After being on a four-game winning streak and clicking on all cylinders, the Atlanta Hawks lost their mojo in the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers and were defeated 121-98. Going into halftime, the Hawks led 61-53, but it was the third quarter that ultimately doomed them. The Clippers got out into an 11-0 start, and it got worse for the Hawks as they only scored eight points in the quarter, Los Angeles scored 35.
After the game, head coach Quin Snyder shared what went wrong in the third quarter for the Hawks.
“It was the perfect storm,” Snyder said. “We had some open looks from three, some wide open. We had the ball at the rim, and had some layups that danced around the rim and didn’t go in. When that’s happening you can’t turn the ball over.
“That was as big as any part of the game plan, and we had 10 of them in that one quarter. We lost the game in that quarter. We were trying a little bit of everything. We played well the first half and that quarter with a team like that., it’s hard to sustain your defense.”
Zaccharie Risacher started the game off strong hitting his first couple of shots, but he went quiet in the second half as the Clippers made the adjustments and went on a run.
“It’s always hard to react after a game,” Risacher said. “We’re going to do film and we’re going to work on that game. It was the turnovers, and defensively, we weren’t as aggressive as we were in the first half. That was a part of the problem, I’d say, of why we lost the game. I’m confident in my teammates, and we’re going to work on it and make sure to be ready for Brooklyn.”
Third quarter dooms Hawks in loss vs. Clippers
The Hawks couldn’t find a rhythm at all in the third quarter, missing easy shots at the rim and open three-pointers. They went into the quarter leading by eight points and left the quarter down by 19.
“Everybody had stretches where we struggled collectively,” Quin Snyder said. “When we play, the game plan is going to be about Trae. Whether they’re sending him in a certain direction or being physical with him, he’s going to see all of those things, and he’s seen all of them. We needed to play better as a team.”
It wasn’t the best night for Trae Young, and it was obvious that the Clippers made it a focus to key in on him, and he finished with seven turnovers.
We weren’t making shots, turning it over, including me,” Young said. “I just got to be better.”
This could be one of those games where you just throw it away and focus on the next opponent, or you could focus on how to get better from it. For Young, he’s focused on the Brooklyn Nets.
“Whatever mindset you have, you hold on to it or you forget about it,” Young said. “I don’t really care how anyone handles it, as long as they’re ready to play against Brooklyn like I know I will. Everything is fine.”
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