News Hawks Team Notes

[Atlanta Hawks]

Two broad goals for the rest of the Atlanta Hawks season

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

What the Atlanta Hawks need to do — on offense and defense — to be successful over their final 24 games.

The Atlanta Hawks picked up their first win in three tries since the All-Star break, beating the Heat by 12-points on Monday night in what could generously be filed away as a “defense-first” affair*; with the two team’s combining to shoot just 34.9% from the floor and 16-for-75 (21.3%) from the perimeter over the course of the contest.

*A stingier writer than myself might use the term “rock fight”

Monday’s game came on the second night of a back-to-back, with the Hawks looking to make amends on the less glamorous end of the floor after being torched by the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night, and while they certainly benefited from a bit of shooting luck*, it’s safe to say that they did just that.

*Miami shot just 11-for-23 (47.8%) at the rim and 7-for-40 (17.5%) from three, culminating in an eye-watering 36.3% effective field goal percentage - the lowest mark by a Hawks opponent this season by nearly 10%!

The Hawks racked up 13 steals (with Dyson Daniels staking his claim for the DPOY award, accounting for seven thefts on his own), gave up just seven fastbreak points, and allowed just 0.716 points per possession (ppp) in the halfcourt, culminating in a stellar 88.7 defensive rating* — tied for their lowest mark in a game this season.

*For reference, Atlanta ranks second in steals per game (10), 26th in fastbreak points allowed (17.1), and 16th in half-court defense (0.968 ppp) this season

While it was great to see the Hawks get back in the win column after two frustrating defeats out of the gate to begin their post All Star break phase of the season, Monday’s victory also carried a extra weight for Atlanta’s postseason chances, as it brought them neck-and-neck with Miami*, within 1.5 games of the seventh-place, Orlando Magic, and five games behind the Detroit Pistons (currently in sixth) in the Eastern Conference Standings.

*The Hawks are also now 2-0 in the season series against Miami, meaning if they can pick up one more victory in their two remaining games against Miami, they’ll have the tiebreaker over them

While Sunday’s defeat to Detroit was a tough blow for the team’s chances of escaping the Play-In Tournament (and a likely first round matchup against one of Cleveland or Boston), Atlanta does benefit from a favorable remaining schedule* — so they still have a shot at the 6-seed with 24 games left to play in the regular season.

*Per Tankathon, the Hawks face the sixth easiest remaining schedule and will play 14 of their next 24 games at home.

Today, let’s outline two overarching goals for the Hawks to achieve over the final 24 games of the regular season.

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Finish in the Top-15 in Defensive Rating (dare I say the top-10?)​

Prior to the season, I predicted that the Hawks would finish the regular season with a top-20 defensive for the first time since 2020-21* and with a little less than seven weeks to go, they rank 15th in defensive rating, allowing 113.4 points per 100 possessions.

*I also predicted that they would finish with a top-10 offense, which has not aged too well… but we like to focus on the positives here at Peachtree Hoops

Will they remain in the top-15 by the time the season is up? Miami ranks 10th in defensive rating this season, allowing 112.1 points per 100 possessions, sure Atlanta can’t sneak their way into the top-10… right?

The Hawks have finished in the bottom half of the league in defensive rating in each season since drafting Trae Young seven years ago. The last time they finished in the top-15 was in 2016-17 when their three leaders in minutes played were Denis Schroder, Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard.

This season, spearheaded by Dyson Daniels, the Hawks have been more bloodthirsty on the defensive end of the floor — ranking fourth in opponent turnover percentage and third in steal rate — which has helped to spark a defensive resurgence in Atlanta.

That being said, despite ramping up the defensive activity, the Hawks have had a really tough time forcing misses when their opponents do get off a shot, ranking in the bottom three in opponent effective field goal percentage (eFG%). While it’s frankly incredible that Atlanta have still managed to field a competent defense in spite of the sky-high opponent shooting percentages (the other four teams* who rank in the bottom five in opponent eFG% all rank 22nd or worse in defensive rating), it’s clear that something has to change in this area for this team to reach the next level defensively.

*Philadelphia, New Orleans, Utah and Brooklyn

We looked at Atlanta’s season long defensive shot profile not too long ago, which revealed two main issues. The first is that the Hawks have simply been lit up from beyond the three-point arc, ranking 25th in opponent three-point percentage*. The second is that they’re allowing too many shots at the rim, ranking 23rd in opponent rim-shooting frequency**, and 28th in opponent points in the paint.

*Despite conceding “wide open” three-pointers at a league-average rate

While they’ve done a better job running their opponents off the three-point line as of late, allowing the fifth-lowest opponent three-point attempt rate over their last ten games, this has put more pressure on their interior defense, which has struggled to rise to the challenge — with Atlanta ranking 29th in opponent two-point percentage over this stretch.

The good news is that this Hawks team has proved that they will not shy away from giving their all on the defensive end of the floor this season, and they have added some strong defenders to the rotation over the past few weeks in Mo Gueye and Terance Mann to help bolster their weaknesses.

Once Atlanta’s new lineups get more comfortable playing together, and their new additions get up to speed with their defensive philosophy, we could be in for a few more lockdown defensive performances this season.

The conservative goal is to finish the season in the upper half of the league in defensive rating, but I believe this team has the talent to finish in the top-ten. They have 24 games to show what they can do.

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Shoot league-average or better from the perimeter​

While the Hawks have impressed on the defensive end of the floor this season, the same cannot be said about their offense, which has taken a step back in 2024-25.

Atlanta ranks just 20th in offensive rating this season — a mark that, should it hold for the remainder of the season, would be the team’s worst finish in offensive rating since the 2019-20 season.

Looking at the team’s offensive shot profile, while they have done a good job generating shots from high-value areas of the floor (ranking fifth in rim-shooting frequency and 17th in three-point attempt rate), they haven’t shot it all that efficiently from these areas - ranking just 23rd in rim FG% (64.3%) and 22nd in three-point FG% (34.9%).

While it’s clear that they need to be more efficient from both inside and outside the arc, I believe that if they can raise the potency of their three-point shooting attack, their efficiency from inside the arc will follow.

The Hawks generate “wide-open” threes* at the seventh-highest rate in the league, yet have converted them at just a 37.5% clip — tied for the sixth-lowest conversion rate on these attempts. They also rank in the 20th in catch-and-shoot three-point shooting efficiency.

*three-point attempts with the closest defender 6+ feet away

Both of these marks make it easier for defenders to prioritize defending the paint (a higher value area of the floor on a points per shot basis) instead of closing out on a potential three-point shooter which can throw a wrench into Atlanta’s offensive flow.

Now there’s no magic button that Landry Fields or Quin Snyder can press that will automatically improve the team’s outside shooting percentages* — this improvement has to happen internally.

*If there was, I assure you it would have been pressed by now

That being said, new additions Georges Niang, Caris LeVert, and Terance Mann can all shoot, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher are converting their three-point attempts at 50% and 43.9% clips over their last ten games, respectively*.

*Daniels has taken two threes per game while Risacher has taken 4.1 threes per game over this stretch

Slowly but surely, this team is figuring things out on the offensive end. If they manage to catch fire from the perimeter for a couple of games, it’s going to be very fun to watch, and I’ll be interested to see the effect this could potentially have on the team’s interior finish numbers as well.

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Atlanta is back in action tomorrow, taking on the Miami Heat on the road in a rematch of last night’s matchup, where they’ll will be hoping for a repeat performance on the defensive end of the floor.

Tip-off for that one is at 7:30 pm EST on FanDuel Sports Network.

All statistics/videos used in this article are from cleaningtheglass.com, pbpstats.com, nba.com/stats, bball-index.com, or dunksandthrees.com

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...is-nba-stats-zaccharie-risacher-dyson-daniels

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Heat at Hawks: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

Miami in the house.

The Atlanta Hawks (26-31) look to find their first win on the homestand against the Miami Heat (26-29).

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen​

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:30 EST PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM), SiriusXM

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...wks-start-time-tv-streaming-radio-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks can’t cool down the Heat in second half, lose 131-109

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Hot hot shooting in Miami.

The Atlanta Hawks were in Miami on Wednesday evening to face the Heat. Both teams just saw each other on Monday when the Hawks won at home, 98-86, and both were coming off of playing the night before.

