It seemed like the past week for the Atlanta Hawks may have been a tough one. After being dominated by the New Orleans Pelicans, the Hawks would be without Jalen Johnson, who went down with a sprained ankle. With four games upcoming, missing their star would not be conducive to shaking their slow start to the year, as the Hawks were 3-4 headed into Monday’s matchup against the Pacers.
While it’s never good when athletes who put their bodies on the line have to miss competition, the Pacers being down to only six players on the roster due to a litany of injuries was a positive omen for the undermanned Hawks, who were looking to get back to .500 on the season with a win. Though the Hawks led 95% of the game and came out victorious, the win didn’t feel as good as it should have.

There was no season a team with only six guys in rotation should have had a second of life in this contest. The 12-point lead over the Pacers at halftime was the saving grace for Atlanta, who was outscored by a depleted Indiana roster in the second half. With under 30 seconds to go, the Hawks only held a two-point lead. If not for recovering a blocked Nickeil Alexander-Walker three-point attempt with 13 seconds left, the game could have had an entirely different outcome.
Despite the close finish, the Hawks overcame their three-point shooting woes that plagued their prior losing streak. The team shot 45% from behind the arc, with Lu Dort shooting 4-for-6 and ‘NAW’ becoming unconscious from deep, shooting an unprecedented 9-for-16 on his way to a game high 34 points.

Corey Kispert was also the light of a struggling bench, who scored 14 on 4-of-7 from three. CJ McCollum was ice cold from the field, shooting 4-of-17, but uncharacteristically turned into the team’s facilitator with 12 assists, tying his career high. These impressive performances were nearly wasted by more subpar interior defense, as the Hawks were outscored 54-22 in the paint.
This performance was not a positive omen heading into back-to-back matchups against the Washington Wizards, led by former Hawk-star Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and the number one pick of his rookie class, AJ Dybansta. Along with the increased competition, Jalen Johnson was still inactive and ultimately missed both matchups.
The first Wizards game featured a new wrinkle in the rotation, as head coach Quin Snyder gave rookie Kingston Flemings his first career start and moved CJ McCollum to the bench. The move proved wise, as Flemings had a stellar night, scoring 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with four assists. The bench also stepped up, with McCollum and Wiggins combining for 30 points along with the debut of their other first round rookie from this year, Zuby Ejiofor.

The forward from St. John’s contributed with 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting in his debut, providing an additional boost while bench staples Joc Landale and Dorian Finney-Smith were sidelined with injuries. Aided by dominating the boards, another strong team three-point performance, and a horrific deep shooting night for the home team (6-of-26), the Hawks defeated the Wizards on the road, 120-105.
The following matchup against Washington would provide new wave emotions for members of both teams. This occasion was Trae Young’s first time playing against his former team in Atlanta. Though he received a touching tribute while the Wizards played in Atlanta last February as he was still out with an injury, the tune from the crowd was much different in his on-court debut, as Young was serenaded by a sea of boos, letting the point guard know that the lovey-dovey admiration was out the window as he made the transition from fan favorite to a full-blown enemy.
Though he notched a double-double, the Hawks kept Young from taking over the game and forced him to nearly accrue an infamous triple-double, as he had nine turnovers. Anthony Davis was absent from the game along with AJ Dybantsa having another poor shooting night, shooting 3-of-13. A 33-point performance from Kayshawn George wasn’t enough for the Wizards to pull out the victory.
The Hawks were clicking on all cylinders offensively, joining the nightly 50/40/90 club as a team. ‘NAW’ once again led all scorers with 28, but 22 points from Onyeka Okongwu and 25 from Lou Dort on 5-of-7 shooting from three was just too much for the Wizards to overcome. Aaron Wiggins also had a strong night off the bench, contributing 19 points on 8-for-12 from the field. The impressive performance spoiled what Trae Young hoped to be a pleasant homecoming and ultimately led to a clearly defined line in the sand of where Hawks fans stand with him.

Despite the reaction from the fans, Young walked off the court doing his signature handshakes with his former teammates and embracing Quin Snyder and other former staffers.
The week wrapped up with the second of a three-game homestand against the perennially struggling Brooklyn Nets. This matchup hosted the return of Jalen Johnson from his injury, who finished with a game high 30 points. Despite his return, the Hawks hot shooting morphed into an ice rink, shooting an abysmal 26% from deep. The Hawks were also dominated on the glass, being outclassed by 13 boards.
Despite the Nets poor record, they were the better team for most of the game. After finishing the first quarter with a ten-point lead, they maintained their advantage on the scoreboard until the game had just a minute and a half left after a pair of free throws from ‘NAW’ gave Atlanta the lead. Clutch shotmaking and two huge blocks from Kinston Flemings iced the win for the Hawks and certified the team’s newest lottery pick as a mainstay in the lineups going forward. The final score was 124-121.
While the game may have been too close for comfort, the Hawks ultimately came out on top and impressively ended the week 4-0. The regular season is a long, grueling grind, and not all wins are going to be pretty. At the end of the day, what matters most is stacking victories and creating momentum as the season progresses. The Hawks currently sit at fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. Heading into a three-game week, the Hawks will look to build on their win streak and continue to establish continuity.
While the end of the week features matchups against the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, who are the two worst teams in the conference and have an improbable two combined wins, they begin the week against the Los Angeles Lakers, who will be coming off a back-to-back after beating the Detroit Pistons last night.

Though he sat in last night’s matchup, the Hawks will likely be tasked with the seemingly impossible task of slowing down Luka Doncic, who is on an all-time tear and averaging an eye-popping 40 points per game. While the Hawks are certainly equipped with the bodies to make life difficult for Doncic, the All-NBA guard has been a chore for every team to solve, and he shows no signs of slowing down. If the Hawks are able to minimize his impact and leave with a victory, they could be well on their way to winning seven games in a row and establishing themselves as one of the premier teams in the conference.