The Atlanta Hawks kept their playoff hopes alive in making the 2022 National Basketball Association postseason on Wednesday following a 132-103 clobbering over the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hawks’ thrashing was due in large part to the play of their star point guard, Trae Young of Lubbock, Texas, who had a double-double as he posted 24 points and 11 assists. Young was actually one of two Hawks with a double-double. Center Clint Capela of Geneva, Switzerland had 17 rebounds and 15 points. Three more Hawks reached double figures in points as Danilo Gallinari had 18 points, while Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter had 13 points each.
The major reason why the Hawks got by the Hornets was because of their third quarter play. In these 12 minutes, the Hawks outscored the Hornets 42-24. An eight-point Atlanta halftime lead over Charlotte suddenly rose to 26 points heading int the game’s final quarter.
Atlanta now has to travel to Cleveland for a spot in the NBA playoffs. The Cavaliers are a team on the rise, and now they can prove they can win without LeBron. However, one must also realize that Cleveland was not playing their best basketball down the stretch. In their last 11 games, the Cavaliers have only won three games, and even lost to the Orlando Magic, the second worst team in the NBA this season, by a score of 120-115 on April 5.
The Hawks will be able to generate confidence from a 131-107 win over the Cavaliers on March 31. In this contest, Young had 30 points, while Onyeka Okongwu and Capela each had double-doubles.
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