Atlanta’s defense stifles Minnesota in 4th quarter of 117-104 win to snap three-game losing streak

Atlanta enters the holiday season with a win.

Atlanta had hit a rough patch since their run in the NBA Cup, losing three in a row, including a Saturday night loss against Memphis. It wasn’t a do or die situation against Minnesota, but the Hawks could have used a good win and they got it tonight against the Timberwolves.

The Hawks won tonight after three great performances from Trae Young, Garrison Matthews and Dyson Daniels. Young finished with 29 points and seven assists on 8-15 shooting, Daniels had a career-high eight steals to go along with 10 points and Matthews hit a career-high seven threes and finished with 25 points. It was great to see Matthews, who hadn’t played much at all recently, be ready for the moment in a big win for the Hawks.

They weren’t the only reasons the Hawks won, though. Jalen Johnson flirted with a triple double and finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, and De’Andre Hunter scored 19 off the bench.

This was a great win for Atlanta, led by their defense and three point shooting. Despite 21 turnovers, Atlanta found a way to shoot 53% from the floor and 50% (18-36) from three tonight. For a team that has struggled to shoot the ball, it was good to see the Hawks perform well on that end of the floor.

Next up for the Hawks are two important games against Chicago and Miami. Both are at home, and with both teams near the Hawks in the standings, it would be huge if the Hawks could get a couple of wins before they go on their long road trip.

With Young available to play, the Hawks went with their usual starting lineup of Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela.

Minnesota stuck with their normal starting lineup of Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert.

The first quarter couldn’t get much better for the Hawks. Their defense was really strong to start and Young looked good in his return to the field. He scored 10 quick points and the Hawks shot 63% from the floor early, leading Minnesota 21-9. Edwards did everything for the Wolves early in the game, scoring seven of their first nine points, but overall, Minnesota shot 24% from the floor and 9% from three.

With Bogdanovic and Okongwu still out, the Hawks turned to Larry Nance, Vit Krejci, De’Andre Hunter and Garrison Matthews off the bench. It had been a while since Matthews had meaningful minutes, but he made the most of his minutes in the first half. The Hawks led 35-19 after the first quarter and shot 68% from the floor, including 7-11 from three and 12 points and four assists from Young.

Then the second quarter happened.

It was the exact opposite for the Hawks in the second quarter. Minnesota started the quarter on an 18-5 run and cut the lead to 40-37 when Snyder called a timeout to try to stop the Wolves run. The Hawks shooting had stalled in the second quarter, while the bench for Minnesota outscored the entire Hawks team in the second quarter 20-17. Aside from Matthews going 3-3 from deep, the Hawks shot a dismal 24% from the floor and 25% from three in the second quarter, and a game they once led by 19 turned into a Minnesota halftime lead after a Mike Conley shot just beat the buzzer. Minnesota shot 54% from the floor and 57% from three in the second quarter and outscored the Hawks 36-17 to lead 55-52 at the half. Young had 16 points and five assists, while Matthews had 15 points on 5-5 shooting from three. Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Wolves with 11 each.

It was a back and forth third quarter between the two teams. Hunter and Risacher each scored five points at the start of the quarter, but Atlanta continued to have turnover problems and Atlanta could not get ahead. At the end of the quarter, however, Matthews found Johnson for a basket just before the end of the quarter that ended up being one of many highlights for him on the night.

The Wolves held a three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but that’s where the Hawks won the game.

The Hawks have made it a point to win games with their defense this season and they did it again tonight. While the Hawks went 6-7 from three and shot 59% from the field, they held Minnesota to 39% from the field and 13% (1-8) from three in the fourth quarter. Matthews went on to have the best shooting night of his career and Daniels was a threat on the defensive end of the floor. The Hawks outscored the TImberwolves 35-19 in the fourth quarter (20 points off the bench) and led by as many as 17 in the 4th to secure a win and move to 15-15 this season.