With both teams right next to each other in the standings, a game like this could help the Hawks set themselves apart from the Heat, or they can continue to battle with them for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.

Dyson Daniels was the player of the game on Monday, and he kept that strong play going with five early points in the quarter.

5 early for 5 pic.twitter.com/6RqPhMPhH8

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

After a rough game on Monday, Zaccharie Risacher came out and made some shots from the perimeter and in the paint.

Zacch showing off his outside-inside game pic.twitter.com/9nTYA7NfsB

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

You could say almost everything was going right for the Hawks on offense, as Daniels got this crafty layup to go from a nice pass from Onyeka Okongwu.

OO to DD on the backdoor cut pic.twitter.com/wROn7OnbVv

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

Both teams played well in the quarter, and the Hawks went into the second just trailing 29-28. Young called his own number to start the quarter and got the foul to go along with the layup.

Icy and-1 off the window pic.twitter.com/FuxmNDd6Fr

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

Caris LeVert made a shifty move in the paint to get Clint Capela this easy dunk.

Pretty hoops! pic.twitter.com/cu64SltZlk

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

The Hawks strung together a few solid offensive possessions and took the lead, but the Heat came back and got a few threes from Duncan Robinson to give them the lead. The threes continued to fall for the Heat, and the Hawks trailed by 11 points at one point.

The Heat’s run didn’t faze the Hawks, and they went on a run themselves to get back in the game. Terance Mann threw this huge dunk down to cut down the Hawks’ deficit.

Mama there goes that MANN pic.twitter.com/f7gT8tHhon

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

The Hawks eventually took the lead back for a few, but going into halftime, the game was tied at 65. Mouhamed Gueye set off the third quarter after throwing down this one-hand alley from Young.

MO GUEYE pic.twitter.com/1SGM1elOzx

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

Later on in the quarter, Young called his own number once again and knocked down this three-pointer at the top of the key.

Ice Trae splashhhh pic.twitter.com/TjVlygqRi1

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

Risacher found Daniels for this behind-the-back pass and he got an easy dunk in the lane.

French SAUCE pic.twitter.com/h8AMqkC37g

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

The Heat started to catch a groove late in the third quarter, once again knocking down an array of three-pointers. The Hawks didn’t have an answer for that run, and they ended up trailing by 14 going into the fourth. The Heat couldn’t miss to start the quarter, but the Hawks finally found some juice on offense.

Terance and Clint go defense to offense ️ pic.twitter.com/R2VA2OPMlI

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

The Heat kept it rolling against the Hawks, and they didn’t have an answer for the threes they kept raining on them. Daniels tried to stop the bleeding with this dunk.

Dyson follow slam pic.twitter.com/czneB3kvsm

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 27, 2025​

Ultimately, it wasn't enough for the Hawks to come back, and the Heat walked away with the win.

Daniels finished the game with 18 points, Young and LeVert finished with 17 points, and Mann and Okongwun finished with 13 points.

The Hawks will be back in action on Friday evening against the Thunder.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...atlanta-miami-heat-final-nba-stats-video-news

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks suffer three-point barrage in loss to Heat

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

The Heat hit 23 threes to hand the Hawks a road loss on Wednesday night.

The Atlanta Hawks fell short of sweeping their home-and-home tilt with the Miami Heat, suffering a 131-109 loss to the Heat at Kaseya Center on Wednesday night. Dyson Daniels led the Hawks with 18 points with Trae Young and Caris LeVert adding 17 points apiece. For the Heat, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson scored 24 points.

Heading into last night’s rematch off the heels of a defensive victory for the Hawks on Monday night, there wasn’t much to choose from between two sides as the scene shifted to South Beach — the Heat considered slight favorites heading into the contest.

The first half showcased why this game was considered a tight one prior to tip, with the two sides separated by a point after the first quarter. The Heat then took a double-digit lead before the Hawks — behind 10 second quarter points from Terance Mann — clawed back to tie the game heading into the second half.

The two sides were again closely contested for much of the third quarter but a blitz to end the third quarter put Miami in firm control of the game, and the Hawks were never able to find their feet to make a run at the Heat, who cruised to a 22-point victory.

Let’s take a look at how things got so far out of shape for the Hawks in this quarter.

A missed three from LeVert is rebounded by Herro and finds Davion Mitchell. Mitchell tests the waters with Young, backing up to the three point line, and when Young doesn’t go with him Mitchell pulls up for three and connects:

This is poor from Young; he’s got to show a little more effort in closing out Mitchell here — it’s far too easy on this possession.

An alley-oop converted by LeVert reduces the lead to five points, but not for long. A drive from Herro gets the Hawks defense collapsed, combined with the Heat moving the ball well, resulting in a corner three attempt for Herro. His miss is collected by Haywood Highsmith, who finds a wide open Robinson for an open three-pointer:

LeVert and Young are fine defensively here, both work hard to close out the space worked out by the Heat’s movement, but Mann strays away from Robinson and doesn’t contribute much inside on this possession defensively and is completely at sea when Robinson receives the ball on the perimeter. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder called for timeout at this juncture.

The immediate response for the Hawks out of that timeout was poor, as Georges Niang turns the ball over on the attempted pass to mid-court as the Heat’s pressure prompts the turnover:

A basket from Clint Capela is immediately cancelled out as Robinson comes off the screen and scores in the paint:

LeVert is taken out of the play by the screen here, and Capela is forced to rotate to stay with Kel’el Ware; it’s Niang who needs to step in front and contest Robinson here; again, it’s too easy for Miami in this stretch.

The Hawks’ offense is, again, stuck, as LeVert finds Capela on the roll and his hook is missed. Mann collects the rebound, fires it out to Niang but cannot convert the three:

Capela probably should have found Mann on the baseline here, but outside of that the Niang shot is one you want to hunt offensively.

The Miami threes would continue, this time Mitchell gets a look in the corner for a three after the drive from Herro:

Mann has to do a little better to stay in front of Herro here — it forced Niang to have to step in front to plug the gap and left Mitchell open on the wing for the three. Fine margins on the drive, but Herro was through unless Niang had stepped in:

Niang — very involved in this third quarter stretch — gets another good look at a three, this time in the corner, but cannot convert as the Hawks’ struggles continue:

To cap the run, Herro shovels the ball back to Ware on the trail, who hits the three to bring the Heat’s lead up to 14 points:

The Hawks’ defensive stance here is confusing... It looks as though they’re trying to play zone (Capela planted in the middle with Young and Niang covering the wings and Mann and LeVert the perimeter. Mann and Niang switch seamlessly but LeVert gets caught too deep and is no where when Herro offloads the ball to Ware for the three. If the intention was to play a zone here LeVert has got this one wrong, sadly.

In a very short stretch, the game got completely out of the Hawks’ control, having led for much of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Heat hit another six three-pointers to keep the Hawks at bay, taking the hosts’ tally to 23 on the night as the Heat eased to a comfortable victory.

A disappointing loss for the Hawks from the point of view that they held the Heat to just 86 points on Monday night and conceded 131 a couple of nights later. Of course, the Heat were going to shoot better than that game, but 23 three-pointers would not have been what the Hawks expected. The Heat shot 59% from the field and 54% from three, shooting 23-of-42 from distance — was it just one of those nights for the Heat?

“Sometimes that’s the case,” acknowledged Snyder postgame. “You don’t want to accept and say they shot well. I thought there were some offensive rebounds that led to threes. If you look at their second chance points, almost every time they got an offensive board...Highsmith in particular really hurt us on the glass. Those threes, they were teeing them up, they were too open. We knew they were going to shoot the ball better. I thought the first half we were right there. Our activity defensively wasn’t what it was, they did some other things, played a lot of screening actions, played more hand-offs. Highsmith for example, Mitchell, their pressure up the court was one thing...our defense having to take the ball out of the net when they are making shots, and then we got stagnant on the offensive end.”

The Hawks, in contrast to the Heat, shot 12-of-32 from three, meaning the Heat outscored the Hawks 69-36 from distance...that’s a massive differential that’s difficult to overcome. In fact, teams this season who hit 23 or more threes are 20-4 — it’s not impossible, but unlikely that teams can outscore their opposition; it requires all cylinders blazing.

