Atlanta Hawks Upset Memphis Grizzlies 120-105

Recap

You can say this about the Atlanta Hawks - there's never a dull moment.

Late last night, we learned that John Collins is out indefinitely with foot/finger injuries. This evening the Hawks announced that Trae Young was out tonight with a left quad contusion. Losing to the second-best team in the NBA felt like a foregone conclusion. But that's why you play the game. The Hawks beat the Grizzlies 120-105.

With his 'brate' out, Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench and scored 30 points. The Hawks enjoyed a well-rounded team effort; four starters scored double-digit points. The only Hawks player that struggled was Kevin Huerter. 'Red Velvet' shot 2-11 and finished with 6 points. To be fair, he did leave the game briefly to have a back strain examined in the first half.

Yes, the Hawks played well on offense without their two best players, but it was their defensive effort that won this game. Ja Morant got his 29 points and looked spectacular in the process. But the Hawks were able to contain Morant's teammates through a gritty team effort. The Hawks sweep the season series against the Grizzlies and are back up to a .500 record on the season.

Post-Game Interviews

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said, "I thought our guys really did a great job from start to finish. Just establishing the tempo, the defense was really good from the beginning. They really didn't get out into transition, which this team has been great this season."

McMillan credited the offense for helping with defense. "We did a good job of taking care of the ball. But making them work defensively and not settling or taking anything quick. When you do things like that, normally you have a balanced floor, and you can get back into transition."

When asked if seeing defensive performances like tonight make him frustrated, McMillan replied bluntly, "I'm going to enjoy tonight. I'm going to enjoy tonight. What we did in the past... tonight will be a good tape to show some good things. And we've done some good things. And we've done some good things."

All smiles after a big W.@LeaderOfHorde | @laurenjbara pic.twitter.com/elieI6Eb7R
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) March 19, 2022

Delon Wright said he knew he needed to be aggressive. "I knew I was going to have some wide-open shots with the way they played. They load up in the paint, so I knew that if guys penetrate they're going to find me."

When asked about McMillan's comments from last week about Wright being out of the rotation, Wright said, "Yeah, that's where he sees me fitting in, so um, just have to do pretty much whatever it is for the team. You know, just sacrifice. Some nights I'm in to just play defense, some nights, I'm in to do other things. I just try to see what the game needs from me that night and just try to execute it."

The Hawks next game is Sunday evening at State Farm Arena against the New Orleans Pelicans. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

The phenomenal Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant finished the game with 29 points. However, he exited the game late in the fourth quarter with a back injury.

Memphis Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson, Jr. finished the game with 15 points on 50% shooting.

Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams played 30 minutes and scored just 3 points but grabbed 11 rebounds.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.

Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Zaire Williams scored just 2 points.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Bogdan Bogdanovic - 30 PTS, 3 REB

Clint Capela - 18 PTS, 7 REB

Delon Wright - 18 PTS, 6 AST

Grizzlies Leaders

Ja Morant - 29 PTS, 4 AST

Jaren Jackson, Jr. - 15 PTS, 6 REB

Desmond Bane - 15 PTS, 5 REB

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