Hawks press gas early, cruise in G-Wagon to 124-115 dub over Dubs

Big games out of Young, Okongwu, and Niang.

The home crowd in State Farm Arena sadly missed their one chance to see Steph Curry live this season as he suffered a pelvic contusion during Golden State’s previous game against the Toronto Raptors and was ruled out for this contest.

The Hawks started strong, with one two three-point plays: one the conventional fashion and the other non-conventional. All five Hawks scored within minutes of the contest, including Zaccharie Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye:

And the Hawks didn’t quit cooking from there. Dyson Daniels chipped in with his signature move, a swipe and score:

At the first timeout, the Hawks led 24-16 behind 9-for-13 shooting from the field.

They only accelerated from there, amazingly. Onyeka Okongwu did some work from the post as well:

The Hawks had doubled up the Warriors 36-18 by the second timeout, with Steve Kerr looking for any answer at all to try to slow down Atlanta’s lethal attack tonight. All the way up to the final buzzer in the period, the Hawks were dialed in:

With a 40-23 lead after one, the Hawks had to lock in and not let this lead slip like they have so often this season.

In the second quarter, the excellent ball movement continued, like on this play to find Terance Mann for a wide open three:

The Warriors never went away quietly, but Atlanta’s energy kept them firmly in front heading into the midpoint of the second quarter.

You know Trae Young had to get involved as well:

The Hawks continued to roll all the way into the halftime locker room, where they led 69-57.

The team shot a pristine 30-for-50 (60%) from the field and sported a 136 offensive rating in the first half. Onyeka Okongwu led the way with 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds.

The Hawks came out in the third quarter a step slow on defense, and the Warriors were able to cut the deficit to single digits quickly. But Atlanta responded with some stops and transition buckets, like this Trae to Zacch connection:

But Atlanta had lost some of their halfcourt offensive rhythm they displayed in the first half. That is, until Okongwu and Georges Niang revved it back up:

The Hawks were able to push the lead back to 15 points and force a Kerr timeout with a strong stretch of bench play. Niang continued to bury threes, and Dom Barlow brought some inside presence with his rebounding.

At the end of the third quarter, the Hawks were up 98-81.

Georges Niang continued his heater in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. He began the night 6-for-8 from deep:

Atlanta pushed their lead north of 20 points for a stretch, bringing a roar to the crowd in State Farm Arena.

But the Warriors came up with some strong defensive plays to quickly narrow the lead back down to close contest. With 4:15 left to play, the scoreline was reduced to 110-100, and the Hawks needed to find an answer.

There were some nervy moments just bringing the ball up the court, and while the Hawks found some answers there, there were also defensive breakdowns in the halfcourt.

With the lead at 117-109 with just under two minutes left to play, the Hawks weren’t out of the woods by any means.

But the Hawks did eventually find some answers in breaking down the Warriors halfcourt press, and they finally salted the game away for a big W, 124-115.

Trae Young powered the team with 25 points and 10 assists, Onyeka Okongwu dropped 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Georges Niang poured in 23 points off the bench.

The Hawks now find themselves at 34-36 with a matchup against the depleted Sixers tomorrow evening.