The Atlanta Hawks lost to the Utah Jazz 112-91 Thursday night in one of their worst recent shooting performances.
John Collins was the leading scorer for the Hawks, amassing a team-high 17 points and adding seven rebounds. He came alive in the second quarter and looked for his shots.
“I felt that rhythm at the end of the second quarter and was able to get it going. I was trying to be aggressive as I can,” Collins said.
Kevin Huerter scored 16 points on an efficient 7-14. He also added three steals as he was a pest on the defensive end.
Clint Capela had another dominant effort on the glass with 17 rebounds but severely struggled on offense, scoring just eight points on 3-14 shooting.
Tony Snell played 20 minutes off the bench and scored 12 points, both season-highs. He missed only one of his five shots, which was also the only non-three pointer he took. With key players out, he performed well, and it was the most he has played so far this year.
Overall it was a rough night for the Atlanta Hawks, who were without Trae Young and De’Andre Hunter, two of their leading scorers. The field goals in this one were hard to come by.
“Obviously, it was an ugly game all around. We got some good looks. We just didn’t make shots,” Huerter said.
The defense was also the best for Lloyd Pierce’s team, with Utah routinely finding open shots. As a team, the Jazz shot 48% from both the field and three.
The game comes just one night after the Hawks’ six-point loss to a Dallas Mavericks team that had lost seven straight games.
“The lack of consistency [for our team] has been tough. There hasn’t been consistency in regards to our personnel being there. Availability is the most important thing,” Pierce said.
On the winning side, the Jazz found many players thriving.
Jordan Clarkson scored a game-high 23 points on 9-13 shooting and 5-8 from three off the bench. Clarkson had it going all night long and was canning threes any chance he got. He also added seven rebounds along with an exceptional shooting performance.
Bojan Bogdanović scored 21 points on a solid 9-14 shooting night while posting six rebounds. Bogdanović had a staggering +/- of 32, showing that his presence on the floor was vital for his teammates and the victory.
Donovan Mitchell scored 18 points and added five assists. In the second half, he did the bulk of his damage, hitting multiple threes and slashing to the rim with ease.
Quin Synder’s team rebounded the ball better, made more shots, and had it going offensively across all cylinders. They also made life difficult in the paint and on the perimeter for the Hawks.
Utah is proving why they currently have the top seed in the Western Conference.
Atlanta will have to remove the first three games of this homestand from memory as they finish off the four-game stretch at home Saturday night against the Toronto Raptors.
