Atlanta Hawks Beat Minnesota Timberwolves 134-122
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Recap
One win at a time. The Hawks got into this mess one game at a time, and that is how they will dig themselves out of the bottom of the Eastern Conference. In the last two games, the Hawks' increased effort has resulted in two desperately needed home wins.
The Hawks were once again without Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic. After the first quarter, the Timberwolves led the Hawks 42-26. They didn't look like a team that arrived at 2:00 A.M. this morning.
Luckily, the Hawks shot 52.3% from the field and 39.5% from deep. In addition to shooting a higher percentage from outside, they outscored the Minnesota Timberwolves 56-42 in the paint. Six Hawks players scored in double digits.
Despite a slow scoring start, Trae Young led the team with 37 points and 14 assists. Oh, by the way, he was 11-11 from the line and has hit at least his last 25 free throw attempts. Also, he leads the NBA in total points scored this season.
The Timberwolves were led by an amazing performance from D'Angelo Russell. They relied heavily on Russel after Anthony Edwards was ejected for two technical fouls, and Karl-Anthony Towns got shut down by Onyeka Okongwu. His 31 points were not nearly enough to keep his team in the game.
Post-Game Interviews
Hawks head coach Nate McMillan praised his team's response to being challenged in the first half. McMillan said his team played on their heels in the first half. "We pretty much allowed them to do whatever they wanted to do. Reverse the ball, isolate, score over the top. They scored pretty much every way you could imagine in that first half."
McMillan continued, "I thought in the second half, we did a much better job of challenging every catch, every dribble, and getting pressure and disrupting their rhythm. I thought that led to our best third quarter, scoring 45, but it started on the defensive end of the floor."
Trae Young sat down at the podium in a green camo Adidas hoodie and easy-going demeanor. He bragged on the second unit for keeping the team in the game during the first. "When we got into halftime, we really just wanted to flip the narrative and bring some energy. So that's what we did."
Young also provided insight into his slow start. "They [Timberwolves] did a lot more trapping early in the game. Where KAT was showing, and kind of trapping and staying out with me. As I got off the ball, then he would get out. They did a lot more of that early in the game. They don't usually do that."
The Hawks next game is Friday night in State Farm Arena against the Miami Heat. As always, we will have you covered throughout game day with coverage of the Southeast division matchup. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Trae Young - 37 PTS, 14 AST
De'Andre Hunter - 22 PTS, 5 REB
John Collins - 17 PTS, 12 REB
Timberwolves Leaders
D'Angelo Russell - 31 PTS, 5 AST
Anthony Edwards - 20 PTS, 5 REB
Karl-Anthony Towns - 17 PTS, 10 REB
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