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Tag: Quin Snyder

  • Losing streak is now 6: Atlanta Hawks fall to New York Knicks 128-125

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    The score was tied at 121 with less than two minutes to play when New York Knicks All-Star guard Jalen Brunson (34 points) squared up Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Trae Young (9 points and 10 assists) and nailed a jump shot to put the Knicks ahead by two points. He did the same thing at the end of the first quarter to give his team a 33-27 lead. Young returned the favor and made a pair of free throws to tie the game before the Hawks regained the lead 125-124.

    Onyeka Okongwu (above) led the Hawks with 31 points and 14 rebounds during the loss to the Knicks on Saturday night.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The game had been a back-and-forth affair throughout, and after the Knicks were back in front 126-125 courtesy of free throws from OG Anunoby 15 points and 10 rebounds), Atlanta had the ball and 15.6 seconds to seize the day. Following a turnover and two more Anunoby free throws, Atlanta had the ball back, but this time they were down by three points with 7.3 seconds to play.

    They missed. They lost. Again. The 128-125 loss was the sixth consecutive loss for the Hawks. After the game, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said his team fought hard.

    “I thought our whole team competed,” Snyder said. “We just have to fight and we fought.”

    “I thought our whole team competed,” Hawks head coach Quin Snyder (above) said. “We just have to fight and we fought.”
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Knicks (now 22-9 overall) and Hawks (15-18), not necessarily rivals, are more like interested parties due to the large number of New Yorkers now residing in Atlanta. The teams experienced 10 lead changes during the first quarter of Saturday night’s game.

    Residing on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings, the Knicks were nipping at the heels of the Detroit Pistons, a team that has defeated the Hawks twice this season and has the best record in the East. The Hawks, on the other hand, had lost their last five games and were looking for a spark of any kind.

    Atlanta was out-rebounded for the sixth consecutive game on Saturday. The Knicks had twice as many offensive rebounds during the game. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    Rebounding has been an issue for Atlanta during its losing streak, and the first quarter ended with the team losing another rebounding battle. Early in the second quarter, the Knicks were ahead 21-11 on the boards. Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns (36 points and 15 rebounds) had five of those rebounds to go along with eight points. One of those offensive rebounds led to a dunk by Knicks forward Mikail Bridges (14 points and 8 assists) for a 45-37 lead. Moments earlier, Bridges dunked on a fastbreak to bring the largely pro-Knicks crowd to its feet. A Bridges three-pointer would give New York its largest lead of the first half, 59-49, with 3:30 to play before halftime.

    The Knicks would be up by 16 points by the time Hawks head coach Quin Snyder called a timeout at the 8:19 mark of the third quarter. The Hawks were out of sync on defense. At this point in the game, the Knicks had more offensive rebounds, total rebounds, and steals.

    Atlanta’s best players, Jalen Johnson and Young, got off to slow starts. Combined, they had six first-half points. When Young was subbed out of the game at the 6:55 mark of the third quarter, he looked dejected and sat slumped on the end of the Hawks’ bench. When Young returned to the game with two minutes remaining in the quarter, he quickly took the ball to the basket, scored, and was fouled. The successful free throw may have only been Young’s fifth point of the game, but it brought Atlanta within six points of the Knicks.

    Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (above, with the ball) came into the game on Saturday, averaging nearly 30 points per game.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The fourth quarter had the Knicks, particularly Towns, at the free-throw line often. When he wasn’t at the line, he was nailing long three-pointers like the two he made to help give the Knicks a 112-100 lead with 7:41 to play.

    Hawks’ undersized center Onyeka Okongwu (31 points and 14 rebounds) played one of his most complete games with 25 points and 13 rebounds. The same could be said for Nikeil Alexander-Walker, who came off the bench on Saturday to provide instant offense whenever the Hawks needed it. His three-pointer with five minutes to play pulled Atlanta within three points of the Knicks at 114-111.

    The Hawks will face another quality opponent and a much bigger test when they travel west to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder on Monday, December 29. It will be the first time the two teams will play this season, and an annual homecoming for Young.

    Atlanta will return to State Farm Arena to host the Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta native Anthony Edwards on New Year’s Eve. The game will have a special 3 p.m. tipoff.

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • ‘This is just game one of 82’: Atlanta Hawks lose home opener by 20

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    The Atlanta Hawks opened the 2025-26 season like they closed the 2024-25 season, with a loss. The Hawks fell to the Toronto Raptors, 138-118, in front of a sellout crowd of 17,800 fans. 

    With five minutes remaining in the game and the Hawks behind by 25 points, that sellout crowd began to start heading towards the exit. The NBA season is a marathon and not a sprint, so Wednesday night’s loss shouldn’t be seen as a sign for the rest of the season. That said, it was as bad a start as one could imagine for a team projected to be better than last season.

