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Heading into Wednesday's tilt against the Golden State Warriors, the Atlanta Hawks were desperately searching for their first victory of the week in Las Vegas. Fortunately for Darvin Ham and company, the team was able to hold on for dear life (despite a bit of a late collapse) in a 68-65 victory that allows Atlanta to move on in the Summer League tournament.
From an individual standpoint, there wasn't a "standout" effort from anyone, but the usual suspects were productive. Dennis Schröder led the team with 17 points, and while he shot just 5 for 15 from the field, he was more efficient than that would indicate, thanks to 2 for 4 from 3-point distance and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. Schröder was aggressive throughout the day, using his quickness in penetration, and while he did commit four turnovers, his pace was largely measured.
Up front, Mike Muscala and Adreian Payne both reached double-digits. Muscala continued his impressive display on both ends this week with a 14-point, 6-rebound effort, and in addition to his ever-growing variety of offensive maneuvers (quite pleasing to the eye), he was active and helpful defensively near the rim. In the case of Payne, it was nice to see him bounce back from a somewhat subpar game on Tuesday, and the rookie finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals on the day.
On the fringe of the roster, the most impressive players on the day were Trevor Releford and Stephen Holt. Releford emerged off the bench with 14 points in just 18 minutes, and he was certainly not afraid to line up and fire a jump shot when called upon. Holt received the start in place of the injured John Jenkins (who was listed as out simply because of the back-to-back situation), and while he only scored four points on the day, he looked comfortable throughout.
The Hawks, on the strength of this victory, will move on in the tournament, and their next match-up will be against the Portland Trail Blazers at 6:30 pm ET on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on NBA-TV, and while the Hawks had significant issues with Portland on Tuesday, the Blazers will be without Thomas Robinson in that game. Stay tuned.