Of the four instances where teams who hit 23 or more threes and lost, Dallas overcame by way of Luka Doncic scoring 45 points, when the Sixers beat the Cavaliers they did so with three 20+ point contributions and 21 threes themselves. Similarly, the Pacers needed three 20+ point performances, and overtime, to beat the Wizards, while Oklahoma City needed four 20+ point performances to beat the Nets’ 23 threes. You either need your offense firing or a monster individual performance to offset all those threes — the Hawks had none of that last night.

Dyson Daniels led with an efficient 18 points (8-of-10 from the field) and you can’t really ask much more from him. All-Star guard Trae Young struggled to get involved as he normally would, scoring 17 points on just 4-of-12 shooting from the field and 1-of-6 from three. Miami’s defense has often done a very good job defending Young and taking him out of games — it’s famously a likely contributor for the Hawks going out and acquiring Dejounte Murray in 2022 following a playoff series defeat in which Young was very limited.

Zaccharie Risacher had an active start to the game but struggled to make much of an offensive impact after that, scoring 11 points. Niang shot 1-of-6 from three, limiting his output, while Onyeka Okongwu shot 6-of-15 from the field for 13 points — lower than his typically efficient production from a shot percentage point of view.

All of this is to say that the Hawks were not firing on all cylinders offensively, nor were aided by the big offensive night they would’ve needed from Young to put them over the top in this spot, and thus had no opportunity to live with the Heat’s three-pointers. LeVert (17 points) and Mann (13 points) had solid games off the bench to help the struggling offense.

Outside of that, there’s a ton of positives for the Hawks here, who are caught in a very odd spot as they enter a frantic March. They can’t throw this season away for two reasons: one, they don’t own their draft pick so there’s no choice but to stay the course, but, two, they almost physically can’t throw in the towel — they’re four games ahead of the Bulls and 5.5 games ahead of the Nets to drop out of the Play-In spot completely. And even in both of these instances the Hawks are far more talented than both of those outfits.

Nevertheless, the Hawks march on (no pun intended), and there’ll be plenty of better games than last night...although their next game may not be one of them...

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The Hawks (27-32) are back in action at State Farm Arena on Friday night when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder (47-11).

These two sides have taken part in very entertaining fixtures of late, and the State Farm faithful can only hope for another on Friday night.

Until next time!

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...mi-heat-breakdown-analysis-notes-video-quotes

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Three bubbling Hawks contract situations to monitor

Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Big stories to watch from now until the beginning of next season.

The Hawks have recently had to dial back their expectations for the season. With the injury to Jalen Johnson and the shipping out of both De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic, the team looks a lot different now than it did just a couple of months ago.

The team is firmly below .500 at this point just looking to make the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. But with an eye keenly toward the future, there have still been some tangible bright spots unearthed this season as well as some long-term worries.

The 2024 NBA Draft number one overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, has recently come into his own, averaging 11.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.0 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game on 44/37/75 shooting since the calendar turned to December.

Trae Young (eventually) was named to his fourth All-Star Game in his young career and is casually dishing out over 11 assists per game, something only Steve Nash, Chris Paul, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Rajon Rondo have done this century. Jalen Johnson showed yet another leap before his season was brutally cut short, but he still finished a fraction below 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists per game in just his age-22 season.

But there is, of course, the business side of the sport. Atlanta has some contractual worries on the horizon. And that matters even more so that Hawks have operated below the luxury tax line every season under the current ownership.

So, treating that red line as the more than artificial demarcation, let’s examine three important financial items to account for heading into the 2025 offseason.

Dyson Daniels’ contractual future​

Believe or not, the combined age of Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher is an astounding 40 years old, the same combined age as one (1) LeBron James at this very moment.

One half of that wing tandem, Daniels, will have completed his third season in the NBA by this summer. As a first-round pick, he’ll be eligible to sign an extension this very offseason.

Daniels has been an obvious revelation, offering an incredible display of (Great Barrier) thievery on the defensive end night in and night out. His league lead in both steals and deflections is both gargantuan and also practically out of reach from the rest of the NBA.

NBA
Deflections league leaders as of 2/27/2025

He’s also taken on a large load of the offense with the Hawks starving for creator options behind Trae Young. But he’s still figuring things out on the offensive end — even if he’s already vaulted to the elite in the NBA on the other end.

Defense-first perimeter players can be tricky to evaluate from a financial point of view, so it may be worth looking at recent rookie extensions to gauge where Daniels could land should he and the Hawks reach an agreement by next October.

Here are a handful of defense-first players — at least ones with real offensive utility — who recently agreed to rookie extensions as first-round picks for useful comparisons:

• Jalen Suggs: five years (2025-26), $150.5 million total ($30.1 million annual value)
• Jaden McDaniels: five years (2024-25), $131 million total ($26.2 million annual value)
• Lonzo Ball: four years (2021-22), $80 million total ($20 million annual value)
• Herb Jones: four years (2023-24), $53.8 million total ($13.46 million annual value)

The Jones contract was equivalent to the mid-level exception at the time and is widely seen as a steal. Still, it’s clear the range projects to be north of $20 million per year, possibly even topping the $30 million annual mark, for Daniels’ next deal with the increasing salary cap environment.

Certainly, he deserves a four or five-year deal with his play and age projection, but we will have to see if both sides agree on an exact figure in 2025 or delay the matter until the 2026 offseason when he will be a restricted free agent.

Figure out the (rest of the) center position​

The Hawks have turned to Onyeka Okongwu as their starting center for the season half of the season. He is in the first year of an extension that runs until 2028 worth $62 million in total. Next year’s salary will be just $15 million, roughly in line with the free market value of a low-end starting center.

Both Clint Capela and Larry Nance Jr. see their contracts end at the conclusion of the season. And with both players north of 30, their best years are clearly behind them.

Even if the Hawks are satisfied with Onyeka Okongwu as their starting center heading into 2025-26, they’ll need to invest in a quality backup center. That process would likely be either through the draft or by way of trade or free agency.

Okongwu, in my humble opinion, seems best suited as a counter at the ‘5’ for when teams deploy small ball units. And so, it would be wise to find a bigger-bodied center to have the option to go bigger when needed.

But the Hawks will have limited means to add a player in free agency. With the team already projected to be over the cap (but under the luxury tax — you know, the line that really matters), the most the Hawks will have available to them appears to be the mid-level exception to offer free agents in their current situation. That figure will land between $12.8 million and $15 million in the first contract year this offseason.

The free agent center market is fairly dry, with Brook Lopez and Myles Turner projected to be the top external options potentially available. But each of those players figures to earn more than $15 million per year, so the Hawks would have to seek some sort of sign-and-trade to even fantasize about either of those possibilities. And the rest of the options don’t inspire a ton of hope outside of Timberwolves fan favorite Naz Reid.

So, whether through signing or trade, the Hawks have to answer this looming question as they set their sights higher going forward.

Convince Trae Young you’re building an exciting project...or else​

The final contract situation is one that is a lot larger than smoke currently exists for. After this season, Young has one year left on his contract with a player option/early termination option in the summer of 2026.

In other words, he will be eligible for a max extension this summer. Of course, he can signal his desire to hit free agency in a year’s time if he and the Hawks do not reach terms on an extension.

This season is increasingly going down as a clear non-contending season along with the three previous to it. And yet, throughout the past few years, Young has quite often reiterated his desire to win at the highest level.

Young earned himself a Rose Rule salary bump after his rookie contract by making the All-NBA Team in his fourth season (in the summer of 2022 after agreeing to a max extension in 2021). Likewise, the Hawks can offer a maximum extension with the provision that it turns into a ‘super maximum’ extension should he make an All-NBA team in the 2025-26 season (or, you know, win MVP in any season). The latter figure is projected to start at around $50 million for Young’s number of years of service, with the number pushing up towards $60 million if it hits supermax criteria.

Despite those eye-watering numbers, this fact can’t be understated: this whole house was built around Trae Young. He’s the foundation. If he walks, the whole thing comes down.

Atlanta finally cobbled together a long and resistive wing defense next to him. They have a suitable sidekick in Jalen Johnson — a guy with obvious All-Star upside — locked in for the next five years. Atlanta needs to continue to build in order to sell Trae Young on agreeing to extend his guaranteed future here, because the very player the Hawks have spent almost a decade trying to build around simply won’t be easily replaced.

