Three Takeaways From Hawks Win over Timberwolves

What a night it was in Atlanta.

The Hawks played about as poorly of a first half as you could imagine and found themselves in a huge hole against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota was shooting tremendously from three-point range and while they were hitting some tough shots, the Hawks's defense was non-existent and they had to make big adjustments.

Those adjustments worked because Atlanta played lights out on both ends of the floor in the second half and was able to come away with an impressive victory and move their record to 2-2.

So what are the key takeaways for the Hawks after last night's win?

1. Dejounte Murray had perhaps his best game as a Hawk

Murray had a solid first quarter, scoring nine points and looking aggressive driving to the basket. He scored only 11 in the 1st half and was not making his presence felt on defense like he did in the previous game against Milwaukee.

Then, third quarter Murray showed up and took over the game.

CLEAR OUT FOR FIVE

33 IN THREE QUARTERS pic.twitter.com/Aqx0hokavr
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 31, 2023

Murray outscored the Timberwolves in the third quarter by himself 22-19 and he finished with 41 points. It was not just his offense though. Murray played aggressive defense on Wolves star Anthony Edwards and kept him from scoring as well as he did in the first half. This is coming off of a great defensive performance against Bucks guard Damian Lillard on Sunday.

Murray is a valuable player on both ends of the court and these last two games have shown what he is capable of bringing to the Hawks.

2. Quin Snyder showed why he is one of the NBA's best coaches in the second half

Snyder established himself as one of the NBA's best coaches while with the Utah Jazz. Even in his short time with the Hawks, Snyder has shown why he is so well respected around the NBA. After getting blown out by the Boston Celtics in the first two games of the playoff series last season, Snyder adjusted quickly and it almost allowed the Hawks to force a game seven.

Last night, with the Hawks unable to stop Minnesota's three-point shooting, Snyder made adjustments and the Hawks stopped the Timberwolves offense in the second half. Now, some of it is shooting luck, but you can tell how the Hawks were more aggressive guarding the Wolves shooters in the second half and it made a difference.

Snyder has been worth every penny for the Hawks since hiring him and he is one of the reasons I thought they could be a top-four seed in the East and he showed why last night.

3. Atlanta could have one of the best offenses in the NBA

In the midst of Minnesota torching the Hawks's defense in the first half, Atlanta was scoring just fine on Minnesota and then exploded in the third quarter when Murray went nuclear.

Atlanta is now fifth in the NBA in field goal percentage with 49% for the season and is sixth in the NBA in PPG, averaging 121 PPG and that might go up if they start shooting more three-pointers, something that Snyder has said he wants this team to do. They are 23rd in the NBA in three-pointers attempted and I think that number is going to rise.

With Young and Murray as the leaders, the Hawks could be dynamic on offense and the addition of Jalen Johnson has been huge to the lineup. I expect the Hawks to be one of the NBA's best offenses for the rest of the season.

Follow Jackson on X here: @jackoncaudell

Follow Hawks coverage on Facebook here: All Hawks