Hawks clawed past 76ers in a nail-biter, fueled by surprising offensive sparks and dominant rebounding despite early injury scares.
Following a brutal loss in Detroit, the Atlanta Hawks returned home Sunday night to take on the Philadelphia 76ers, where they won 120-117.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker re-aggravated his ankle on the first possession of the game, resulting in Quin Snyder calling a timeout just 30 seconds in.
He remained in the game, however, and drained a triple immediately upon getting back on the floor.
He wasn't alone, as Atlanta started the night 3/3 from beyond the arc. Dyson Daniels, who has been struggling mightily from deep this season, was among the Hawks contributing from long range.
As the game progressed, the Hawks began to cool down. They needed an offensive spark from someone off the bench and they got it.
Midway through the quarter, Vit Krejci saw his first action of the night and didn't look back. He led the Hawks in scoring for the quarter with 11 points on 3/3 from beyond the arc.
Atlanta had control of the game through the first 12 minutes. At the end of the quarter, the Hawks led 39-29 while shooting 62% from deep.
Philadelphia got back on track to begin the second quarter. Six minutes in, they had outscored Atlanta 16-7 and cut the lead to just one.
Rookie Asa Newell got extended run in the second frame and he looked the part. While he didn't put up eye-opening numbers, he looked as good as he's looked all season on the defensive end.
Atlanta's frontcourt dominance in the half wasn't just from Newell's underrated play, however, as Onyeka Okongwu put up an absolute masterclass on the boards.
Along with his eight points, Okongwu recorded 11 rebounds, making his paint presence known.
Before the end of the half, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid committed a flagrant foul on Okongwu under the rim, which Jalen Johnson did not take lightly.
The Hawks led 59-55 at halftime. Vit Krejci led the way with 16 points on 5/6 from the field.
After another mediocre first half performance, Zaccharie Risacher flipped the script at the start of the third quarter. Within the first few minutes of the half, he knocked down a pair of triples, extending Atlanta's lead to eight.
Dyson Daniels spent most of the quarter attacking the basket, where he was able to score at an effective rate. He scored eight straight for the Hawks, getting into a real offensive rhythm and adding to his team's lead.
When Asa Newell got some late-quarter action, he once again made the most of it. His two baskets helped Atlanta maintain their lead heading into the final frame.
To start the fourth, Onyeka Okongwu drained his fourth three of the night, putting him at 17 points.
Atlanta continued to score at their desired pace, getting steady contributions from everyone in the lineup.
Risacher continued his second-half turnaround, adding on to what had been an incredible overall display of outside shooting from the team.
With five minutes to go, Risacher was up to 16 points on a perfect 4/4 from three in the second half.
Philadelphia would simply not go down without a fight. Paul George was carrying the offensive load and looking like a prime version of himself.
Some incredible late-game defense from the Hawks resulted in two huge Philadelphia misses with just seconds left.
Dyson Daniels finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Onyeka Okongwu recorded 20 points and 15 rebounds.
Paul George finished with an efficient 35 points but was unable to get it done late.
Up next: the Hawks travel to Charlotte Thursday to take on the Hornets.