NBA
Hawks hope to continue NBA Cup momentum this Thursday vs. Spurs
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated2 hours ago on December 19, 2024
Atlanta is just coming off a four-day break after Saturday’s NBA Cup loss in Las Vegas, which happens to be the longest hiatus the team will have other this season, other than the All-Star weekend in February. Atlanta will look to building on their impressive displays that recently took them all the way to the tournament’s semifinals.
The Georgia club is set to play this Thursday against the Spurs, who are at the .500 mark at 13-13, following a 106-92 home defeat to the Grizzlies, who will also face the Hawks in the coming days. Quin Snyder’s team is set for their match in San Antonio while standing seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 14-13 record.
Atlanta lost to the eventual champion Bucks this past weekend by an eight-point margin, but had many positive takeaways after their NBA Cup run. Even though they started the season 2-4, they recently reeled off a six-game winning streak just before their were eliminated by Milwaukee.
Back at it tonight!
🆚 @spurs
⏰ 8 PM ET
📍 @FrostBankCenter
📺 @FanDuelSN_Hawks
📻 @929TheGame pic.twitter.com/i0E1U1fU42— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 19, 2024
One of the most exciting takeaways is Trae Young’s incredible momentum, as he seems to be back to the best version of himself. In their last game, the point guard scored 35 points, gave out 10 assists, and fell three rebounds short of a triple-double.
His coach was satisfied despite the loss, especially due to the fact that they’ve recovered many injured players as well as their competitive identity. “We were so banged up early, but we stuck together and began to develop a kind of identity,” Snyder explained. “The common denominator for us is that we were really competitive.”
While Young has become the Hawks’ most prolific scorer and playmaker, which has turned into tradition during the team’s past campaigns, he was surprisingly thrived on defense this campaign. This aspect of his performance has drawn a lot of attention from his coaching staff and teammates.
“He’s evolving as a player,” the head coach said about Trae. “We’re asking him to do (more). He’s getting more catch-and-shoot. To me, it’s more about him defending, leading the team, creating offense for other players, pushing the ball. Do we want to hit more shots? Does he want to hit more shots? Of course, and I think as the season goes on, that’ll happen exactly.”
