Peachtree Hoops: Hawks defeat Steph Curry, Warriors in overtime, 141-134

[Hawksquawk]

Jordan Godfree-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks and Warriors met for the second and final time this season. Atlanta was without Saddiq Bey for this one while the Warriors were missing Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, Moses Moody and Dario Saric among others.

The Hawks found Clint Capela early on in the game, including on this lob tossed by Jalen Johnson.

Jalen out here dropping dimesssss pic.twitter.com/w2xqKglWfd

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 4, 2024

De’Andre Hunter missed last game managing right knee inflammation after his return on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers, but came in off the bench to spell Garrison Mathews, who got a rare start in this game.

The first quarter was tight throughout, that is until Lester Quinones hit a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 33-28 edge.

Golden State opened up an eight-point lead early in the second quarter. But the Hawks clawed back with help from deep shots like these two.

JJ from the top of the key
OO from the corner
pic.twitter.com/6fr9a6nYsr

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 4, 2024

Steph Curry did Steph Curry things all half, and eventually all game long, but the Hawks remained tough. At the break, the game was knotted up at 64 a piece. Clint Capela had 14 points and 11 rebounds heading into the locker room.

Trae Young continued his hot shooting after the halftime break, putting in his fifth triple of the game early in the third quarter to give the Hawks a solid margin on the scoreboard. Capela and Onyeka Okongwu continued to give the Warriors fits on the boards as that duo combined crossed into double figures in offensive rebounds by the third quarter.

But the Hawks could never quite maintain a long lead. Curry and rookie Brandin Podziemski counterpunched for the visitors every time Atlanta made a small run.

After three, the game was again tied — this time at 89-89.

Both teams were dealing with injuries and on the second end of a back-to-back series, so each side had to dig deep to come out with a win on Saturday night. Despite a tough game to that point, Bogdan Bogdanovic went on a personal 6-0 run to give the Hawks a 110-109 upper hand.

A ️ogi ️ucket pic.twitter.com/UjxpVgEDoC

— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) February 4, 2024

But Steph Curry again conjured magic with his deep pull up game. He crossed 50 points on the night with time to spare, as the Hawks had no answer for his quick trigger on the perimeter. Still, the Hawks weren’t quite finished.

Trae Young hit two free throws with 1:06 remaining in the game to tie the game up yet again at 121-121. After a couple of empty possessions for either team, Steph Curry split a double team above the arc and hit a runner to give the Warriors a two-point lead.

After a timeout, Trae Young came down and drew a double team at halfcourt. A pass to Jalen Johnson led to a pass to Dejounte Murray, who managed to hit a free throw line jumper to bring the score even.

But the Hawks left 4.1 seconds on the clock for Golden State. Fortunately, a Steph Curry runner went begging, and so the teams played an additional five minutes to decide this one.

In overtime, the Hawks raced out to a 11-0 run to firmly grab ahold of the contest. Dejounte Murray took control of the proceedings by mixing in a personal 7-0 run.

7 in a row for DJ pic.twitter.com/jAAXsnMjIO

— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) February 4, 2024

Even once the Warriors managed to hit shots in overtime, the Hawks countered with quick makes of their own to salt the game away. Despite Steph Curry ultimately dropping 60 points on their heads, the Hawks at last came away with the win, 141-134.

Trae Young finished with 35 points and six rebounds. Onyeka Okongwu closed with the starting unit and registered a double-double, 22 points and 10 rebounds. It was the fourth win in a row for the suddenly streaking Hawks, who will now welcome in the star-studded Los Angeles Clippers on Monday evening.

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