Hawks overpowered by Nuggets in 128-108 loss

Feb 5, 2023 - 4:17 AM

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The Atlanta Hawks were on the road on Saturday evening to complete the back-to-back vs. the Denver Nuggets. The Hawks were unable to pick up the win in this one as Denver controlled the contest from start to finish, picking up the 128-108 win behind huge games from their star players.

Atlanta was without Trae Young in this one, but their defense let them down as much as anything. The Hawks gave up 70 points in the first half as Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic were dominating the game for Denver. Meanwhile, Atlanta was not quite clicking on offense and things began to get out of hand towards the end of the first half.

The Nuggets led 70-52 at the half behind 22 points from Murray while Jokic was well on his way to another triple-double with eight points, six assists and 11 rebounds in the first two quarters of play. De’Andre Hunter continued his strong play in the first half, leading the Hawks with 13 points at the break.

Dejounte Murray did his best to pull the Hawks back into the game in the third quarter, with 15 points and four assists in the period alone. Atlanta trimmed the score back to single digits a few times in the second half, but Jokic and J. Murray came up with answers anytime the Hawks inched close.

Jamal Murray finished with 41 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the win while Jokic had 14 points, ten assists and 18 rebounds. Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 28 points and 10 assists, while Hunter finished with 20 points.

Atlanta will finish their five-game western road trip with a battle vs. the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday evening. The Hawks are 2-2 on the trip, with a chance at a winning record on the tough trip if they can pick up a win on Tuesday.

Stay tuned.