Five Takeaways From Hawks Win Over Kings

Basketball fans on the east coast who stayed up late to watch the game between the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings were rewarded with an excellent contest. Atlanta narrowly defeated Sacramento 120-117 to snap their four-game losing streak. Below are our five biggest takeaways from last night's game.

Trae Young

Trae Young snapped out of his shooting slump weeks ago. After several strong outings, his efficiency numbers are improving too. Games like last night will certainly help the cause, as Young scored 21 points on 58.3% shooting from the field and 50% from three.

However, that last stat comes with a caveat. Young only attempted two three-point shots last night. The last time Young attempted two or fewer shots from deep during a game was in the 2020-21 season, when it happened three times.

Team Effort

Everyone knows Atlanta is not the same team when Clint Capela is out of the lineup. As the Hawks' big man continues to rehabilitate a nagging right calf strain, his teammates must step up - which they did last night.

Atlanta outrebounded and outplayed Sacramento's frontcourt thanks to John Collins and Onyeka Okongwu. The two power forwards tallied 22 and 21 points, respectively.

BIG O with the defense, block, and rebound...ballgame ‼️ pic.twitter.com/tGB4Q4gARU
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 5, 2023

Rotation

Hawks head coach Nate McMillan felt the urgency about winning last night's game. McMillan used ten players, but his rotation was just seven players, with Bogdan Bogdanovic and AJ Griffin coming off the bench.

A win is a win, but McMillan has ridden his starters heavily throughout the season. The team has dealt with a lot of injuries, and playing upwards of 40 minutes is not conducive to staying healthy.

Kevin Huerter

As long as Kevin Huerter plays in Sacramento, the Kings will be inextricably linked to Atlanta. Regret over the trade has grown louder among Hawks fans before hitting a fever pitch this past week.

Huerter has had the best season of his career in Sacramento, and the fan-favorite played well last night. Huerter scored 24 points on 53.3% shooting from the field and 44.4% from deep.

Rookie Report

Two players who seem destined to make the NBA All-Rookie Team faced off last night. Griffin struggled, scoring just five points on 33.3% shooting. Kings guard Keegan Murray scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds in 26 minutes of action.