    Trae Young (above) scored 22 points during the loss. Eleven of those points were from the free-throw line.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Hawks took a 2-0 lead and never led the game again. Toronto guard RJ Barrett (game-high 25 points) and forward Scottie Barnes (22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists), arguably the team’s best players, along with veteran forward Brandon Ingram (16 points, nine rebounds), took charge of the game from the beginning. Atlanta couldn’t do anything to stop them.

    The Raptors outrebounded the Hawks by 20 (54-34) and scored 86 of their points in the paint. Toronto is a big team, but a 20-rebound advantage felt more like the Hawks’ lack of effort than the Raptors’ ability. After the game, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said his team would have to do better going forward.

    Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder (above) credited forward Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher for playing hard the entire game. The Hawks were out-rebounded by 20 during the loss. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    “It’s hard to win games like that,” Snyder said. “There are a lot of things we need to clean up, and that’s stating the obvious.” 

    Snyder, Hawks guard Trae Young (5-14 from the floor, 22 points), and forward Jalen Johnson (team-high eight assists, 20 points, and seven rebounds) all said the loss was just one of 82 games and shouldn’t be a sign of the times in Hawks land.

    “Our team is going to be right, trust me,” Young said.

    Johnson, back on the court after a season-ending injury last season, was more straightforward about the loss. “We just got to be better,” he said.

    Johnson couldn’t have played much better. He ran the floor, led the team with seven rebounds, along with first-year Hawk Kristaps Porzingis (20 points), and did everything he could. 

    The two bench players brought in to help the Hawks’ depth, Nickeil Alexander-Walker (2-15 for 10 points) and Luke Kennard (1-5 from three-point land), weren’t much help tonight, but will need to be better if Atlanta is going to make the postseason without the help of a play-in game for the first time in years.

    Bright spot: Zaccharie Risacher scored 16 points and looked comfortable being a part of the Hawks’ offense. During his rookie season last year, he tended to shy away from the ball. Risacher, the runner-up for Rookie of the Year, took 13 shots, six of which were from behind the three-point line. 

    “He’s finding a good balance. You saw him attack the rim in transition,” Snyder said of Risacher. “He’s shooting the ball with confidence, and we need him to keep doing that.” 

    What’s next: The Hawks will travel south to Orlando to play a much-improved Magic squad on Friday, before returning to State Farm Arena to host the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • ‘Definitely looking forward to it’: Atlanta Hawks open preseason in Houston on Monday

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    First-year Atlanta Hawks forward Kristaps Porzingis (right) works on his three-point form during practice on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    The Atlanta Hawks will begin the preseason away from home. The preseason opener will be in Houston on Monday night (8 p.m. tipoff).

    On Sunday morning, the Hawks practiced at the team facility in Brookhaven, putting in some work before heading to Houston.

    Newcomers Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, and Kristaps Porzingis will play significant roles on this year’s team. On Sunday, Porzingis could be seen knocking down three-pointers during a drill. On the other side of the practice court, Kennard engaged in a three-point shootout with teammates like Vit Krejci, one of the team’s better long-range shooters last season. 

    Asked if they are looking forward to taking those three-pointers into an actual game, Lennard said, “Definitely looking forward to it.”

    “We have been pushing each other hard this last week of training camp. You’re going up against the same guys every day, so we’re excited to be all together as one team and compete as a group,” Kennard said.

    “I’m super-excited to compete wi
    th the new guys, and it’s going to be great. We have a lot of good people around here, and we’re just trying to put it all together,” Hawks reserve guard Vit Krejci (above) said. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    Krejci, who has been with the franchise since the 2022-23 season, said it has been a “long offseason” and he was ready to start playing in games again.

    “I’m super-excited to compete with the new guys, and it’s going to be great. We have a lot of good people around here, and we’re just trying to put it all together,” Krejci said.

    Monday night will be the start of a new season for Atlanta.

    “I’m sure it’s going to take a couple of games, a couple of practices, but you can see from the start till now that we are getting better and understand each other more as teammates,” said Krejci. 

    The Atlanta Hawks (above) will play the Houston Rockets in a home-and-away this preseason.
    Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    Last year’s runner-up for NBA Rookie of the Year, Zaccharie Risacher, returns to the court with added confidence and more experience. His role as one of the team’s scoring options will change with the return of Jalen Johnson from injury. And then there’s All-Star guard and the team’s leading scorer and assist man, Trae Young. 

    With one year remaining on his current contract and a player option for $48.9 million for the 2026-27 season, Young will be playing for more than a division title and playoff spot this year. He wasn’t available to talk to the media after practice on Sunday. Young was all smiles while hoisting three-pointers with his teammates when the media was allowed onto the practice floor.

    Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder after practice on Sunday. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice

    Hawks head coach Quin Snyder said there were certain things any team wanted to accomplish during the preseason and that these next four games were “an opportunity to put different lineups on the floor.”

