It’s somewhat possible that this game could have been different if Steph Curry was playing. However, the Hawks dominated almost every facet of this game in such a way that suggests there’s very little the Warriors could have done to avoid this result tonight.

Atlanta struggled to start, but they made it clear that they were of a different caliber tonight from the second quarter onwards. Practically every member of the lineup chipped in for this win that showed the vast difference in depth between Golden State and Atlanta. Jalen Johnson was scratched late for the lineup due to shoulder inflammation, but it didn’t make much of a difference. Surprisingly, Dyson Daniels led the way for Atlanta tonight by tying a career-high 28 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. He wasn’t the only Hawks player to stuff the stat sheet tonight.

Mo Gueye took full advantage of his rare opportunity to be a starter with 16 points and nine rebounds while going 4-4 from deep. CJ McCollum turned back the clock and scored 23 points on a blistering 10-16 from the field to make up for a quiet night from Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks got a staggering 36 points from their bench tonight and although the Warriors got 37 from Pat Spencer and Nate Williams alone, the diference in caliber of teams was evident. Buddy Hield punctuating the victory with a dunk was incredibly fitting, putting a nice exclamation mark on a blowout win that sets the Hawks up for a clash with the Grizzlies on Monday night.

Dyson From Deep

Dyson Daniels didn’t get a $100 million dollar contract because of his prowess as a scorer. However, he did an excellent job of making the absence of Jalen Johnson feel less significant in the first half. Daniels was aggressive inside the paint, went 2-4 from deep and played a huge role in Atlanta’s 19-9 run to erase the Warriors lead and get the Hawks back towards holding a 63-61 lead at halftime. He scored 19 points and dished out five assists in the first half alone.

When he’s running the offense, Daniels thrives on his drive-and-kick game and he was able to find open shooters more often than not. His floater also looked solid tonight, he put Omar Yurtseven into the blender and there wasn’t really anyone on Golden State who could really stay with him tonight. A more aggressive version of Daniels could be massive for the Hawks’ chances of being a postseason threat.

McCollum In Motion

The trade that sent Trae Young to Washington was viewed as a pure salary dump at the time, but there’s no question that this team would be noticeably worse without CJ McCollum. Tonight was an excellent display of why labeling him as a sharpshooter is so reductive to what he does. He still has enough athletic juice to get downhill against weaker defenders and he showed it off tonight.

McCollum absolutely dominated Nate Williams and Draymond on several occasions, driving aggressively to the rim and scoring 21 points on only 12 shots by the end of the third quarter. He scored 13 points in the third quarter alone, which is a testament to what he can do as a scorer when he gets going. Despite his size, CJ has also been surprisingly additive on defense due to how much he competes on that end. He fights over screens, usually makes the right rotation and does his best considering his age.

Questionable Night For Quin

The Hawks shot 50% from deep in the first half because Zaccharie Risacher, Mo Gueye and Dyson Daniels had uncharacteristically good nights. They combined for eight three-pointers in the first half alone, which gave the offense a shot in the arm that made a massive difference early. However, it didn’t entirely mask the fact that Quin Snyder’s defensive rotations made little sense. The trio of Jock Landale, Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum might be good for getting back into the game on offense at times, but this team can’t expect to have a good defense with those three on the floor and they got worked accordingly. In 121 minutes, that three-man lineup has a net rating of -9.4 on the season.

He didn’t play the lineup heavy minutes when the game was still close, but continuing to go back to a bad combination has unflattering shades of the infamous Keaton Wallace – Vit Krejci – Luke Kennard lineup from earlier in the season. Mo Gueye’s strong performance tonight also raises questions as to why he can’t get an increase in playing time, especially given how poorly Onyeka Okongwu has been shooting as of late. It might be a good time to consider more of a two-big approach considering the rave results tonight.

The Hawks won this game because their players communicate constantly, consistently attacked the rim and continue to look for the extra pass in order to set up high-quality shots. Part of that is certainly due to Snyder’s coaching, but the Hawks’ talent and the Warriors’ mishaps bailed him out of a poor decision tonight.

Mo-Mentous Occasion

Sixteen points, nine rebounds and a chant of his name in the stands. All in all, it’s hard to envision this night going any better for Mo Gueye after his playing time has been surprisingly muted this season. He finished as a +22 and looked like a complete mismatch against a Warriors team that can’t protect the rim or establish any sort of presence in the paint. Atlanta absolutely dominated Golden State in the paint by a 64-44 margin and the double-big lineup with Gueye/Okongwu was part of the reason why.

He certainly has his miscues on both ends, but there’s really no reason that Gueye shouldn’t be getting increased playing time moving forward. Onyeka Okongwu has hit a rough cold stretch and Mo’s energy on both ends of the court clearly makes a difference. He won’t shoot 4-4 from deep every night, but the Hawks could use more size in the paint if this Johnson injury lingers at all. It’s also a good idea to give him more minutes and ease up on Johnson’s workload in non-critical games.

Tremendous In The Third

The Hawks really struggled in the first quarter and lost some energy in the early part of the second, but they won this game because of what they did in the third quarter. They turned a slim two-point lead into a 15-0 run that was boosted by four Warriors turnovers and two massive threes from Gueye and NAW.

It’s fair to consider that Golden State is dealing with a ton of injuries tonight, but it’s nevertheless surprising that the Hawks took advantage of the Warriors’ mishaps in such a dominant way. They’re just 18th in net rating during the third quarter on the season. However, they are 11th in defensive rating, which does match the eye test of how often they turned the Warriors over tonight.

Atlanta undoubtedly got punked and out-hustled against the Rockets in their last game, but this win gets them back on track and they have a pretty soft matchup against the Grizzlies. They kept position in a tight race for the No. 6 seed in the East and there’s no reason that they can’t continue pushing forward if they play off each other like they did tonight.