Three Takeaways From Atlanta's 99-92 Win Over Memphis
It was not the prettiest win (or game in general), but the Atlanta Hawks took advantage of another injury-riddled team and beat the Memphis Grizzlies last night. Now, the Hawks had injury problems of their own, but it does not compare to the situation that Memphis finds themselves in right now.
The Hawks will hope to get Jalen Johnson back for tomorrow night's matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans, but we will see if that happens.
So what are the key takeaways from last night's game?
1. Dejounte Murray had one of the best games of his career
If not for Dejounte Murray, the Hawks would not have won last night's game.
Murray had not only one of the best games since he was traded to Atlanta, but one of the best games of his career.
He was fantastic in this game, finishing with 41 points, seven rebounds, and six assists on 17-25 shooting.
Snyder had high praise for Murray after the game:
"They started to trap him, then we played pick-and-roll with a small and he got some switches that he wanted. It was a cerebral game, as well as, obviously, a big game, statistically." "His buckets were big buckets."
With Trae Young still out, Murray has had to put more on his shoulders in terms of offensive output and he has answered. As long as Murray can play close to this level, the Hawks can make it through until Young returns.
2. The Hawks have to get more from its supporting cast
The Hawks were lucky that Murray had the game that he did.
If Murray even has just a regular good game, Atlanta loses. They got three points on 1-12 shooting from Saddiq Bey, seven points combined from Bruno Fernando and Garrison Matthews, and three points from Vit Krejci, who started in place of Jalen Johnson. Some of these players are only playing because of injuries, but Fernando and Bey have produced before, especially Bey, who has been playing well lately. The schedule is going to get tougher in the next week and these guys will need to play better.
3. Atlanta takes advantage of another injured opponent
Given the way that most of this season has gone, nobody should fault the Hawks for the wins they have been racking up, especially since they are dealing with injuries of their own. However, it is fair to point out that the Hawks have beaten the Magic without Paolo Banchero, The Knicks without four starters, A Memphis team missing almost every one of their regular players, and Cleveland without Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, and Evan Mobley. Winning these games has kept Atlanta in the play-in race and they have a clear path forward. They have upcoming games vs the Lakers, Suns, and Clippers on a West Coast road trip coming up and those games will be tough in their current state.
