The Hawks finally have an even record again. After downing the Trail Blazers 135-101 on Sunday, the Hawks returned to .500 after winning their fourth consecutive game.
At 31-31, this is the first time the Hawks have been a .500 team since they were 15-15 in late December.
Former Hawks wing Vit Krejci returned to Atlanta for his first game back since the team traded him to Portland in February. A revenge matchup wasn’t in the cards for Krejci on Sunday, with the Hawks putting up a third straight dominant outing.
The Trail Blazers were without All-Stars Deni Avdija and Damian Lillard, as well as Shaedon Sharpe and Robert Williams. But the Hawks didn’t take any mercy as they looked to win the possession battle. To do that, the Hawks dominated the Blazers on the glass, outrebounding them 54-38.
Quick stats: Onyeka Okongwu had 25 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists on 7-of-12 shooting from 3. Jonathan Kuminga scored 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Key moment
The last time the Hawks faced the Trail Blazers, Okongwu got plenty of open looks from the perimeter. The Blazers again left Okongwu open from the outside, with the center scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points on a layup and a pair of 3-pointers.
Okongwu would go on to make four more 3s in the first, scoring a game-high 20 points by the end of the first half.
Highlight play
The Hawks have wanted to see what minutes with Kuminga and Jalen Johnson would look like. They got a shot at it Sunday and the two flashed some early chemistry with Johnson finding Kuminga with an outlet pass after a steal by Dyson Daniels.
What they said
“They were joking, saying before the game, like, shoot 20 3s tonight. But you know, everyone was telling me to shoot if they’re going to play me like that. Tonight, they paid for it.” -- Okongwu on the Hawks trusting him to shoot.
“I don’t know why they leave him open, but 12 is not enough, and I think he got 15 last time. When he’s hot, he’s knocking them down like he did. You find him even if he’s not knocking them down, like we trust O to take those shots, like we want him to take those shots, it helps our team.” -- Daniels on the Hawks finding Okongwu for open 3s.
“Vit’s my guy. He knows better than to jump. It’s good seeing Vit. Obviously, he was here for three or four years. He was a really good player for us. Glad he’s getting the opportunity to show himself in Portland. And yeah, just wish the best (for) my good friend over there.” -- Daniels on his poster on Krejci.
Up next
The Hawks head to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Tuesday before returning home for a five-game homestand.
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