NBA: Hawks, without Trae Young, throttle Grizzlies
Bogdan Bogdanovic #13 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots a three-point basket against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at State Farm Arena on February 26, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
Bogdan Bogdanovic broke out of a shooting slump to score a season-high 30 points as the shorthanded Atlanta Hawks cruised to a 120-105 win over the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
Clint Capela and Delon Wright scored 18 points apiece, De’Andre Hunter added 14 and Danilo Gallinari had 11 for Atlanta, which played without star Trae Young (left quad contusion) and John Collins (plantar fascia tear).
Wright started in place of Young and recorded six assists and a season-high five steals. Atlanta led by as many as 23 in the third quarter and won for the fourth time in five games.
Ja Morant returned to the Memphis lineup after missing one game with back soreness and scored 29 points. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 15 points apiece, and Dillon Brooks had 11.
Steven Adams grabbed 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, whose four-game win streak ended. Memphis hit just 8 of 22 (36.4 percent) from 3-point range.
Atlanta led by 19 before Memphis opened the fourth quarter on a 12-4 run to cut the gap to 95-84 with 8:14 remaining.
The Hawks quickly regained control to extend their home winning streak to seven games and complete a two-game season sweep against Memphis.
Bogdanovic, who had shot 30.3 percent from the field in his previous five games, finished 9 of 15 overall and 5 of 6 from beyond the arc against the Grizzlies.
Atlanta jumped to a 17-6 lead and held a 34-27 advantage after shooting 56.5 percent in the first quarter. Wright scored 11 points in the opening period against his former team.
The Hawks used a 20-8 run capped by Hunter’s 3-pointer to extend their lead to 65-44 with 2:13 left in the second quarter.
Hunter and Bogdanovic had 12 points in the first half for Atlanta, which carried a 67-48 lead into the break.
Adams scored with 6:56 left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 73-63 before the Hawks answered with an 18-7 run.
