The Hawks escaped Indiana with a win, but it came with plenty of warning signs attached.
On paper, this was the kind of game Atlanta should have controlled from the jump. The Pacers were down to just six available players, and only one of them would normally be in their rotation if everyone were healthy. Instead, the Hawks let a short-handed opponent hang around long enough to make things uncomfortable.
That’s why this one feels bigger than a typical October result. It’s still early, and one game never tells the whole story, but after eight games the concern level around Atlanta has to be climbing.
Coming off a 22-point loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, this was supposed to be a clean response. It wasn’t.
Outside of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta didn’t get much from anyone. A few players made late plays that helped steady the finish - Onyeka Okongwu and CJ McCollum among them - but the overall performance was messy.
The starting group continues to have issues, and McCollum’s night was rough from the start to the finish, as he went 4-for-17 from the field with three turnovers. Dyson Daniels also extended his stretch of not scoring in double-digits to five straight games, while the bench offered very little beyond some solid shooting from Corey Kispert.
The Hawks did have one massive edge: they were scorching from deep. Atlanta finished 23-for-51 from three, while Indiana made only eight triples total. That kind of gap usually decides a game on its own, and it almost had to here because the Hawks made everything harder than it should have been.
Alexander-Walker was the difference. He was clearly Atlanta’s best player and turned in his best game of the season, finishing with 34 points on 12-for-25 shooting, including 9-for-15 from three, along with four rebounds and four assists. He has been arguably the Hawks’ top player this season, and he was the reason this didn’t turn into a damaging loss.
The rest of the perimeter production helped, too. Lu Dort, starting in place of Jalen Johnson, went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Kispert hit 4-for-7 from deep, and Okongwu and McCollum added two threes apiece.
Still, the shooting cushion only covered up so much. Indiana hit just 8-for-34 from three, but Atlanta gave the Pacers a real opening by allowing 54 points in the paint. Quin Snyder knows the size limitations on this roster, but that number nearly sank the Hawks anyway.
Atlanta was up 12 at halftime and looked positioned to pull away if the defense held and the offense stayed sharp. Instead, the second half turned into a grind. The Hawks shot 26.9% after the break, going 8-for-24, and while Indiana didn’t exactly catch fire, the Pacers were close enough to make the comeback threat real.
The final takeaway is simple: Atlanta won, but it didn’t look comfortable doing it. The Hawks still need to find a way to create better offense and not depend so heavily on Alexander-Walker to keep them afloat from three.
In Other News...
Hawks Have A Real Chance To Test Two Intriguing Rotation Options
The Hawks head into their matchup with the Pacers in a spot that could open the door for a little lineup experimentation. Indiana is set to be without several key players, including its projected starting five, which changes the feel of the game before it even tips off. Atlanta, meanwhile, is expected to have enough available bodies to keep its regular structure intact, but the circumstances also create a chance for Quin Snyder to look a little deeper into the rotation.
One of the more interesting possibilities is how the Hawks handle the minutes behind their usual core. With the game setting up as a chance to see what some lesser-used pieces can do, rookie Ejiofor could be in line for a look in the frontcourt after Jock Landales early exit against New Orleans. There is also a path for RayJ Dennis to get a turn running the offense with Kingston Flemings suspended, giving Atlanta a live game setting to evaluate two roles it may need to answer sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Dyson Daniels Could Face A Bigger Hawks Test Than Expected
The Hawks may have to adjust their rotation sooner than expected, and that could put Dyson Daniels in a much different spot than the one he usually occupies. With Kingston Flemings set to miss one game because of suspension and Jalen Johnson listed as questionable for the same matchup, Atlanta may need Daniels to do more than defend and keep the offense moving in its usual flow.
Daniels has built his value on the defensive end, but the Hawks could ask him to shoulder a bigger scoring and playmaking load if the lineup thins out. If that expanded role proves too much in the moment, RayJ Dennis is there as another option, which gives Atlanta at least one more path to cover the absences without overextending Daniels. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Lose A Bench Bright Spot At The Worst Possible Time
Atlantas bench has been getting a lift from Kingson Flemings in his rookie season, which is part of why the timing of his latest setback stings. The Hawks guard had become a notable contributor for a second unit that has needed reliable energy, and now that momentum gets interrupted after a late-game incident in New Orleans.
Flemings was ejected late in the fourth quarter against the Pelicans after elbowing Bryce McGowens in the head, and the NBA followed with a one-game suspension. For Atlanta, the immediate concern is the absence of a player who had started to carve out a real role, leaving the Hawks to patch together their backcourt rotation for the next matchup against the Indiana Pacers. [Read more 🡒]