Biggest Takeaways From Atlanta Hawks 129-117 Win Over Washington

Atlanta is now 6-7 and has won two games in a row

Nov 15, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) dunks the ball against Washington Wizards forward Corey Kispert (24) and forward Alexandre Sarr (20) during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images / Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks were the only team that the Washington Wizards had beaten this year and Atlanta was looking to avoid dropping a third game to the team with the worst record in the NBA. They did that last night and looked pretty dominant doing so for the most part.

So what are the big takeaways from the Hawks win last night?

1. The Hawks defense in the second and third quarters won the game

Atlanta was pretty solid on offense for the whole game, but in the two losses to Washington this season, the defense has been dreadful. It looked like the Hawks were on their way to another poor night on that end of the floor after giving up 39 points in the first quarter, but then they had by far the best quarter defensively in the second quarter, giving up only 11 points and allowing Washington to shoot 17% from the floor and 9% from three. The Hawks defense is up and down and they need to find consistency, but they showed what they can do in the second and third quarters last nigt.

2 . De'Andre Hunter looked confident in his return

Hunter had missed the previous ten games, but he picked up where he left off when he last played against Charlotte. Hunter scored 22 points on 7-13 shooting and played well on defense. Having him healthy will be huge for the Hawks going forward.

De’Andre Hunter after the Hawks win over the Wizards pic.twitter.com/GSDQPb748M

— jackson caudell (@jacksoncaudell) November 16, 2024

3. Dyson Daniels continues his fantastic start to the season

Daniels has been the best player on the Hawks this season. Last night against Washington, Daniels had 25 points on 10-14 shooting and he had yet another game where he had six steals. With his statline, Daniels joined some elite company:

Dyson Daniels, currently with 21 points and five steals, has tallied 15+ points and 5+ steals in four straight games, the longest such streak since Michael Jordan did so during the 1989-90 season (3/21/90-3/26/90, also four games).

— Hawks PR (@HawksPR) November 16, 2024

Daniels has been incredible for the Hawks this season and has been everything they could have hoped for when they traded for him.

4. Trae Young had an off-game shooting the ball, but it didn't matter

Young struggled shooting the ball last night, but it did not really matter. Some of that is the Hawks supporting cast is good around Young and some of it is the Wizards are pretty terrible. Young was 5-18 last night and aside from some three's, he struggled to get comfortable and find rhythm. It is no cause of concern, but Young has struggled in two of the three games vs the Wizards this year.

5. The Hawks got two good games from Capela and Okongwu

The centers played great in the win vs Boston on Tuesday and they followed it up with another good performance last night. Both Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu had doubles and played good defense. Larry Nance played 14 minutes and did not score last night, but he has been able to contribute when he has been in this season. This is a deep position for the Hawks and when all of them are playing the way they have been over the past few games, it makes them that much tougher to beat.