second matchup.
Snyder praised the “exponential” Jokic-Murray synergy before the game, and his defense struggled to stop the duo. Jokic was well on his way to a triple-double by the end of the first quarter, and though he couldn’t match his 48-point outburst, his playmaking ability was on full display with a final statline of 23 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists. Murray added 21 points and converted all seven of his free-throw attempts.
“You have to give them a different look,” center Clint Capela said of playing the Nuggets with Murray in the lineup. “Sometimes it’s to where Murray (has) a 3-point shot, but also (others) where he is trying to drive and find Jokic. It’s more of a game that you have to play that we weren’t able to do tonight at a high rate. This is why they’re one of the best in the NBA.”
4. Despite the lopsidedness of the final score, the Hawks kept pace with the Nuggets during the first half. In the third quarter, their effort came apart at the seams. Denver raced out of halftime with a 28-11 run and ultimately outscored the Hawks by 17 points in the frame.
“It’s tough on the road, especially against a really good team,” Young said. “They use the crowd, the momentum. I think a lot of it is trying to get an easy basket, get to the free throw line. We couldn’t stop that run. They got going that third quarter, and we just couldn’t stop them, and even though we were scoring, we weren’t stopping them from scoring. It’s not a good formula to success, to win.”
5. Snyder said before the game that the days between the Hawks’ victory in Toronto on Sunday and their New Year’s Day matchup helped the squad “recuperate (and) recharge” leading into their stretch of away games to start off January. Still, the Hawks missed the presence of two key players, guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (left lower leg contusion) and forward Jalen Johnson (right shoulder soreness), in their matchup in the Mile High City.
Johnson’s breakout season has been a defining storyline of the Hawks’ season so far, but Snyder said Johnson’s absence did not absolve the Hawks of their need for diligent transition defense.
“You’re always going to have players out,” Snyder said. “Obviously, Jalen’s a good player but really, if we would have had urgency in transition, anyone can do that. That was where, like I said, we weren’t urgent out of the gate. They’re really good at passing the ball ahead, and if you run back with your man, that makes it tough.”
Stat to know
76 -- The Hawks allowed the Nuggets to inflict the majority of their damage in the paint and outscore them down low by 22 points.
Quotable
“They won a championship playing that way. They’re not going to change the way they play — they’ve got success doing it. It’s a tough way to guard, it’s a tough offense to guard, but we’ve done it before. We just didn’t do it tonight.” - Trae Young on Denver’s offensive approach
Up next
The Hawks will continue their west coast stretch on Friday at 10:30 p.m. when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers.
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