Five Important Takeaways from Hawks Win Over Magic
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The Atlanta Hawks took care of business against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Atlanta won 125-108 and improved to 12-10 on the season. Despite dealing with a sudden surge in injuries, Atlanta played well. Below are our five biggest takeaways.
Injuries
Atlanta entered Wednesday night's game short-handed, and it quickly worsened. Jalen Johnson (ankle) and Justin Holiday (health & safety protocols) both missed the game.
To make matters worse, De'Andre Hunter exited the game after taking a blow to the thigh on a defensive play. Then John Collins sprained his ankle after finishing an alley-oop after time expired in the second quarter.
Rotation
Hawks coach Nate McMillan's job got a lot more challenging after the injury bug bit in Orlando. The sudden shortage of forwards resulted in Jarrett Culver logging nearly 30 minutes. Additionally, Vit Krejci got 18 minutes of playing time.
However, Aaron Holiday played less than two minutes. After starting the season as the sixth man, Holiday has been lucky to get on the court as of late. Coach McMillan is not subtle about how he allocates playing time.
Offense
While Atlanta's defense has made significant strides this season, the team's offense remains a mystery. Last night was essentially a tune-up game against one of the league's worst teams.
Atlanta shot a high percentage inside the arc but struggled at the foul line (78.9%) and three-point line (25%). Both of which are better indicators of a team's shooting capabilities.
Trae Young
Speaking of offense, Trae Young continues to struggle with his outside shot. Last night, Young was 2-11 from deep. Luckily, Orlando's defense is the NBA version of swiss cheese, and Atlanta's backcourt was able to get everywhere they wanted. Young finished the game with 30 points and 14 assists.
Clint Capela
Orlando is without a true center (no disrespect to Bol Bol). That allowed Clint Capela to eat on both sides of the floor. The Hawks big man scored 20 points on 90% shooting and grabbed 12 rebounds.
