Three Things the Hawks Can Do To Win Their Rematch With Phoenix on Tuesday

Can Atlanta find a way to win at home on Tuesday vs Phoenix?

Jan 9, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) against the Phoenix Suns in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

If it feels like the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns just played a game, it is because they did. Phoenix defeated Atlanta 123-115 on Thursday night and the two teams are going to face each other again on Tuesday night. This was a close game, but the Hawks' offense went cold in the second half and could not get enough stops against the Suns' high-powered attack. The big question ahead of Tuesday is what the injury report will look like for the Hawks. They have been missing star forward Jalen Johnson for five of the past six games and his status is currently unknown for Tuesday night.

So what will be the keys to the Hawks bouncing back and winning on Tuesday?

1. Containing the Suns Bench

Phoenix got solid games from their two biggest stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, but they were not the main reasons that Phoenix won. Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen came off the bench on Thursday to score a combined 48 points off the bench and both players had elite shooting numbers. Beal shot 11-6 from the field and scored 25 points while Allen was 7-8 (5-6 from three) from the field. Atlanta has to find a way to slow those guys down off the bench when they have a rematch on Tuesday.

2. Better Second Half Offense

After shooting 67% from three in the first half, the Hawks shooting from deep fell flat in the second half, going 3-14 from beyond the arc. The Suns continued to shoot well and both Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen came off the bench to help put the Hawks away. The Hawks bench outscored Phoenix 38-27 in the first half, but the Suns bench was a catalyst for them winning that game in the second half, outscoring the Hawks bench 29-16. Can the Hawk's offense have a strong game from start to finish?

3. Rebounding Battle

Atlanta is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, but they lost the reboudning battle 42-32 on Thursday. Mason Plumlee had 10 rebounds while Beal and Ryan Dunn each had seven for Phoenix and aside from Clint Capela (11 rebounds), the Hawks got beat up on the glass. Phoenix got 13 second chance points off of 12 offensive rebounds. This is an area where the Hawks badly miss Jalen Johnson and having him back on Tuesday should help keep the Suns rebounding numbers down.

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