Per Hassan Ladiwala (from Spotrac’s figures), the Hawks figure to be about $43 million below next year’s projected luxury tax should they fully guarantee the relatively small contracts of Gueye and Krejci. They can open up around $70 million in space below the luxury tax in 2026-27. However, those dates would correspond with Jalen Johnson’s and Dyson Daniels’/Trae Young’s — both as of yet hypothetical — extensions kicking in respectively, so there’s some real financial squeeze here.

Thus, the Hawks need to handle the three items business above (and more) to prove to Young and to all of us that they have a puncher’s chance going forward — especially so without control of their own first-round pick until 2028.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...analysis-opinion-nba-trae-young-dyson-daniels

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Thunder at Hawks: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images

Tall task tonight.

The Atlanta Hawks (27-32) host the best team in the NBA by record, the Oklahoma City Thunder (47-11).

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen​

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:30 EST PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM), SiriusXM

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...wks-start-time-tv-streaming-radio-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks ink Kevon Harris to 10-day contract

Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images

Another Skyhawks success story.

With their fifteenth and final roster spot, the Hawks have chosen to temporarily fill it with a familiar player from their affiliate just eight miles south of State Farm Arena.

Kevon Harris has agreed on a 10-day contract to sign with the Atlanta Hawks, a deal expected to be official later today. The report from Shams Charania of ESPN yesterday:

The Atlanta Hawks plan to sign forward Kevon Harris to a 10-day contract out of their G League College Park affiliate, agent Daniel Hazan of Hazan Sports Management told ESPN. Harris has played parts of the last two seasons with the Magic.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 28, 2025

In all competitions for the College Park Skyhawks, Harris is averaging 19.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field and 44% from three. Listed at 6-foot-5, Harris has played everywhere from shooting guard to power forward and has dazzled Skyhawks fans so far this season with his scoring and playmaking.

Last month, he and two-way player Daeqwon Plowden were both selected to the NBA G League Up Next Game which took place in the Bay Area as part of the All-Star weekend festivities. Harris earned MVP for his performance in that game with a game-high 13 points on 5-for-6 (83%) shooting from the field and 3-for-4 (75%) shooting from three in an abbreviated 30-26 win.

In his two seasons with the Orlando Magic from 2022-2024, he only appeared in 463 minutes total of NBA action. With this new contract, he gets another cup of coffee in the Association to prove his worth.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...ews-college-park-skyhawks-report-latest-notes

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks outclassed by contending Thunder, 135-119

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

No surprise there.

Hawks lose. No one is surprised.

Please (respectfully) discuss below.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...anta-okc-thunder-final-score-post-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks at Heat: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

South Beach in the house.

The Atlanta Hawks (27-31) aim to complete a mini back-to-back sweep against the Miami Heat (26-30).

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen​

Location: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL

Start Time: 7:30 EST PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM), SiriusXM

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...eat-start-time-tv-streaming-radio-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Report: Dominick Barlow earns standard contract

Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

Chunk of change for the big man.

After signing Kevon Harris to a 10-day contract, news has broken of the Hawks making another standard roster signing. Per Shams Charania of ESPN, Dominick Barlow will be earning himself a full contract:

The Atlanta Hawks are converting two-way forward Dominick Barlow to a two-year standard NBA contract, his agent Todd Ramasar of Life Sports Agency told ESPN. Barlow is in his third NBA season after spending the last two years in San Antonio. pic.twitter.com/6FcdQPrOhr

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 2, 2025​

There are a couple of curious notes for this signing report, however. First, since the Harris signing was made official yesterday, the Hawks currently cannot offer Barlow a standard contract without also waiving someone. We’ll have to wait to hear of a corresponding waiver action.

Second, the Hawks and Barlow’s camp would have to both agree to the multi-year deal. Therefore, this is not a unilateral two-way contract conversion as that could only run until the conclusion of this season.

For Barlow, it’s a reward for his play with both the Hawks and the College Park Skyhawks.

He’s appeared in 18 games for Atlanta putting up modest numbers as a deep big man option, but with College Park, he has averaged 19.6 points on 59% shooting and 8.5 rebounds per game.

Barlow is just 21 years old, so it’s a chance for Atlanta to lock down the project big man for the future.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...ews-atlanta-hawks-college-park-skyhawks-notes

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

LeVert hard carries team late, hits game-winner to defeat Grizz 132-130

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Thrilling comeback late in a tough environment.

The Hawks and the Grizzlies met on Monday night in a matchup of the two fastest paced teams in the league. So, this game promised a high-octane up-and-down battle between two hungry teams.

Dominick Barlow, fresh off reports of inking a standard contract with the team, joined the starting lineup next to Onyeka Okongwu in the frontcourt.

Okongwu was active early, like on this loud putback jam:

Big O big follow jam pic.twitter.com/UUkAC7oGgw

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

But Atlanta had trouble hitting threes in the first quarter, ending the period 0-for-8 from deep. It was a shame, given seven offensive rebounds and seven steals forced in the quarter, but Memphis’ 4-for-9 mark from three was the main reason for their 34-28 edge after 12 minutes.

Clint Capela did what he could off the bench to affect the game on both ends of the court:

CC on both ends of the floor! pic.twitter.com/AhoBw09U4r

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

Garrison Mathews made a rare appearance in the second quarter to give the Hawks some shooting in the absence of Georges Niang, although he made most of impact on the defensive end (?!).

That is, of course, until he got free for a deep ball, the first for the Hawks all night.

Garrison for 3 pic.twitter.com/FW5UwebvkS

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

And then (DJ Khaled voice) anotha one:

The Tennessee kid G. Bird pic.twitter.com/wffbYcyDnv

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

The Hawks were able to claw back after trailing by nine, and it became a fun back-and-forth affair for the rest of the half. Zaccharie Risacher had his own 7-point streak for the Hawks in very quick succession:

7 points in 35 seconds for Zacch pic.twitter.com/VMoqaHFxMW

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

The Hawks used that momentum to close the half on an absolute tear, routinely attacking the paint in transition opportunities as part of a 16-2 run going into the locker rooms.

After two quarters, Atlanta led 70-65 behind 50 points in the paint. Zaccharie Risacher was the team’s top scorer with 14 points.

It remained a frantic track meet of a basketball game in the third quarter. Similarly, Risacher remained absolutely on fire in the third quarter and hit 20 points and counting quickly.

Keaton Wallace checked into the game for the first time and got in on the three-point shooting action:

Top of the Keaton pic.twitter.com/Q2zQhiXiA3

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

But the Hawks had both defensive and rebounding breakdowns, and the Grizzlies punished them with extra shots and long balls of their own.

After three quarters, the Hawks now trailed 107-101.

The game avalanched with a 5-for-5 start from the field for Memphis, causing head coach Quin Snyder to call timeout with his team down 13 points with nine minutes left in the game.

Atlanta couldn’t find any real solutions for the lackluster rebounding all quarter, but despite that hurdle, they kept fighting and cut the lead to three points with just over three minutes remaining.

Caris LeVert remained on the court in crunch time, and he helped the cause with some big buckets like this:

CARIS CAN'T MISS pic.twitter.com/vfH5Qh0zz3

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

And then another to tie the game:

Look at LeVert!! pic.twitter.com/p1y2oCuBEF

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 4, 2025​

And for the final defensive possession, the Great Barrier Thief does what he does best, stripping Desmond Bane to start the break. LeVert makes sure the Hawks hop on the plane back home happy:

DYSON DANIELS STEAL, CARIS LEVERT GAME WINNER

WOW. pic.twitter.com/HRjN5gO1V6

— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 4, 2025​

The Hawks escape with a breathless 132-130 win.

Caris LeVert scored 16 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, going 7-for-8 (88%) from the field in that period alone. Risacher added 27 points on 11-for-13 (85%) shooting.

Atlanta heads home for another homestand, starting with the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...al-news-score-atlanta-hawks-memphis-grizzlies

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Dyson Daniels’ offense could mean big things for the Hawks

Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Daniels is likely a lock for an All-Defense team this year, but what about his play on the offensive end of the court?

Note: [All statistics are accurate as of 3/2/25]

---

When the Atlanta Hawks acquired Dyson Daniels from the New Orleans Pelicans last July, his arrival was met with a mixture of hopeful intrigue and subdued enthusiasm by Hawks’ faithful.

For a fanbase that had seen their squad display worrying signs of regression ever since a Eastern Conference Finals run four years ago and a season coming off a season where they finished 10 games below .500 that ranked in the bottom-half of the league in both offensive and defensive rating, the path ahead seemed bleak.

