Going into last night’s contest against the Portland Trail Blazers I expected Al Horford to be the Atlanta Hawks’ big to take advantage of the thin Portland frontline, but it was Paul Millsap that took charge score 27 points on 11-17 shooting.
Hawks’ head coach Mike Budenholzer ran his starting five ragged with all five starters playing at least 33 minutes, but it payed off as the Hawks scored 115 points to hand Portland only their third home loss this season.
How it happened: It was the battle of All-Star bigs with Millsap and LaMarcus Aldridge leading their respective squads in points with Aldridge outscoring the Millsap 30 to 27. Still, Millsap did it in the more efficient manner scoring 27 points on 17 shots, while it took Aldridge 25 shots to reach 30 points.
It’s no secret that Damian Lillard is a below-average defender. We know that. But his brilliance on the offensive end of the floor eases the pain of watching opposing blow by Lillard with ease; like Jeff Teague did in this contest. Teague went 8-16 from the floor scoring 22 points, dished six dimes and grabbed three boards. Like Millsap, Teague was just a bit more efficient and it made the difference on the scoreboard with the Hawks edging the Blazers by eight after the final buzzer sounded.
What it means: The Hawks will remain in first place in the Eastern Conference for another day, at the very least. The Blazers, even without Lopez, had won their previous four games and were an impressive 15-2 at home. The Blazers are clearly contenders in the West when healthy, but the Hawks were just a bit better offensively and defensively in this game. I think that speaks volumes to those citing the Hawks’ easy schedule thus far as sole reason for their early-season success. Beating a team like Portland, in Portland, is something Atlanta can point to as another reason this team is for real. Because if analysts and writers consider this Blazers’ team a contender, like myself, then Atlanta has to have a place at the table now, as well.
Player of the game: Millsap has to get PotG honors with his 27 points to lead the Hawks to a big, big road win in Portlandia. Millsap also tied Kyle Korver with the highest plus/minus in the game at +17.
Stat of the game: Thabo Sefolosha had his best game as a Hawk playing 28 minutes, but what stood out on his stat line was Thabo’s 12 boards in those 28 minutes. Thabo *might* be the best rebounding wing I’ve ever seen.
Next game: Jan. 5 at 10:30 EST vs. Los Angeles Clippers
