Three Takeaways From Hawks Blowout Loss to Cleveland

After a three-game winning streak, the Hawks crashed hard in their loss last night to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was always going to be tough to win this game due to the rest advantage that the Cavs had, but it was a dreadful night for the Hawks.

Offensively, they could never get anything going, even with Trae Young returning from his one-game absence. The Hawks bench could not match the strength of the Cavs bench and Atlanta will head on a two-game West Coast road trip trying to start a new winning streak.

So what are the big takeaways from the Hawks' loss last night?

1. It was a tough night for Saddiq Bey

Saddiq Bey has been in a slump on offense for the better part of a month now. Coupled with being a bad defender, that can lead to some tough nights on the floor for Bey, but last night might have been his worst this season.

Bey played 30 minutes last night, went 0-12 from the field, scoring zero points, and finished a -24 from the floor.

Saddiq Bey's last 20 games:

76-228 (33%) FG

32-130 (24.6%) from 3 https://t.co/XXo5zyzjUA
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) January 21, 2024

Now, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder reiterated his belief in Bey after the game and until De'Andre Hunter returns from injury, Bey is going to have to continue to play big minutes. It will be hard for Atlanta to win games if he plays like this though.

2. It was an ugly night for the Hawks offense

This was a bad performance from the Hawks on offense. They shot 40% from the floor and 29% from three, while also going 10-15 from the free throw line.

Safe to say it was not a good night for the Hawks offense.

Jalen Johnson had a solid night with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, and Murray had 24 points on 10-19 shooting. The Hawks offense is one of the best in the NBA, but they were slowed by a Cavs defense that is one of the best in the NBA.

3. The Hawks were always going to be fighting an uphill battle to win this game

The Hawks would never make excuses about losing a game, but last night was as tough a spot as an NBA team could be in.

The Cavs were on full rest and the Hawks had just played a road game in Miami the night before. Can teams overcome these obstacles? Sure, but that does not make it any less hard, especially for a struggling team like Atlanta.

Quin Snyder Gives Injury Update on Trae Young

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