Three Takeaways From Hawks 149-144 Loss to the Clippers

The Hawks had their four-game winning streak snap last night against the Clippers in a high-scoring game between two of the league's best offenses. After the Clippers raced out to a big lead, the Hawks battled back and it was a tight game the rest of the way.

This is not the first game the Hawks have lost in this fashion. Their defense has let them down a number of times this season and despite having a huge night on offense, they lost a game because the Clippers shot 60% from three.

So what are the big takeaways from last night's game?

1. The Hawks wasted one of their best offensive nights of the season

When you score 144 points, shoot 54% from the field, 51.3% from three, and have an offensive rating of 137.3, you should win the game most of the time. The Hawks had one of their best offensive games erased because of their inability to stop the Clippers.

Kawhi Leonard scored 36 points on 13-20 shooting and James Harden had a near triple-double, going 6-9 from three. The Clippers have a lot of elite playmakers and the Hawks could not do anything with the. Yes, having Clint Capela would always help the defense, but his absence alone does not excuse the kind of defensive performance the Hawks gave.

2. De'Andre Hunter looked fantastic

Though a minutes restriction kept Hunter from playing more than two minutes in the fourth quarter, Hunter had by far his best game of the season and one of his best as a Hawk.

despite not even playing 20 minutes, Hunter was the leading scorer for Atlanta, scoring 27 points on 10-12 shooting from the field and 3-5 from three. He played solid defense as well when he was on the court.

Hunter is one of the most valuable players on the Hawks and last night showed why. Atlanta missed him in his absence and once he is able to play more minutes, the Hawks should benefit a lot from it.

3. The Clippers superstars outplayed the Hawks stars

When you have two teams that have stars on them, sometimes the game is as simple as which of those stars perform the best. In this case, Leonard, Harden, and Paul George outplayed Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.

George did not have the kind of game that Leonard or Harden did, but he scored 18 points on 7-13 shooting and played good defense at times. Two guys whose performance should not be overlooked is Russell Westbrook or Amir Coffey. They combined for 26 points last night and made some clutch baskets in the fourth quarter.

The Clippers might be the top team in the NBA right now and the Hawks gave them their best shot and almost came out on top. If Hunter can continue to progress and is able to play more minutes, it would be huge to Atlanta going forward.

Everything From Trae Young After Hawks 149-144 Loss to the Clippers

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