The Hawks gave up three of their own first-round picks (as well as another protected first-rounder via Charlotte) to bring Dejounte Murray into the fold in the summer of 2022 to (purportedly) shore up their perimeter defense and help bolster the second unit’s offense. Two underwhelming seasons later, they were shipping him off to a new city in exchange for two firsts, a young, unproven former top-ten pick in Daniels, a nine-year veteran in Larry Nance Jr., and salary fillers.

At the time of the trade, it was hard to say whether or not the Hawks had actually recouped Murray’s on-court value — a worrying prospect given that they do not own their first-round pick in the upcoming draft, meaning that there is no benefit to bottoming out this season. Additionally, they employ a superstar approaching the end of his contract in Trae Young*, who made it clear at his end-of-season press conference last year that he wants to win and compete for championships, be it in Atlanta or somewhere else.

*Young’s contract expires at the end of next season, though he has a player option for the 2026-27 season

Now, eight months, 167 steals* and 333 deflections* later, not only has Dyson Daniels proven to be an adequate backcourt partner for Young and a massive upgrade over Dejounte Murray on the defensive end of the floor, but he has also cemented himself as one of the franchise’s long-term building blocks alongside Young, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher.

*Both of these marks lead the league by laughable margins

Per cleaningtheglass (four factors tables below), last year’s starting backcourt of Young and Murray were outscored by 6.3 points per 100 possessions and posted a mind-blowing 123.0 defensive rating* in over 2500 possessions on the court together. This season’s starting backcourt of Young and Daniels have essentially played their opponents ‘even’ in over 3000 possessions, and have been far better on the defensive end of the floor, as evidenced by their 114.9 defensive rating.

*For reference, the Utah Jazz ranked last in defensive rating last season with a 119.6 defensive rating

#’s from cleaningtheglass.com

That being said, while The Great Barrier Thief’s defensive prowess has (deservedly) earned him a lot of attention this season, there hasn’t been much conversation about his play on the other end of the court — a pretty significant question mark at the beginning of the season.

Daniels was relegated to more of an off-ball role on offense in his first two seasons in New Orleans. Playing 20 minutes a night off the bench, he averaged just 4.8 points (shooting 43.5% from the floor, 31.2% from three) and 2.5 assists per game, while posting a minuscule, 12.2% usage rate.

Now with the Hawks, Daniels is playing 34 minutes a night, and is averaging 13.9 points (shooting 47.7% from the floor, 33.7% from three) and 4.0 assists per game, posting a 17.9% usage rate.

So what’s changed? Daniels is playing more, is no longer on a team with a plethora of ball-dominant players like he was in New Orleans, and as a result, has seen a spike in usage rate.

Can his improvement simply be chalked up to increased opportunity?

Back in November, I wrote about the parts of Daniels’ offensive game that had impressed me the most (inside the arc scoring, half-court playmaking) as well as a few areas that still needed some work (outside shooting, ball-handling). Now that we’ve had a little more time to evaluate him, and that he’s had some more time to settle into his new surroundings, let’s check in on how he has performed on the offensive end of the floor this season and confer over how high his ceiling truly is.

---

Inside The Arc Scoring​

While Daniels has always had decent touch around the basket, he has been more diligent about carving out opportunities for himself from this area of the floor this season, with over 70% of his field-goal attempts coming from within 14-feet — a significant uptick relative to his time in New Orleans.

As the two charts above show, Daniels has essentially tripled his number of drives, rim attempts, and SMR-attempts* (short mid-range attempts) per game without sacrificing much efficiency on these looks, and looking at his his month-to-month splits this season (below), I found it interesting to see that more and more of his field goal attempts have come from inside the arc as the season has gone on.

*Floater range, field goal attempts taken between 4-14 feet away from the basket

Though it’s evident that both Jalen Johnson’s season-ending injury and the De’Andre Hunter trade have shifted more of the offensive burden onto Daniels’ shoulders in recent weeks, it’s been great to see him embrace this increased offensive role, and he’s looked more confident going one on one against opposing defenders in the halfcourt as of late*.

*Per dunksandthrees.com, just 59% of his baskets have been assisted this season, a career low

He loves this left-to-right spin move:

But he is also capable of taking it right at the defender and finishing with either hand:

While Daniels’ confidence on the ball has grown as of late, he’s also excellent at moving without the basketball*, routinely finding seams in the defense to exploit.

*Daniels is one of just 11 non-bigs with a “cut” playtype frequency of more than 10%, who average more than 1.5 “cut” possessions per game which speaks to both his offensive role as well the significance of these possessions to his overall offensive playstyle

The burgeoning chemistry he’s shown with Onyeka Okongwu has been really fun to watch, tapping into Okongwu’s passing ability, and these two-man actions have been a real bright spot over the past few weeks.

Additionally, given the pace at which the Hawks play at, it should be no surprise that many of Daniels’ offensive possessions come in transition. While he hasn’t been excellent, he’s been solid enough*, and his transition finishing has accounted for a significant portion of his offense this season.

*Per nba.com/stats, Daniels’ transition “score-frequency” ranks 61st out of the 137 players with a transition playtype frequency of more than 15%, who average more than two transition possessions per game

Of course, it’s been great to see Daniels play with more aggression inside the arc, and while we’ve touched on many of the positives, it’s important not to get carried away. Per cleaningtheglass, his season-long ‘Rim’ and ‘SMR’ field-goal percentages rank in just the 56th and 51st percentiles respectively, relative to other combo guards this season, and he could stand to add some more muscle to improve his ability to finish through contact.

Additionally, Daniels’ floater will be an important swing skill for him to master going forwards, and if he can consistently shoot 48-50%* from this range, it will give him a true, triple-threat of options when he gets going downhill, forcing opposing defenders to look out for a drive all the way to the hoop, a dump-off to a cutter/dunker, or a stop-and-pop floater once he gets to within 14-feet.

*As seen in the first table, Daniels has shot 42.6% from floater-distance this season, so he’s not far off

He’s not there yet, but given Daniels’ age, the confidence he’s displayed as a scorer despite this being his first season in a significant on-ball offensive role, as well as the degree of difficulty that we’ve seen on some of his makes, I’m quite bullish on his chances of turning into a high-level threat from inside the arc.

Perimeter Shooting​

While it’s been great to see Daniels tap into his strengths from the inside this season, his outside-shooting ability still leaves a bit to be desired, and is one of the biggest things subverting his value on the offensive end of the floor.

He shot just 31.2% from three (on 3.3 attempts per 36) during his first two seasons in New Orleans, and this season, is shooting what appears to be a similarly underwhelming, 33.7% (on 3.4 attempts per 36) for the Hawks.

Yet, while his raw three-point percentage this season is hardly cause for celebration, if we dig a little deeper, there are actually a few signs that show that his outside shot is actually trending in the right direction.

As you can see from the “wide-open” three-point attempt frequency column in the chart above, Daniels doesn’t exactly garner much respect from opposing defenses, as roughly 80% of his three-point attempts have come with the closest defender six-plus feet away in each of the three seasons that he’s been in the NBA.

That being said, he’s been far more efficient on these looks than he was in the past, converting 38.1% of his “wide open” threes this season. Given that the majority of his threes are of the catch-and-shoot (C&S) variety, it’s no surprise that he’s seen a similar bump in his C&S three-point percentage as well, shooting 36.6% this season.

Still, while the improvement is encouraging, there is still a long way to go before Daniels’ is seen as a respected threat from beyond the arc. His “wide open” three-point percentage this season ranks just 66th out of the 101 players who attempt at least 2.5 “wide open” three-point attempts per game, and his C&S three-point percentage ranks just 129th out of the 212 players who take at least 2.5 C&S three-point attempts per game.

Additionally, as we discussed in the section before this, as the season has gone on, Daniels has taken more and more of his attempts from inside the arc, and in February, he posted the lowest three-point attempt rate over the course of a month in his entire career, taking just 14.2% of his field goal attempts from beyond the arc (1.8 per game). While this also happened to coincide with the most efficient three-point shooting month of his career*, it’s no secret that he is going to have to up the volume of attempts eventually.

