Zaccharie Risacher's shooting woes persist, hitting a low in the Hawks' decisive loss. The team's struggles continue amidst a long home stretch.
Zaccharie Risacher scored just four points in 23 minutes on 1-for-8 shooting for the Atlanta Hawks in their 128-97 loss to the Miami Heat Friday night.
It was just an overall ugly loss for the Hawks, but Risacher’s night stood out early. He opened the game 0-for-5 from the field, and his struggles shooting the basketball continue to linger. Over Atlanta’s last eight games, Risacher is averaging just 5.5 points, and since returning from injury in late January, he’s shooting 34% from the field (21-for-61).
Head coach Quin Snyder made it clear afterward that the issue isn’t simply about makes and misses.
“I think, you know, it's one of those things, you talk a lot about having your eyes out and whatever those shots are,” Snyder said. “They're not all shots at the rim are created equal, and there's times when we're in a crowd or we're trying to finish over somebody.”
Snyder emphasized that the Hawks have to be more intentional with how they generate offense.
“We need to make better decisions in that area, and we need each other on offense,” Snyder said. “The possessions where that happens, you can feel them, and we can generate better shots when we're not doing that.”
He added that the offensive breakdowns have a ripple effect on the other end.
“Missing shots is different than not getting quality possessions,” Snyder said. “When you don't get quality possessions, it becomes much harder to defend.”
The Hawks’ loss to the Heat drops Atlanta to 27-31, and a rough 10-16 at State Farm Arena. It’s been well chronicled, but the Hawks will still have nine of their next 10 games at home, where they have to turn things around quickly.
Jalen Johnson recorded a triple-double in the loss — 16 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists — but shot just 6-for-22 from the field.
Johnson didn’t sugarcoat his performance.
“I played terrible tonight,” Johnson said. “I’ve just gotta be better.”
Even with the stat line, Johnson echoed the need for better execution and decision-making.
“That’s one of the things we preach in the locker room amongst each other, is playing with the pass,” Johnson said. “If we play with the pass and we play fast in transition and break the paint on our drives, I think that’s when we’re at our best.”
Dyson Daniels, like Risacher, did not shoot the basketball well, going 2-for-7 from the field and scoring just four points. The Hawks were without some of their usual defensive sharpness, and Snyder pointed to connectivity as a key issue.
“When you see that, there’s some really good possessions where we get good looks and good things happen,” Snyder said. “And then when we're not that connected, the result isn't good enough to win a game.”
CJ McCollum was a bright spot off the bench, but he was blunt about the overall effort.
“I mean, we lost, so it can’t be an A,” McCollum said. “Turnovers hurt us. I didn’t get any free throws tonight, so not enough rim pressure. I’ve got to do a better job of attacking.”
The Hawks were outscored 41-22 in the fourth quarter and appeared to run out of gas on the second night of a back-to-back. Atlanta shot just 37.5% from the field and was out-rebounded by 12. Miami scored 72 points in the paint and 20 points off Atlanta’s 12 turnovers. Seven Heat players scored in double figures.
McCollum also pointed to the Heat’s defensive adjustment as a turning point.
“They went to zone to start the fourth quarter and I think that changed the game,” McCollum said. “They took advantage of some turnovers and missed shots. We had some lulls, and I don’t think we did enough to win.”
Tyler Herro returned for the Heat and had a game-high 24 points off the bench, consistently creating space in pick-and-roll situations.
“Herro got off — too much freedom in pick-and-roll, too much space on pull-ups,” McCollum said. “We’ve got to do a better job getting into the ball.”
The Hawks still have four straight home games ahead, but something will have to give at State Farm Arena. Atlanta will have to brush this loss off quickly as they host the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday for a 3:30 p.m. EST tip-off.