Hawks top Warriors for third straight win, 117-111

For the first time in more than two weeks, the Atlanta Hawks took the floor at State Farm Arena on Sunday evening. The Hawks finished up an eight-game road trip with back-to-back wins, returning home on a high note, and they encountered the Golden State Warriors in a rematch from just nine days ago in San Francisco. While it wasn’t always aesthetically pleasing, the Hawks generated a third consecutive win, outlasting the Warriors by a final margin of 117-111.

It was an uneven start on both sides, with the Warriors playing sloppily and the Hawks shooting just 5-of-13 from the floor before the first timeout. Atlanta took a small lead, though, based in part on activity on the offensive glass.

The Hawks shot only 36 percent in the first quarter but, after a pair of late three-pointers from Tony Snell and Lou Williams, Atlanta managed to finish the opening period in a 24-24 tie. Then, the home team received a jolt from Kevin Huerter to begin the second quarter, as the third-year wing scored the first four points in a 7-0 run, including a memorable dunk.

The Hawks led by as many as eight points, but the Warriors had two separate runs to chip away at the margin. In fact, Golden State’s final push of 10-4 came at the end of the half and, when it was over, the Warriors led 59-57.

Atlanta got off to a better start in the second half, highlighted by Bogdan Bogdanovic knocking down a pair of three-pointers. After the Warriors threw a counterpunch, Trae Young found Capela in transition to tie the game at 67-67.

Overall, it was a slog of a quarter, with neither team able to pull away. Stephen Curry connected on a late three-pointer for the Warriors, though, putting the Hawks in a three-point hole after 36 minutes.

However, Curry went to the bench to open the fourth quarter, and that opened the door for Atlanta. Lou Williams took advantage, scoring eight points in fewer than 90 seconds to put the Hawks back in front.

The Warriors threatened on a couple of occasions, cutting the margin to as few as two points, but the always automatic Tony Snell had other ideas.

Finally, the Hawks effectively put it away when Capela beat the shot block buzzer in the final minute.

Golden State continued to push in the closing seconds but, eventually, the Hawks completed a six-point victory and did so while relying on supporting veterans. Danilo Gallinari was fantastic, scoring 25 points (including 13-of-15 from the free throw line) and grabbing 10 rebounds. Williams added 15 points in reserve duty, and Capela finished the night with 24 points and 18 rebounds.

As a team, the Hawks did a ton of damage at the free throw line, setting a new season high with 45 attempts and adding 35 points at the charity stripe. That allowed Atlanta to overcome a pedestrian shooting night — as well as just 19 assists — to pick up a victory.

After a day off on Monday, the Hawks face a home back-to-back set against the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Stay tuned.