Three Biggest Takeaways From Atlanta's 147-134 Win Over Utah

The Atlanta Hawks found a way to snap their three-game losing streak last night by beating the Utah Jazz at home. It was a needed victory for the Hawks considering their poor performance on Saturday vs the Knicks and they got back on a winning track. They have four games left this season, including two huge games vs the Orlando Magic. The two games vs the Magic will have a big impact on the Eastern Conference Play-in standings and it is possible the two teams face each other for a third time when the play-in tournament rolls around.

Before that though, what are the biggest takeaways from yesterday's win?

1. The defense had arguably its worst performance of the season

The offense for the Hawks was incredible last night, but I am not going to start with them. Considering their opponent, last night was arguably the worst performance of the Hawks' season. Utah had been an abysmal offensive team heading into last night, but they shot the ball very well, and if Atlanta had not been just as good on offense, they likely would have lost to the worst team in the NBA. Utah ended up shooting 52% from the field and 43% from three. Keyonte George scored 35 points and Collin Sexton chipped in 27 points. The Jazz had a 131 offensive rating and a true shooting percentage of 68%. Atlanta has had worse performances when it comes to shooting numbers this year, but given their opponent, this was an awful night on defense. Not what you want to see heading into the playoffs.

2. The Hawks offense was incredible

Atlanta scored their season-high in points with 147, and they could not be stopped at any point in the game. Just one week after setting their season high in points scored (145 vs Milwaukee), the Hawks' offense shot 57% from the field and hit 22 three-pointers in a 13-point win over the team with the worst record in the NBA. Atlanta had 43 assists on 54 made baskets, marking the most assists in a non-overtime game for the Hawks since 1993. It was the best offensive performance for the Hawks this season, and they needed it considering how poor their defense played Of the Hawks' nine-man rotation, only two players did not score in double-figures. Onyeka Okongwu led the way with 27 points and 12 rebounds, but it was hard to find a real flaw with the Hawks' offense tonight. The bench for the Hawks scored 56 points tonight, and overall, Atlanta kept their turnovers down, committing only 11 tonight. The Hawks finished tonight with a 140.3 offensive rating and a 71% true shooting percentage.

3. Hawks Made Some Lineup Changes

The Hawks have used the starting lineup of Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Mouhamed Gueye, and Onyeka Okongwu a lot this season, but they made some changes last night. Gueye went to the bench and the Hawks started Georges Niang instead. Now, Niang did not have a great night, only playing 18 minutes and scoring 6 points on 2-5 shooting from three. Gueye replaced Dom Barlow as the backup center and played a little over 10 minutes. Could this be something that Quin Snyder does more going forward?

Additional Links

Atlanta Snaps Three-Game Losing Streak With Big Offensive Performance vs Utah

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