*Daniels shot 11-for-21 (52.4%) from three in February

That being said, while this is obviously an important skill for him to develop, I won’t be too hung up on Daniels’ three-point attempt rate for the rest of the season. To me, I’d much rather him take whatever shots he feels comfortable taking and work on what he needs to in the off-season.

Once the Hawks get Jalen Johnson back next season however, given that Johnson (like Daniels) also prefers to operate from inside the arc*, Daniels’ perimeter shooting will likely be put under the spotlight once again. Long term, the Hawks are going to need him to be able to consistently take and make his open three-pointers to make the most of their current core’s offensive skillsets.

*Johnson is the only Hawks player (outside of centers, Onyeka Okongwu and Clint Capela) with a lower three-point attempt rate than Daniels this season.

Playmaking​

Last but not least, Daniels playmaking prowess deserves a bit of love here as well. He had been a decent passer in New Orleans, posting a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio while dishing out 4.5 assists per 36, however as we’ve discussed, his on-ball opportunities were quite limited during his time there.

This season, though he’s averaging just four assists per game, he’s gotten more comfortable initiating the offense as the season has gone on and averaged five assists and 1.8 turnovers per game during the month of February.

I touched on this back in November, but what continues to impress me the most about Daniels’ playmaking ability is the variety of situations that he is able to create plays out of.

His always keeps his eyes peeled for potential cutters — both in transition and in the half-court.

He’s looked good creating out of the pick-and-roll. In the play below, he gets the switch then throws it up top to Okongwu (out of the reach of Cason Wallace and Lu Dort), who scores on the interior.

Against New York, he gets the switch onto Towns, notices Shamet stunting to the paint to help out Brunson, Risacher relocates for a cleaner passing window, and Daniels hits him with the pass for the C&S triple.

The play below is simply a ‘hustle assist’. Daniels stays locked in after the kick-out to Okongwu, beats Cade Cunningham to the rebound, then spots the cutting Risacher for an easy score.

Daniels’ drive-and-dish/drive-and-kick game has been solid all season, and these plays continue to be a big part of his playmaking arsenal as displayed in the two clips below.

While Daniels has impressed with his passing ability this season, something he has to work on is taking care of the ball — particularly in transition situations, as his transition turnover frequency (16.8%) ranks 117th out of the 137 players who have a transition playtype frequency of more than 15%, and average over two transition possessions per game*.

*Hawks fans, don’t look at who ranks last!

While I have my doubts about Daniels’ ability to single-handedly run a high-level offense in the near future*, and would be cautious about upping his usage rate too much too soon, it’s clear that he has both the willingness and basketball IQ to be an extremely reliable secondary initiator sooner rather than later.

*The possessions with Daniels on and Young off have not gone well this season

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Conclusion​

All in all, at 21 years old, Dyson Daniels is one of the most intriguing bundles of potential in the NBA. He’s made waves with his defense for obvious reasons, but I think it’s important not to put him in a box as a ‘defensive specialist’, as his offensive skillset is quite intriguing as well.

As we’ve discussed, while Daniels isn’t a top-tier finisher or passer, he has the baseline skillset to hopefully develop into one down the line.

While his outside shot is a concern, he may not be as poor of a shooter as his three-point percentage suggests, and if he can find a way to improve to league-average in this area, the Hawks’ will have a dynamite player on their hands.

Daniels’ potential is sky-high, and while his growth won’t always be linear, it’s going to be a whole lot of fun watching him reach the peak of his powers here in Atlanta.

Keep balling, Dyson!

All statistics/videos used in this article are from cleaningtheglass.com, pbpstats.com, nba.com/stats, bball-index.com, or dunksandthrees.com

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...nalysis-breakdown-opinion-atlanta-hawks-stats

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks slip late in 127-121 loss to Milwaukee Bucks

After a thriller win against the Memphis Grizzlies, the Hawks hosted the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Starting was Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Mouhamed Gueye, and Onyeka Okongwu. Though available to media prior to the game, Quin Snyder was not on the sidelines due to flu-like symptoms. Assistant coach Igor Kokoskov was standing in his place.

Daniels scored a three and a two leading off the game. The Hawks used their first timeout trailing 15-14 roughly five minutes into the contest. They held onto a 37-33 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter. Damian Lillard scored 12 points on five made field goals, and Trae Young led the Hawks with 8 points.

The Hawks opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run. Terance Mann knocked down three three-pointers in this quarter.

Trae no-look assist to T. Mann for 3 pic.twitter.com/bBMTx9Zc3M

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 5, 2025​

The half ended even at 66. Lillard and Antetokounmpo combined for 31 points, while Young scored 16.

The third quarter played even and the Hawks went on an 8-2 run to enter the fourth. Leading 95-92, Daniels, Gueye, and LeVert joined Young in double figure scoring.

Doc Rivers used a timeout with 5:31 remaining in the game as the Hawks took a 111-110 lead. With then under four minutes to go, the Hawks played a good defensive possession, nearly got a steal, then Kyle Kuzma nailed a three to give the Bucks a 119-113 advantage.

With just over a minute to go the Hawks trailed by three. Mo Gueye had a great block on Antetokounmpo, then LeVert nailed a three to tie the game.

Huge O & Mo block to Caris 3 pic.twitter.com/bcZURmzNbn

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 5, 2025​

The Bucks then took a four point lead after scoring on consecutive possessions. With 26.6 seconds remaining, the Hawks came up empty on their offensive possession.

The Hawks fell short in a 127-121 loss.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...waukee-bucks-trae-young-giannis-antetokounmpo

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Bucks at Hawks: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Start of a six-game homestand.

The Atlanta Hawks (28-33) kick off a six-game homestand against the Milwaukee Bucks (34-25).

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen​

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:30 EST PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM), SiriusXM

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...wks-start-time-tv-streaming-radio-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Risacher, LeVert leads Hawks past Grizzlies

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Clutch win.

The Atlanta Hawks battled the Memphis Grizzlies in their first matchup in March.

The Hawks have dominated the last four meetings at the FedExForum, winning three of the last four while scoring 114.0 points a game compared to 108 for the Grizzlies.

The Hawks continued their dominance Monday night as they defeated the Grizzlies 132-130 thanks to a buzzer-beater by Caris LeVert.

“They are tough. (Desmond) Bane puts so much pressure on you in varies ways to get advantages, and then those other guys are tough. To a man they really drives the ball with force. Even if they score, they are cutting to give them an opportunity to score. I thought the story of the game was the last five minutes defensively. We were able to get some stops when we needed. We’ve talked about these momentum swings at the 5-minute mark. For our guys to finish the way we did was really good,” said head coach Quin Snyder.

The Grizzlies average almost 16 turnovers per game and the Hawks were able to take advantage of that for the entire game. They finished the game with 20 turnovers.

For Memphis, Jaren Jackson exited the game in first quarter, and they were without their primary ball handler Ja Morant for the game.

Trae Young, in the month of February in 12 games, averaged 28.3 points per game along with 11.6 assists per fame on 42% shooting and 88% on his free throws.

Unfortunately, Young received another technical foul in the game — his 11th one this season — and now he is five away from a one-game suspension. Young finished with 12 points and 15 assist.

Onyeka Okongwu averaged of 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in 12 games last month. He finshed with another double-double as he had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Lastly, Zaccharie Risacher averaged 12.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest this month in 12 games as well.

The Hawks lead 70-65 in the first half largely because Risacher had a strong first half with 14 points and 6-of-7 shooting from the field. He got a a couple of 3-pointers and some easy points in transition to gain confidence early in the game. He ended the night with 27 points.

Garrison Mathews was huge off the bench in the first half with eight points from the bench in his first action in almost a month.

Dyson Daniels also had 12 points in the first half. Daniels stepped up early for the Hawks offensively, as he attacked the rim frequently to keep the game close for the Hawks.

The Hawks were able to use their defense and get out for easy baskets for fast breaks points to control the tempo. Terance Mann started the second half for the Hawks replacing Dominick Barlow to give the team an edge in the second half.

LeVert scored a team high 25 points and the game winner to give the Hawks the win. It was an important win for the Hawks as they make strides for the final playoff push.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...-atlanta-hawks-memphis-grizzlies-recap-quotes

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks at Grizzlies: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images

Another tough West opponent.

