Two of the big men the Hawks acquired at the trade deadline still remain sidelined, but the Hawks showed glimpses of what the team hopes they will look like going forward on Thursday evening. Behind Trae Young’s career-high 50 points, the Hawks were able to take down a strong Miami Heat team.
We have seen a bunch of high points totals all season from Trae, but unfortunately, it has not resulted in many victories. Do not be mistaken by the high point total, Thursday night was a complete team effort.
But we will start with Trae. He was on fire all night making deep huck after deep huck. For the night, he ended up shooting 8-for-15 from deep, 17/17 at the free-throw line and tacking on 8 assists. He had one of the best games of his career on Quavo Night at State Farm Arena, and donated him his jersey after the game:
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On Trae becoming one of six Hawks to ever score 50 points, he said, “It is is always special to be mentioned with greats like them. I’m honored. I always look up in the rafters and see all those guys and their jersey hanging up and that definitely motivates me to keep pushing”.
Trae was fantastic, but he would be the first to tell you he would not be satisfied if the result of the game had been different. His teammates iced this one for him late.
The Hawks had stuck in there with the Heat all game but was trailing heading into the fourth quarter until Kevin Huerter hit a big three-ball that was shortly followed by another from De’Andre Hunter, which gave them the lead. This did not last long, as Jimmy Butler followed things up with a lead changing jumper.
Trae tied the game up with an and-one, but the lead dwindled quickly yet again, and the Hawks faced a five-point deficit with a couple of minutes to go.
The Hawks continued to play hard, and a travel call on Bam Adebayo with a minute remaining changed the landscape of the game. De’Andre Hunter followed with yet another clutch deep ball, and then Cam Reddish put the game on ice with a turnover and dunk at the other end.
Huerter finished with 17 points, 7 boards, and 4 assists, and continues to play with more aggression. Hunter ended with 17 points and 6 boards after going a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Reddish had 16 of his own. It was an uncharacteristically quiet night for John Collins, who got in foul trouble early.
Overall, a fantastic team effort from the Hawks and one of their best games played this season. This is what we would love to see more of down the stretch, especially when Clint Capela makes his Hawks debut.
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