In a game fueled by runs, the Atlanta Hawks fell to the Utah Jazz 116-92 Friday night in Salt Lake City, putting them below .500 on the season at 5-6.
Atlanta’s best opportunity came in the second half as they opened with an 11-0 run, cutting the 15-point halftime deficit to four in the first three minutes.
The Jazz answered each Hawks’ run, not allowing the game to ever get competitive for most of the second half.
Cam Reddish was one of two bright spots for the Hawks, finishing with 20 points, on an efficient 8-13 from the field, five three-pointers and five rebounds in 28 minutes.
Clint Capela also played well, tying a season-high in scoring with 16 points on 8-9 shooting and added 11 rebounds. It is Capela’s fifth double-double of the season, and he has now pulled down ten or more rebounds in all but one of the Hawks’ 11 games this season.
De’Andre Hunter scored 14 as John Collins added another 13 points and four rebounds, and Kevin Heurter led the bench in scoring with 10.
The team never seemed to find their stride, and their leader never showed up to play.
Trae Young was the lone starter who finished with single-digits in the scoring column with four points on 1-11 from the field. Before tonight, Young’s lowest scoring output was the seven points he scored last Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets. He added a team-high seven assists.
Shots were challenging to come by for the Hawks, but Utah had no problem putting the ball in the hoop, which could also be from their plus-11 night on the rebounds.
The Hawks shot just 41% from the field, which seems underwhelming. The result comes from their poor perimeter play: they shot 5-28 for a rough 18% from behind the arc.
Atlanta never led in the game, and the Jazz held a 30 point lead at one point in the fourth quarter. But how did the winning team do it?
The Jazz were blazing hot on the other end, hitting their threes at a 45% clip and drilling 20 and never letting the Hawks get comfortable for longer than a few minutes.
Donovan Mitchell, who received a lucrative five-year, $195 million in the offseason, gave the Hawks nightmares. He scored 20 points in the first half and finished the game with 26 in just 29 minutes. He hit dagger after dagger and played the lead role in the home team’s great shooting, connecting on a season-high six threes.
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 17 points while Mike Conley gave the Jazz another 15 points and eight assists. The two gave the youthful Hawks a run for their money all night long, especially to begin the game as Conley got hot early.
Rudy Gobert recorded a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds on 6-7 shooting. The French Big also stifled momentum with his tenacious defense. His four blocks gave the Hawks difficulties inside.
The Jazz’ bench also thrived, led by Jordan Clarkson’s 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Georges Niang’s 10 points and six rebounds.
Atlanta will finish their two-game road trip Monday night as they take on Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