The Atlanta Hawks (27-33) try to steal a win in Tennessee against the Memphis Grizzlies (38-22)

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen​

Location: FedExForum, Memphis, TN

Start Time: 8:00 EST PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM), SiriusXM

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...ies-start-time-tv-streaming-radio-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks finally hop off rollercoaster and outpace Indiana, 124-118

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Clutch moments down the stretch to win.

The Hawks rolled out the same starting lineup as that game against the Bucks on Tuesday, Young- Daniels-Risacher-Gueye-Okongwu. But their opponent, the Indiana Pacers, were down their two-time All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton for this contest.

Early on, Mouhamed Gueye made an impact on both ends, and this particular possession he combines with Zaccharie Risacher for a big highlight in the first quarter:

Mo blocks a 3, Zacch hits a 3 pic.twitter.com/seCvCl4rSm

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

But then the Hawks’ struggles at the free throw line and finishing at the rim made reappearances. After blowing some close-range bunnies, Indiana was able to go the other way in transition and find easy buckets.

The lead ballooned to double digits by the end of the first quarter, and the Hawks had yet another hole to dig out of. It was 31-21 by the time the first buzzer sounded, and it could have been a lot worse.

The Hawks came out an executed on offense much better in the second quarter to their credit. This Trae bomb from outside the I-285 perimeter cut the lead to four:

Trae from Jonesboro pic.twitter.com/A1Oqkqbx4O

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

They took the lead after another burst, and from there it was a seesaw affair with the lead exchanging hands multiple times.

The Hawks had their patented poor end to the first half, surrendering scores on the Pacers final five possessions including a buzzer-beating leaner from TJ McConnell.

Georges Niang was a big boost off the bench in the first half, scoring 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting.

After halftime, the Hawks once again came out with fire in their eyes. This Trae to Onyeka feed was a work of beauty:

Onyeka the Rim Wrecka pic.twitter.com/DRYhuBcsax

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

This Risacher relocation corner three was fantastique:

Threesacher pic.twitter.com/lb3PB5OPy6

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

Indiana has a lot of firepower even without Haliburton, and Pascal Siakam continually stepped up with big buckets. But Dyson Daniels largely matched him, and his contributions were especially needed when Trae Young hit the bench.

Towards the end of the third quarter, however, the Hawks faded and let Indiana take control of the game.

The Hawks trailed 94-86 after three quarters and needed a big push to find a win tonight.

Once again, the good guys clawed back into proceedings with an early quarter run to tie the game up. Things got a bit dicey in the middle of the quarter, but then Zacch attacked:

Zacch-a-three for the LEAD pic.twitter.com/OKtut6HcT3

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

Georges Niang AKA the Minivan AKA the G-Wagon chipped in as well:

G3ORG3S pic.twitter.com/C44RjglDwk

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

After that bucket, the crowd was hyped and Atlanta looked to ride that wave until the clock struck zeroes.

Atlanta kept Indiana largely at bay from them on, responding every time the Pacers made things tight. Dyson Daniels buried a corner three set up by Trae Young with under three minutes left to play:

Dysonnnnnnnnn pic.twitter.com/x8FbH2BxPO

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 7, 2025​

Then Atlanta calmly — with the exception of a Daniels inbounds pass gone awry — handled business to close out a big win at home, 124-118.

Niang led the way with 24 points and six rebounds. Both Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu added double-doubles, with 22 points and 16 assists for the former and 20 points and 13 points for the latter.

Atlanta faces the same opponent at home on Saturday evening.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...pacers-nba-final-score-trae-young-video-stats

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks fueled by bench production in win over Pacers

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

A big night for the bench, led by Georges Niang, guides the Hawks to victory

The Atlanta Hawks won the first game of their double-header against the Indiana Pacers behind a strong fourth quarter to take a 124-118 victory at State Farm Arena on Thursday night. Trae Young led the way with 22 points and 16 assists, while Georges Niang scored a team-high 24 points. For the Pacers, Paskal Siakam scored 34 points, and Aaron Nesmith added 21 points.

The Pacers are set for a top-6 seed in the East, which would normally have made them favorites in this spot despite being on the road, however Tyrese Haliburton was forced to miss this game due to injury. With his absence, the Hawks were considered marginal favorites, echoing a sentiment that this would indeed be a close game.

In the first quarter, it didn’t look as though this may be the case as the Pacers opened up a double-digit lead behind a 31-21 first quarter. The Hawks made a comeback in the second quarter to take a lead, but an 11-0 run towards the end of the second quarter allowed the Pacers to re-establish superiority in this game and into halftime. Again, the Hawks were able to overcome this deficit to re-take the lead in the third quarter before another 11-0 Pacers run restored their double-digit lead.

The Pacers began the final quarter with an eight-point lead but the Hawks, once again, battled back. After a missed shot from T.J. McConnell, the Hawks took a timeout with 6:23 remaining in the quarter trailing 100-98. The crucial stage of this game unfolded following this timeout, as the Hawks’ second unit rallied to take a decisive lead with Young on the bench.

Out of the timeout, Caris LeVert drives, collapses the defense, and when his dribble is halted, he turns around and finds Zaccharie Risacher for a three-pointer to take the lead:

LeVert did well here to draw so much attention in the paint, leaving Risacher a generous look for three.

After two made free throws for Myles Turner after an Onyeka Okongwu foul, the Hawks are quick into action, with Dyson Daniels finding Niang for a quick reply three:

From a free throw, this is poor from the Pacers to allow an easy three like this; Niang will happily walk into an opportunity like this all day.

Following an open miss from Andrew Nembhard, LeVert again completely collapses the Indiana defense and kicks the ball out to Niang for another three-pointer:

Brilliant work from LeVert to draw four Indiana defenders, and by the time he was ready to kick out to the perimeter he could have chosen either Risacher or Niang in the end. The Pacers call for timeout at this point, now down five points having entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead. Young would return after this timeout and help keep the Pacers at bay for the remainder of the game as the sides exchanged baskets.

The Hawks outscored the Pacers 38-24 in the final period, shooting 66% and 50% from three to go along with 10 assists. The Pacers, meanwhile, shot 2-of-10 from three in the final frame.

“We kept moving the ball, we kept moving fast, we got some stops,” said Young. “[Siakam] hit a lot of tough shots, you’ve got to give them credit. We kept playing, didn’t stop fighting and played a full 48 minutes.”

The Hawks’ offensive efficiency shot up from 47% in the first half to 60.5% in the second half, with Hawks head coach Quin Snyder offering an explanation as to the progress the Hawks made in the second half, believing the Hawks got their eyes out and created better shots for themselves.

“I didn’t think we started the game with the level of aggression that we needed to have,” said Snyder postgame. “Not that we weren’t competing but there’s another level, particularly as physical as they were in their starting lineup. As the game progressed, we got better defensively. Earlier in the game we were in the lane, and we were taking some really tough shots. Some you’d make but if we had our eyes out and got better shots, and when that happens it’s really hard to get matched up. [...] In the second half, there’s one play in particular where Caris got into the lane and kept his feet and found Georges. Plays like that, not only do we get a better shot but it’s easier for us to defend; I thought that was really important.”

Snyder was asked specifically about the fourth quarter stretch where the Hawks took the lead with Young resting on the bench and cited the play of Dyson Daniels as key, praising the Australian.

“Dyson’s aggressiveness and confidence are just really good, I have so much confidence in him,” praised Snyder. “He was one of the main guys whose decision making [was good] in the second half when he did get in the paint. He had a shot and there were times where he kicked it out. We had some really good offensive possessions during that stretch, and Trae gets to come back in with a breather.”

Daniels’ work with the ball and off the dribble — and his overall offensive growth — has been one of the more enjoyable aspects of the Hawks this season. He’s gotten better at getting to the rim, his floater has improved, his playmaking has progressed — this is all added to his defense, he’s been fantastic.

Daniels shot 8-of-12 from the field and the Pacers did not have an answer for him inside the paint.

His off-ball movement created problems for the Pacers, and he cuts on this play and finishes with his off-hand at the rim:

Next, Daniels jinks to his left to offset his man before cutting into the lane, receiving the ball and dunks all alone at the rim:

In the second half, Daniels catches his man napping, cuts into the paint, and when he receives the ball, he hits the quick turnaround floater:

Dainels’ floater last night was excellent; basically any time he went to it, he hit it.

