Onyeka Okongwu on Rough Start Before 29-Point Night: 'I Just Kept Shooting Them'

Onyeka Okongwu missed five of his six shots in the first quarter Thursday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He made 10 of his last 11.

The Atlanta Hawks center finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds in a 114-111 win at State Farm Arena. He went 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 3-of-4 at the free-throw line, and his putback with 28.2 seconds left gave Atlanta a 112-109 lead.

His teammates and coaches want the 3-pointers going up, Okongwu said, and he took six of them.

"I just kept shooting them," Okongwu said. "My teammates, coaches, everyone here, they want me to get them up. That's what I do. And I'm very good at it. So, just being confident, stressing the process, stressing the work, and knowing that even though some games, my threes aren't going down, keep shooting them. [They'll] go down eventually."

Okongwu's only make in the first quarter was a 24-foot 3-pointer off a Luguentz Dort pass with 4:54 left. Jarrett Allen blocked one of his layups. He missed a turnaround hook, a floater, a 3-pointer, and a driving hook, and he finished the period with 3 points and 4 rebounds as Cleveland led 28-16.

In the second quarter, he went 3-of-3 for 8 points. His cutting layup and free throw with 5:14 left started a 13-0 Atlanta run. He tied it 37-37 on a fast-break layup after a CJ McCollum steal, then hit a 26-footer from Jalen Johnson with 1:22 left for a 46-39 lead.

Okongwu opened the second half with a 27-foot 3-pointer from Nickeil Alexander-Walker 27 seconds in. McCollum found him for a 25-footer at 10:02 that made it 57-46.

He went 5-of-6 in the quarter for 14 points, adding a 10-foot hook, a floater with a free throw, and a driving layup. He also blocked a James Harden drive with 4:02 left. Through three quarters, he had 25 points.

Shooting against closeouts has been a big push with Okongwu, Hawks coach Quin Snyder said.

"It's big for us," Snyder said. "I think the biggest thing, and really both he and [Jock], but obviously Onyeka, we need those guys to keep shooting. And sometimes you can be discouraged a little bit by a result, particularly if you're a good shooter and you're used to seeing the ball go in, and it affects other parts of your game. We had a few guys tonight, I thought, that really battled through some of that. I thought Jalen did the same thing. Like how else, if you're not making shots, how else can you contribute to the team?

"And then usually things start to go in," Snyder continued. "That's what happened for JJ, too. Those guys, whether it's crashing the offensive glass or defending, he was terrific tonight. He was terrific in knocking down shots, but I thought he didn't hesitate was the most important thing. We've been, it's been a big push to get him to feel comfortable shooting against closeouts. And when he does that, he also has the ability to put the ball on the floor, so we played through him a lot tonight."

In the fourth quarter, Okongwu scored 4 points and had 3 rebounds. He found Alexander-Walker on a cut for a 110-104 lead with 1:27 left. He also picked up his fourth foul with 43.2 seconds to go, sending Donovan Mitchell to the line for three free throws that made it 110-109.

He finished with 5 offensive rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block in 32:38. Atlanta had 15 offensive rebounds as a team to Cleveland's 9.

Jock Landale played the other 15:22 at center Thursday. He went 2-of-4 from 3-point range and finished with 6 points and 10 rebounds, playing through a nasal fracture the Hawks announced on Oct. 23.

Mouhamed Gueye has not played after fracturing his left foot in a July 8 workout. He had surgery July 14, and the Hawks said at the time he would be re-evaluated in three to four months.

Henri Veesaar, the rookie center the Hawks acquired after he went 52nd overall in June, tore the ACL in his right knee during a Sept. 15 workout. Both were listed out before the season opener and were inactive again Thursday.

Next up for the Hawks is Saturday at New Orleans, at 7 p.m. ET.