Official Game Thread: Hornets at Hawks

[lethalweapon3]

“So the plumber looked behind the toilet wall, and guess what he found?”

 

I’m gonna be real with y’all. When the calendar turned to 2020, Adrian Dantley, I was apprised of a pervasive, pernicious threat to North America expanding across the Pacific. A threat that looked, to me, like it would soon loom over almost all our livelihoods, making it tough to so much as spend time outdoors without needing to protect ourselves and those we hold dear.

But I also knew for certain, if we all recognized the threat, and pulled together in close to the same universal direction, we could beat back this menace before it killed and created great pains for untold numbers of people. Our triumph would be the story that sets the tone for the decade to come. Bring on The New Roaring Twenties!

We are just weeks away from turning the page on 2021, Anthony Davis. Why in blazes, I ask of thee, is anybody still dealing with Murder Hornets?

Man alive, was I ready for battle. If you went to The Sto’ and found an aisle was thoroughly depleted of Raid and Hotshot, blame me. I had my swatters and zappers and foggers and fly strips and everythang. You are NOT gonna be the reason I hesitate to head out and sit beside thousands of fans cheering on my Atlanta Hawks, you pesky Murder Hornet! No-sir-bee!

Our saving graces? These not-so-little buggers have been infinitely more of a terror for bees, beetles and wasps thus far, making direct impacts to human species tertiary, at best. By all accounts they’re still confined to the Pacific Northwest of North America, and even there you were more likely to be accosted by an NBA GM than some horde of venomous, stinging wingnuts. Still, most of us have learned that the thought, “It’s happening to them, over there, so I will be safe, over here,” doesn’t always, well, fly.

State Farm Arena was fumigated of far less lethal Hornets back on November 20, our Atlanta Hawks having dispatched the buzzy visitors from Charlotte, North Cack-a-Lack. A couple weekends later, though, they have returned to The Farm (6 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast, 92.9 FM in ATL), rested and recalibrated following a three-day layoff. Is this incoming variant of Hornet something of concern? And what have they been up to since they were last run out of town?

These Hornets are still a freewheeling bunch, zipping about at a pace that ranks second only to juggernaut Houston. With likely All-Star guard LaMelo Ball leading the charge in several major counting-stat categories, Charlotte’s still good for a couple reel-worthy highlights per night. And they still give up way too many points (111.7 D-Rating, 2^nd-worst in NBA) for anyone’s liking.

Since losing 115-105 to the Hawks last month, the Hornets took three steps forward, including a win at rival Washington, then took three steps back, all on the road. They managed to score 135 points in H-Town, and every bucket was necessary to erase an 11-point deficit in the final quarter, after allowing 110 Rocket points through the first three quarters.

Charlotte fell in overtime, anyway, handing Houston their third win of the year by a 146-143 final score. They went on to fall short in Chicago and Milwaukee, allowing 133 and 127 regulation points, respectively. After falling to a 13-11 record, the Hornets are hoping to get the same Trust Fall catch Atlanta recently granted New York and Philadelphia.

One commonality the Hawks and Hornets shared, before Atlanta’s win over Charlotte off of two days’ rest, was the high strength of schedule coupled with limited intervening rest days. While opponent strengths have remained comparable, Atlanta has at least been able to get significant practice and video time in at home, amongst the healthier bodies on their roster.

Coach James Borrego’s hive has only enjoyed one two-day siesta this season, prior to the three-day break preceding tonight’s tipoff. It has been 17 days and counting since they’ve had a day off following a home game (their 7-2 home record, now, the best in the East), and tonight’s game will be their NBA-high 16^th away game. They’ve only played once at home in their past seven contests, as Philly, resting since emerging victorious here on Friday, awaits the Hornets’ arrival to Spectrum Center tomorrow for a two-games-in-three-days affair.

Atlanta needed all of last week’s 72-hour regrouping time just to survive the Pacers, back on Wednesday in Indiana. It’s the Hawks’ only victory since their seven-game get-right streak concluded back on November 26. Another three-day break arrives soon. But first, coach Nate McMillan’s flock has to fly north for a wintry tilt in Minnesota tomorrow. No one has time to hear about the Hawks (12-11) being short-winged, perhaps least of all the Hornets.

The starting backcourt of Ball and Terry Rozier were sent home from practice yesterday after being placed under the league’s Health ‘n Safety Protocols. Backup bigs Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels were booted from the Hornets’ nest due to Pandemic Protocols, too, the former’s plans to return from a calf injury tabled for a little longer.

For most pro teams, a visitor coming to your floor abruptly absent a key player or two is soothing news. But we all know The Atlanta Axiom. The fewer talents an opponent suddenly has, the bigger trouble an Atlanta sports team finds itself.

The ATL Axiom held firm at The Farm on Friday night, when Doc Rivers’ Sixers were permitted to claw their way back into contention, and then toward a 98-96 victory, despite having to make-do without Tobias Harris as a late scratch. In deflating home losses to the Knicks and Sixers, Atlanta combined to score just 25 points in the fourth quarters, dropping their effective field goal percentage in final frames to 46.7 eFG% (a shade below Minny’s league-worst 46.6).

The Hawks often get too caught up in swinging for the fences, hunting for home run plays and shots that look good on the nightly sport segments, when executing the occasional sacrifice bunts and bloop singles will do just fine.