On the drive from above the break, Daniels drives, spins and hits the runner in the lane:

Handling the ball on this possession, Daniels utilized the Okongwu slip to get downhill, and with the defense back-pedaling he goes to his floater and connects:

On the handoff from Niang, Daniels gets into the lane and again gets to his floater and hits:

Defended by McConnell out front, and with the defense deeply rooted in the paint, Daniels has room to manipulate McConnell, and he gets into the paint and hits his floater again:

Daniels’ contributions offensively were greatly impactful, as were those of Georges Niang. Niang scores a team-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and 4-of-8 from three-point range.

Niang combined outside shooting with inside prowess, using his threat from the outside to open opportunities for himself inside the arc, whilst benefitting from the drive-and-kick opportunities his teammates created for him. In addition to this, Niang has been studying film and is selecting higher quality shots, rather than hunting shots for the sake of shots.

“I think over the course of the last couple of games I’ve been able to watch film with a couple of coaches I work with — Ryan Schmidt — and just deferring to taking good threes rather than ones you can just get off,” said Niang. “It allowed me to read closeouts better and get into the lane. I think all of us started getting into the lane. Dyson did a phenomenal job, Trae, Caris, Terance. Once we did that, it was really breaking their defense and allowing us to stay in the game.”

Niang scored 12 of his 24 points in the final quarter, and he was particularly key in that stretch where Young rested. He wasn’t the only trade-deadline acquisition who played well last night — they all had their moments. Caris LeVert may have only shot 4-of-11 from the field and 0-of-4 from three, but he was impactful in the second quarter and his ability to get into the lane and find his teammates was important, as Snyder alluded to. Terance Mann, meanwhile, scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in an efficient performance.

All three contributed in their own manner and were part of a huge bench scoring effort, one which the Hawks won 50-22. When asked about their performances, Young discussed their growing chemistry.

“You definitely see the moments and feel the connectivity on the court with each other when we play,” said Young. “It’s not going to be perfect right now, luckily, we have some games to go to find a rhythm with each other and string some wins in a row together. We’ve been playing pretty well with each and starting to really find a rhythm, especially Caris, Georges and even Terance, the way he was knocking down shots tonight was big for us. We’ve got a long ways to go, but we’re right there.”

In the grand scheme of things, without Jalen Johnson, it’s probably fair to say this Atlanta Hawks’ season has a limit on what can be achieved. However, what can still be done right now is what Young alluded to: those three additions can get acclimated with how the Hawks and Young play and the Hawks can get accustomed to what situations and lineups LeVert, Niang, and Mann operate best in. From this perspective, this can still be a productive season for the Hawks as it lays the groundwork for next season when the Hawks return to full-strength.

Young, of course, was very strong too — 22 points on 7-of-17 shooting but most impressively 16 assists while committing just one turnover is an excellent night’s work from the All-Star guard.

For the game itself, the Hawks played really well here. Obviously not having Haliburton in the equation limits the Pacers’ ceiling but Siakam — who Young praised often postgame — was extremely proficient from the field scoring 35 points on 12-of-18 from the field.

The Pacers, still a playoff team, offered stiff opposition and opened this game out to double-digit on multiple occasions. Each time, the Hawks were able to find a response to close the gap and take a small lead before the Pacers would re-take the lead. For the Hawks to rally as they did with that unit in the fourth quarter with Young on the bench was very impressive.

32 assists with just eight turnovers on the game on 50% shooting from the field, 74 points in the paint (far outscoring Indiana’s 46), in addition to 17 second chance points — just a very productive night’s work from the Atlanta Hawks. However, it may not be as easy in the rematch on Saturday and the Hawks know it.

“They’re a really good team and playing without Tyrese who has been on a tear,” said Snyder. “Good for us to get this one, we know we have our work cut out for us the day after tomorrow.”

---

The Hawks (29-34) are back in action on Saturday when they will take on the Pacers (35-26) back in State Farm Arena.

Until next time!

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...s-breakdown-video-analysis-stats-quotes-notes

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Pacers at Hawks: start time, TV, streaming, radio, game thread

Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Doubleheader.

The Atlanta Hawks (28-34) look to reverse fortunes against an opponent they’ve recently struggled against, the Indiana Pacers (35-25).

Please join in the comments below as you follow along.

Where, When, and How to Watch and Listen​

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Start Time: 7:30 EST PM

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Southeast (FDSNSE)

Radio: Sports Radio 92.9 the Game (WZGC-FM), SiriusXM

Streaming: FanDuel Sports Network app, Fubo, NBA League Pass (out of market), Youtube TV (NBA League Pass out of market)

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...wks-start-time-tv-streaming-radio-game-thread

 

[Atlanta Hawks]

Hawks execute down the stretch to defeat Pacers, 120-118

Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images

A win aided by a Siakam mental lapse.

The Atlanta Hawks were in action on Saturday evening to take on the Indiana Pacers. The two teams just saw each other two days ago, and the Hawks were able to get the win then, 124-118. The Pacers were without Tyrese Haliburton in that game, and he was out once again for the second matchup as well.

The Hawks got off to a fast start as they led by as much as 10 points early in the quarter, and it was mostly thanks to Trae Young who had 11 points in four minutes.

Trae is LOCKED IN

11 points in 4 minutes pic.twitter.com/L6wKK8I3Bo

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

Caris LeVert came into the game and immediately made an impact on the game, knocking down a few three-pointers and increasing the Hawks' lead.

C3 for 3 pic.twitter.com/ZdR8lJyIRR

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

Things just kept getting better for the Hawks throughout the quarter, and they led the Pacers by as much as 18 points. Young did a lot of scoring, but he was able to find his teammates for open looks, including this one to LeVert.

Just the usual Trae no-look pinpoint pass pic.twitter.com/Y3QgAOH5Vo

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

Going into the second quarter, the Hawks led the Pacers 39-19. They kept it rolling, even despite a small run from the Pacers to cut down their deficit. Young continued his strong game and pulled a three-pointer from deep.

Trae from Tri-Cities pic.twitter.com/jDy8zX8Zd8

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

Georges Niang found Onyeka Okongwu for this easy shot in the paint.

Pretty ball movement for an O bucket pic.twitter.com/RlneMdjQP5

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

LeVert knocked down this three to extend the Hawks' lead and pushed his score total to 13 points. The Hawks executed well down the stretch and going into halftime, they led the Pacers 69-52.

The Hawks took their foot off the gas a little to start the third, and the Pacers were able to cut their deficit down to ten points after a few threes. The defensive intensity increased for the Hawks, and Mouhamed Gueye got a huge block.

Mo swatted this into the 3rd row pic.twitter.com/jTN0MQSb9c

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

The Hawks kept their double-digit lead intact through the quarter, and Zaccharie Risacher threw down this one-handed dunk in transition.

Throw it down Zacch pic.twitter.com/qt83TpUxm5

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

LeVert found Clint Capela for this lob down the stretch of the third.

CL lobs to CC!! pic.twitter.com/gyMFgthbfO

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

Many Hawks fans held their breath late in the third as Young went down and headed to the locker room with his status in question. The Hawks were still able to maintain without him and went into the fourth quarter leading 95-88.

A sigh of relief was let out when Young returned in the fourth, but the Pacers were already on a run to cut their deficit down even more. The Pacers ended up taking the lead at one point, and from there, it was a back-and-forth game.

Young continued his big night with this layup to tie the game.

Ice to the rack for the tie! pic.twitter.com/UJflLdMAHd

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

The Hawks got on the later in the fourth, and Young pulled up for a fake three-pointer that turned into a lob to LeVert to give the Hawks a four-point lead.

RUNNING pic.twitter.com/xqHRZh9j3D

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

The Hawks continued to execute down the stretch, with Young finding Okongwu for this easy layup.

Clutch give and go with Trae and Big O!! pic.twitter.com/80nALh0Wg3

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 9, 2025​

Coming down to the final seconds, the Hawks had a 117-116 lead with the Pacers having a chance to take the lead with 17.4 remaining. The Pacers missed the shot, and Okongwu was able to get the rebound with 11.4 seconds left. Young was fouled and went to the free throw line, knocking down both and putting the Hawks up three.

They played the free throw game from there, and the Hawks walked away with the win.

Young finished with 36 points, LeVert finished with 26 points, and Okongwu finished with 16 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.

The Hawks will be back in action on Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Source: https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025...nba-recap-final-score-trae-young-caris-levert