Atlanta Hawks Game Preview: Dec. 26 Minnesota Timberwolves
The Atlanta Hawks hit the road to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. Can they avenge last week’s disappointing loss?
It was the day after Christmas, and all through the house, plenty of creatures were stirring, especially the Atlanta Hawks. I don’t know where I was going with this. I couldn’t write a poem if my life depended on it. Let’s talk about basketball.
Three days after a thrilling comeback win against the Denver Nuggets, the Atlanta Hawks return to action tonight to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. These teams faced off recently, with the Timberwolves taking a 92-84 victory on Dec. 21 in Atlanta.
That game saw the Wolves deploy a simple offensive strategy. The strategy being to run their offense through Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and launch as many three-pointers as possible. It wasn’t pretty, but it got them the victory.
Wiggins led the way that night, scoring 19 points. Towns traded blows with Paul Millsap all game, finishing with 17 points and 18 rebounds. It was a very good performance, but he had to work for every point.
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As a team, the Timberwolves shot 9-for-29 from three-point range, only 31 percent, but both Zach LaVine and Ricky Rubio had outstanding shooting nights. They combined for six made three-pointers on 6-for-10 shooting. LaVine scored 18 points, 12 of them coming from beyond the arc. Bombs away, baby!
The Hawks had a difficult night offensively. They shot 41.5 percent from the field and just 26.9 percent from three-point range (7-for-26). Dennis Schroder was the best Hawk on this night, scoring 21 points and handing out seven assists on 10-for-21 shooting. It was a game where his jumper proved to be ineffective, he shot 1-for-7 from outside, but he still found a way to be productive.
Paul Millsap recorded a double-double, putting up 18 points and 10 rebounds. On defense, he did his best to contain Towns, and did a fine job. You can never hope to stop Towns completely, but Millsap slowed him down as best he could.
Mike Muscala turned in an exceptional performance, scoring 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Muscala entered the game early in the first quarter, after Atlanta’s small-ball lineup had trouble dealing with Minnesota’s sizable front-court. His performance sparked a comeback, and kept the Hawks in the game.
The Timberwolves took advantage of Dwight Howard‘s absence that night (he missed the game due to back tightness). They dominated the rebounding battle, 52 to 35. 15 of those were offensive rebounds, leading to extra possessions for Minnesota. In the end, the Timberwolves did just enough to win a fairly ugly contest.
How will things shake out this time? The Hawks have been off for two days, while Minnesota played yesterday. They lost 112-100 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a Christmas Day showdown, with all of the pomp and circumstance that brings. It wouldn’t be surprising for them to be tired, or suffer some sort of an emotional letdown after playing in such a meaningful game.
If the Hawks get off to a good start they could put this game away early. If they let Minnesota hang around it could be another game that goes down to the wire.
Still, it looks as though Atlanta will be shorthanded again. Dwight Howard and Tim Hardaway Jr. are currently slated to miss the game. Howard is still dealing with back tightness, while Hardaway is recovering from a right groin injury. There’s a chance their status could be updated before game-time.
Budenholzer has tried a few different things to deal with Howard’s absence. Against Minnesota, he started a small-ball lineup featuring Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, Kyle Korver, Thabo Sefolosha, and Paul Millsap. Once that lineup struggled, he played Mike Muscala as the primary center.
Against Denver, he started Kris Humphries at center. If Howard is out, I legitimately have no idea what Budenholzer will do. We know he has options, but what option does he trust the most? After last week’s beat-down on the glass, I’d expect to see Humphries get the start.
Was last week’s improbable win over the Denver Nuggets the type of season-changing win this team has been looking for? We’ll find out tonight. This is a game that the Hawks should absolutely win.
After tonight they’ll return to Atlanta for three games at Phillips Arena. Can the banged up Hawks end this road trip with a victory?