Subpar shot selection by Trae Young (questionable for today, sore knee), a lack of urgency getting set in transition (1.16 transition PPP allowed, 3^rd-worst in NBA, although frequency of opponent possessions is thankfully 3^rd-lowest), and delayed off-ball movement in halfcourt sets, bedevil McMillan’s club when they play with a lead. A furthering of these woes leaves the door open for Ish Smith, Cody Martin, Kelly Oubre, rookie James Bouknight and Gordon Hayward to waltz in and snag another reinvigorating win for the visitors at Atlanta’s expense.

As Charlotte turns to G-League callups to buttress the front line behind Hayward, Miles Bridges (career-high 35 points @ ATL last month) and P.J. Washington, the Hawks will want to depend on veteran Gorgui Dieng, certainly more heavily than they have in recent weeks (5-for-8 FGs in past three appearances, DNP’d in two of last three games).

Getting more mid-game pulp out of Danilo Gallinari (season-high 18 points vs. PHI, matching the Sixers’ whole bench production; 16 points vs. CHA last month w/ 8-for-8 FTs) and Dieng will lighten the loads for starters John Collins and Clint Capela (combined 17-for-19 2FGs vs. CHA last month). It should also grant Young, Kevin Huerter (questionable, sore quad) and any Atlanta ballhandlers a higher margin for late-game error.

Atlanta (NBA-best 12.3 team TO%) remains among the stingiest with the basketball, a telltale sign of McMillan’s influence and Young’s continued maturation. For this to factor into winning advantages, particularly on a team that doesn’t force many turnovers themselves, just comes down to the timing of the turnovers at the starts (14.3 1^st-quarter TO%, tie-22^nd-lowest in NBA) and ends (13.0 clutch-time TO%, 19^th-lowest in NBA) of games.

The Hawks have been in a league-low 7 clutch-time situations (3-4 record; final five minutes of games w/ margins of +/- 5 points). While it's hoped they won’t need to deploy situational plays tonight, it’s more hopeful that they’ll look better prepared than they have recently.

The good news with the impending threat posed by Charlotte Hornets, or maybe Murder Hornets, is that there remains plenty of time for Atlanta to prepare, adjust, get things right and steady the path toward a bright and fun-filled future. Don’t y’all have me out here looking silly in a beekeeper fit by this time next December. Not in the year 2022, Austin Daye.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

"WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PLAY #1?"

~n3lly

[marco102]

33 minutes ago, lethalweapon3 said:

"WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PLAY #1?"

~n3lly

Him learning team defensive concepts and communications.

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Atlanta (NBA-best 12.3 team TO%) remains among the stingiest with the basketball, a telltale sign of McMillan’s influence and Young’s continued maturation.

This is awesome.

 

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Don’t y’all have me out here looking silly in a beekeeper fit by this time next December.

Praying not.

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Let’s Go Hawks!

Nice lw3! Go Hawks! 
 

When reserves get a chance to shine, they play extra hard. Treat this game like it’s a full roster of Hornets and the game is always tied.

[benhillboy]

3 hours ago, Spud2nique said:

This is awesome.

It certainly is, Trae and Nate deserve the lions share of credit (and John to a lesser extent he never turns over). Forcing even fewer turnovers out of our opponents is not.  
 

Cam and Kevin should be posting twice the combined steal numbers they do and with Dre unhealthy/ out the probability of forcing 24 second violations is very low.  I can recall maybe one or two this year.  The Hawks with Thabo roaming used to get like 2 a game lol.

Edited December 5, 2021 by benhillboy

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[benhillboy]

Our depth chart looks a mess.  Sharife not on it, but seeing OO there without any marks beside his name brought a smile to my grille.

Hawks gotta lean heavily on the two Altered Beasts up front for the short term.  Judging by their Win Shares they’re up to it.

Edited December 5, 2021 by benhillboy

[Sothron]

We need Ice Trae to win this. Hornets are a good team and will be motivated with so many guys out with covid crap.

[Dnice]

Trae and Kevin are good to go.

[Sothron]

I am going back to the Trae Young jersey tonight. I need to start getting some karma back into that jersey. I can't exhaust all my Grandmama karma in the regular season.

[warcore]

17 minutes ago, Sothron said:

I am going back to the Trae Young jersey tonight. I need to start getting some karma back into that jersey. I can't exhaust all my Grandmama karma in the regular season.

Also can't wear grandmama playing against the Hornets

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Sothron]

3 minutes ago, warcore said:

Also can't wear grandmama playing against the Hornets

I did it before and we did beat them but I don't want to risk it again.

[MaceCase]

Couteau!

[GameTime]

Give credit to Nate going with TLC over Solo. I thought he was too stubborn to do it. Can't wait until Cam returns.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Trae doesn't look like he has that (( pop )) tonight.  He's playing relaxed, instead of pushing the issue.  Maybe this is by design, but it seems as if he's at about 80% speed wise.

And he's out early, which is kind of a sign of what I was talking about.

[GameTime]

Oubre is super streaky. Can't give him open looks.

[MaceCase]

John with…power?

[terrell]

Defense?

Welp another wing down... smdh

[MaceCase]

With the way the wings are dropping Vince might need to suit up