LA Clippers Crush Atlanta Hawks 106-93
Recap
The Hawks entered Sunday afternoon's game against the Clippers with a renewed sense of focus. As soon as the game tipped off, their increased intensity on defense was palpable. Unfortunately, they picked a bad game to struggle with shooting. The Clippers held the Hawks offense down to win 106-93 and snap their three-game losing streak.
Trae Young finished the game with 19 points and 7 assists. But both Young and Kevin Huerter struggled shooting the ball. The backcourt shot 12-33 (36%) from the field and 4-14 (28.5%) from deep. Bogdan Bogdanovic enjoyed a red hot first half, scoring 15 points, but finished with just 19 points.
The Hawks frontcourt consisting of John Collins and Onyeka Okongwu provided plenty of energy but little offensive production. Danilo Gallinari and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot did fine coming off the bench. But it was the Hawks' lowest-scoring game since Christmas Day.
The Clippers dominated in the paint. They outscored the Hawks 50-40 and won the rebound battle 47-39. Third-year player Amir Coffey lit the Hawks up for 21 points. Meanwhile, the bruising forwards Serge Ibaka and Marcus Morris, Sr. combined for 37 points on top of a stellar defensive effort.
Of course, the Hawks were without Clint Capela (right ankle soreness) and lost Cam Reddish early in the game (another ankle sprain). But the Clippers didn't have their dynamic duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. This was a game the Hawks could and should have won. They were 4.5-point favorites and are now going home after finishing the six-game road trip with a 2-4 record.
Post-Game Interviews
Following the game, acting Hawks head coach Chris Jent called the team's defense "overall good." Jent praised Coffey's offensive outburst but said, "I thought overall our attention to detail and effort was better."
Trae Young didn't try spinning the embarrassing loss. "I feel like this is being repetitive since my early years, is the losing. You try so hard to find a way to win, and it's not enough. You just got to find a way."
When asked about what must change, Young said, "Obviously a lot. We got stops today. They scored 106 points. We didn't score. We scored 93 points. So, today was a different problem."
The Hawks have two days off before hosting the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. As always, we will have you covered for the ultra-important divisional game. Thank you for your continued support of Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Trae Young - 19 PTS, 7 AST
Bogdan Bogdanovic - 19 PTS, 6 REB
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot - 14 PTS, 4 REB
Clippers Leaders
Amir Coffey - 21 PTS, 5 REB
Serge Ibaka - 16 PTS, 2 REB
Marcus Morris, Sr. - 15 PTS, 2 REB
Recommended For You
Hawks Mail Bag: Ben Simmons, Cam Reddish, Playoffs?
Hawks Considering Ben Simmons Trade
Every Time Trae Young Shook LeBron James
Like SI Hawks on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Hawks news!
