The Atlanta Hawks battled the Milwaukee Bucks all the way to the final whistle in yesterday’s NBA Cup semifinal, but they came up just short in the 108-100 loss and now their run in the NBA Cup is over. Atlanta will go back to the regular season and hope to continue their climb in the Eastern Conference Standings. Despite the loss, there is plenty to like from what the Hawks showed.

While it is not 100% a playoff atmosphere, the NBA Cup is as close as you are going to get to playoff-type games in the regular season. Why is that important? Because this group has not played in those kinds of games yet together. That is one takeaway from their NBA Cup run, but what are some others?

1. Trae Young still shows up in big games

Young has not been very efficient this season in terms of shooting, but he leads the league in assists and has been effective in other ways. The bigger the game though, the better Young played and that has to be comforting for the Hawks to know that he can still do things like that. Young has had plenty of big game moments before in the playoffs, including the 2021 run to the Eastern Conference and the game winning shot in Boston in 2023. Again, NBA Cup games are not playoff games, but they are as close as you are going to get in the regular season. Young was awesome against the Knicks on Wednesday and awesome against Milwaukee yesterday, showing he can still step up in the biggest of games.

2. Atlanta can win with its defense

The Hawks defense has been much better this season and it was the main reason they won several games in the NBA Cup. Despite the loss yesterday, Atlanta held Milwaukee to 108 points and in the previous game vs the Knicks, they held them to 100 points. While the offense is still figuring things out, it is nice to know that Atlanta can lean on its defense while they do that.

3. The Hawks have three-point shooting problems

This was one of the concerns with the Hawks coming into the season and even in their wins, the shooting woes from three-point range showed. The Hawks have been able to shoot well at the rim and on other shots, but Milwaukee was able to take that part of their game away yesterday and when you combine that with poor three-point shooting, you get a loss. The Hawks are 24th in the NBA in three-point percentage after yesterday’s game.

4. The bench remains one of the NBA’s best

Atlanta has one of the best three man bench units in the league with De’Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Onyeka Okongwu. While finding that 9th guy has been a bit of a challenge, Atlanta has been able to beat teams with the trio of Hunter, Bogdanovic, and Okongwu and having that kind of depth is going to be crucial for Atlanta later this season.

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RECAP: Atlanta’s NBA Cup Run Ends in 110-102 Semifinals Loss to Milwaukee

Well the A’s are apparently now deciding to try and win at the major league level, as they have given out a franchise record contract this offseason to Luis Severino and now traded significant capital for Jeffrey Springs. It’s a bit perplexing to me, as they do have a respectable farm system at this point, but it isn’t exactly loaded and a .500 second half to the 2024 season is far from enough to convince me that they are anywhere close to competing. Furthermore, they will be playing in Sacramento for the time being, which is a temporary solution, so I don’t see a particular rush to try and build excitement for the team in a new city. Perhaps the strategy is to enter their final destination (presumably Las Vegas) as an already contending team to maximize interest. I’m also not convinced that either of these deals make much sense just on a value for cost perspective, but I suppose that is to be determined.

Braves News

Spencer Schwellenbach was awarded a nice little bonus out of the pre-arbitration bonus pool on the basis of his quality performance this season.

Demetrius reviewed Travis d’Arnaud’s 2024, likely his last season the a Braves uniform, after a valuable stint for the franchise.

MLB News

Ken Rosenthal wrote up a bunch of rumors for The Athletic, including Luis Castillo trade talk and the A’s continuing to be aggressive in improving their major league team.

The A’s traded significant prospect assets to the Rays for Jeffrey Springs and his 3 years of team control.

The Astros are reportedly a serious suitor to trade for Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals.

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A special moment took place at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Saturday afternoon.

A 12-year-old girl from Gaza named Habiba landed in the United States for the first time.

Through a translator, the girl shared her excitement.

“I’m very happy to be here and I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,” Habiba said.

Habiba — accompanied by her aunt Heyam — was flown out to Atlanta by HEAL Palestine. The nonprofit organization provides medical assistance to Palestinian children.

Habiba is the first child from Gaza to be brought to Atlanta through this initiative.

HEAL Palestine helped arrange their travel and funded a cranioplasty surgery for the refugee.

“I hope that I will recover well and that I will heal after,” Habiba said.

On January 3, 2024, an Israeli airstrike bombed Habiba’s family’s tent.

This attack killed her mother, three sisters, uncle and cousins.

Habiba, initially presumed dead, was miraculously found alive the next day. She was severely injured with burns, along with abdominal and cranial wounds.

Tamara Quadri is a volunteer with HEAL Palestine who was at the airport on Saturday.

“Her injury was grave and they’ve experienced a lot of trauma over there,” she said.

For Quadri and others who greeted the girl at the airport, Habiba’s mindset and attitude was inspiring.

“In many ways, she’ll heal us because of her strength and resilience,” she said. “It’s infectious.”

Heyam, Habiba’s aunt, expressed relief that they had finally arrived in Atlanta after a difficult year.

“It was a miracle and felt like a difficult dream that came true,” she said.

Habiba will have a medical assessment on Monday to determine a timeline for her surgery and recovery.

Once her treatment is complete, she and Heyam will decide whether to return to Egypt — where they’ve been living as refugees — or extend their stay in Atlanta.

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