The Atlanta Hawks suffered a dismal loss on Sunday evening. Atlanta held an eight-point lead late in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets, only to relinquish the advantage and succumb to the scrappy Nets in a loss that can only be described as a glaring missed opportunity for the Hawks.
The bright side, of course, is that the defeat represented only one of 82 games for Quin Snyder's team, and the Hawks bounced back with a thoroughly dominant, 32-point win in the follow-up against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.
In recent years, the Hawks have actually struggled against the Hornets, last winning the season series between the two division rivals in 2019-20. However, Atlanta faced no such issues in 2024-25, sweeping the Hornets for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. This particular matchup wouldn't necessarily be described as a "fair fight," in part due to the absences of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. At the same time, the Hawks put together their most efficient offensive game of the season, and it was led by Atlanta's core pieces.
The Atlanta Hawks have never been better on offense
The fourth quarter became littered with garbage time given the size of Atlanta's lead but, prior to that, the Hawks produced more than 1.4 points per possession over the first 36 minutes. Ultimately, the Hawks settled in with an offensive rating of 135.4 in the game, setting a new high for the 2024-25 season without the presence of any statistical weaknesses.
Even when adjusting for opponent, Atlanta's 67.3 percent true shooting mark was highly impressive, and it was headlined by a season-high 22 3-pointers. Obviously, no team can bank on making 22 3-pointers on 49 percent shooting from beyond the arc on a nightly basis, but Atlanta generated quality looks throughout the game. Trae Young, as usual, captained the unit and helped to boost the team's shot quality. From there, the Hawks committed a turnover on only 11 percent of possessions and, with the shooting efficiency Atlanta maintained, the points rolled in.
Young led the way with 31 points (on 22 shooting possessions) to go along with eight assists in only 30 minutes of action. He was not alone, however, as Dyson Daniels (22 points, seven assists, three steals), Onyeka Okongwu (15 points, 10 rebounds), and Zaccharie Risacher (21 points, eight rebounds) each shined. That quartet forms the basis of Atlanta's core -- alongside the injured Jalen Johnson -- and it was satisfying to see a blowout win led by key pieces.
The Hawks started to show positive signs late in the first half, extending the margin to 13 points at the break, but Atlanta really put the game away early in the third quarter with a 30-8 extended run. Within that spurt, Risacher scored 16 points, including a three-possession sequence in which he buried a trio of three-pointers from virtually the same spot on the floor.
Since returning from an injury absence in late January, Risacher has been operating at a pace that places him firmly in the Rookie of the Year race. In that 22-game sample, he is averaging 14.4 points per game while shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 45.4 percent from 3-point range. Risacher also brings impressive acumen to the table for a 19-year-old rookie, and he continues to provide optimism for the future.
"His development is going to be fun to watch," Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said of Risacher after the win. "It's not just his talent, but it's his approach and his mentality. If he continues to do that, he's just going to continue to get better... Zacch is someone we feel like has a high ceiling. That's related to his competitiveness, his passion, and his hard work."
All told, Atlanta's victory over Charlotte is not one that is likely to change the course of even short-term history. With that said, the Hawks badly needed a bounce-back performance after what transpired on Sunday. Atlanta was able to do that, hold serve, and pick up a win that keeps the Hawks at the top of the Southeast Division in mid-March.