Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reacts after missing a 3-point basket during the second half of a semifinal game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Cup basketball tournament Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
LAS VEGAS — The chances were there for the Hawks to continue their unanticipated run in the NBA Cup and make Tuesday night’s final.
Just 12 strong minutes were what Atlanta needed.
But that’s when the Hawks’ offense abandoned itself, scoring only 19 points in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 110-102 semifinal loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
READ: Bucks top Hawks, earn spot in NBA Cup title game
The Hawks were not only outscored by nine points in the fourth quarter, but they made just 5 of 16 shots and missed six of their final seven attempts.
“I know there were a few that were really good shots and we had to work for them,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “That said, I think we know whatever that is — it could be on the margins — there are certain things that we need to do better.
“But I think for us (just) to put ourselves in that situation, given we didn’t really make shots during the course of the game, either. I think the storyline for me is just how we competed.”
The Hawks made it to Las Vegas by going 3-1 in group play — including a 117-116 victory over reigning champion Boston — and then winning at New York 108-100 in a quarterfinal on Wednesday.
After finishing off the Knicks, Trae Young pretended to roll dice on the Madison Square Garden midcourt.
There would be no such celebration in the nation’s gambling capital, even with a sizeable Hawks crowd behind them.
But that doesn’t mean the Hawks didn’t take a lot from the experience as they try to show the Eastern Conference doesn’t just belong to the Celtics, Knicks and the 22-4 Cavaliers — a team Atlanta also defeated in group play.
READ: Trae Young, Hawks charge past Knicks, into NBA Cup semifinal
“I think what we have done in this Cup was really, really special,” said Young, who came close to his fourth career triple-double with 35 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. “I think we’ve really found the way we want to play and figured out the tempo we want to play at and things like that.”
“I feel like this Cup was really good for us. For a young team to go as far as we did, we can really use this as hopefully momentum going into the rest of the season.”
But Young lamented the missed opportunities in the fourth quarter that could have made the NBA Cup even more meaningful.
“We showed throughout this whole Cup that we belong,” said Jalen Johnson, who totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds. “We can compete with the best of them. Unfortunately, today we came up short. It’s just going to give us a lot to learn from moving forward. Especially down the stretch in those last five, six minutes, I’ve definitely got to be better.
“Just as a team, we’ve got a lot of room to grow, but I’m proud of everybody. We defeated a lot of odds coming in, making it all the way to Vegas. There’s nothing to hang our heads about. We’ve just got to keep moving in the right direction.”