All Hawks

Four Takeaways from Hawks Game Four Loss

The Heat lead the series 3-1.
Pat Benson|
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

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Atlanta HawksMiami Heat

All signs pointed towards a Hawks victory in Game Four. They were riding the momentum of a Game Three comeback, State Farm Arena sold out, Clint Capela was back, and Kyle Lowry was out. Instead, we got a lopsided 110-86 loss. Below are the biggest takeaways from Game Four.

Lessons Learned from Game Four

Heat Dominate Paint

If there was one area where the Hawks had the advantage in this series, it would be the paint. Given Bam Adebayo's struggles this series and the availability of both John Collins and Clint Capela, the Hawks should have cleaned up around the rim last night.

Instead, they got outrebounded 48-41 and outscored in the paint 48-26. Even more confounding is that the Heat played their small-ball rotation in Game Four. There is no excuse for the Hawks' frontcourt to have played so poorly last night.

No Lowry, No Problem

I thought without Kyle Lowry's veteran presence and shameless dirty tricks, the Heat would struggle. Not only did they not struggle, but they played better after inserting Gabe Vincent into the starting lineup.

Vincent logged 27 minutes and scored 11 points, and dished out 4 assists. Clearly, with a 3-1 series lead and Vincent's aptitude, there is no need to rush Lowry back anytime soon, which is great news for the Heat.

De'Andre Hunter Game

Believe it or not, De'Andre Hunter leads the Hawks in scoring this postseason. The 24-year-old wing is averaging 17.8 points per game with a 60 TS% this series. Last night, Hunter led the team in scoring by a wide margin. His 24 points were more than double the next Hawks leading scorer (Kevin Knox's 12 points).

After an up-and-down season, Hunter is closing out his campaign on a strong note. This is fortuitous for the third-year player as his negotiations for a rookie-contract extension begin this summer.

Trae Young Struggles

I'm an unapologetic believer in Young's game. It's resulted in some interesting Twitter exchanges in recent weeks. The 23-year-old has proven incredibly capable of adapting to changing circumstances and thriving in any scenario.

This has been the toughest playoff series of his career. Young is averaging 16.5 points (35.1 FG%), 6 assists, and 6 turnovers per game. The good news is that If the series ends tomorrow night in Miami, I'm confident that we will see an even better version of Young return next October.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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