    The preseason schedule, following the game in Houston, will include a game in Memphis against the Grizzlies on Saturday, Oct. 11, and a pair of home games against the Miami Heat (Monday, Oct. 13) and the Rockets (Thursday, Oct. 22). 

    The Hawks’ regular season begins at home at State Farm Arena against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Atlanta finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 40-42. It was the eighth consecutive season the Hawks finished with 43 or fewer wins in an individual season.  

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    Donnell Suggs

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  • Trae Young shines in Atlanta Hawks 121-116 victory over New York Knicks

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    Trae Young had 23 points, 10 assists and six rebounds as his Atlanta Hawks beat the New York Knicks 121-116 win Wednesday night State Farm Arena. It marked his seventh career 20-point, 10-assist game vs. them (regular season and playoffs).

    Head Coach Quin Snyder, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jalen Johnson joined Trae Young at the podium to discuss the victory.

    Risacher, the first overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, admitted to reporters what gave him the confidence ahead of his big 33-point night Wednesday night.

    “He basically tells me to shoot the f—ing ball,” Risacher said. “That’s not just from him. That’s from everybody on the coaching staff and my teammates. It helps with my confidence.”

    Dyson Daniels dunks the basketball during an NBA game between the New York Knicks and the Atlanta Hawks inside State Farm Arena on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)

    Risacher is shooting 27% from three-point range this season.

    “I knew it was bound to happen eventually and I know it’s going to continue to happen with the way he’s been playing,” Young said of Risacher. “I struggled my first couple of months into my rookie year, and I was in Rookie of the Year debates in the second half. You’re going to go through ups and downs, especially in your rookie year. I know he wants to win, I know he wants to contribute. I just want him to always stay positive and keep his head on the right path.”

    “His progress isn’t going to be linear,” Snyder said. “He’s got to stay at it. We have confidence in him if he makes shots or he doesn’t. Today, he was really good on the defensive glass, as well.”

    The Hawks will face off against Detroit on Friday. They’ll be back at State Farm Arena Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.

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    Itoro N. Umontuen

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  • Hawks hire Snyder as coach to replace fired McMillan

    Hawks hire Snyder as coach to replace fired McMillan

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    ATLANTA (AP) — Quin Snyder has been hired as coach of the Atlanta Hawks to replace the fired Nate McMillan, the team announced Sunday.

    The Hawks reached an agreement with Snyder on a five-year deal only five days after firing McMillan on Tuesday. The team has scheduled a news conference for Monday to introduce Snyder.

    The announcement from the team Sunday came shortly after the Hawks’ second straight win under interim coach Joe Prunty, a buzzer-beating 129-127 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

    When announcing McMillan’s firing, general manager Landry Fields stressed that Atlanta’s eighth-place standing in the Eastern Conference was not acceptable for a team that advanced to the conference finals in 2021. On Wednesday, Fields confirmed Snyder was a candidate.

    Because Snyder, 56, was available, the agreement to return to Atlanta, where he was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s staff during the 2013-14 season, was reached quickly.

    The decision to fire McMillan at the All-Star break allowed Fields to negotiate exclusively with Snyder. Had Fields waited until after the season, other teams might have had interest in Snyder.

    “From our first conversation, it was clear that Quin had all the characteristics we were looking for in our next head coach,” Fields said in a statement released by the team. “He has both an incredible basketball and emotional IQ, and we share the same core values and basketball philosophies of having honest communication and collaboration with players, tremendous attention to detail and placing a great emphasis on player development.”

    Snyder said he’s “thrilled to go back to Atlanta.”

    “I am excited to collaborate with Landry to create a successful program that devoted Hawks fans are proud of and cheer for and am grateful to Tony, Jami and the Ressler family for this opportunity,” Snyder said in the team’s statement. “My family and I are looking forward to immersing ourselves in the community and calling Atlanta home.”

    Snyder was coach of the Utah Jazz from the 2014-15 to 2021-22 seasons, accumulating a 372-264 record and leading the team to the playoffs in six of his eight seasons.

    McMillan went 99-80 as Atlanta’s coach, including a 27-11 record as interim in the second half of the 2020-21 season. His success that season in leading Atlanta to the Eastern Conference finals earned him the full-time position.

    McMillan was unable to follow up on the 2021 postseason success.

    The Hawks finished 43-39 in the 2021-22 season and, after escaping the play-in tournament, lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

    The pressure on McMillan to guide the Hawks closer to the top of the conference increased this season. The team’s win-now approach became more clear when Danilo Gallinari and three first-round picks were traded to the San Antonio Spurs for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray.

    The trade formed a backcourt pairing of All-Star guards in Murray and Trae Young and placed more heat on McMillan. Despite the addition of another top scorer in Murray, the Hawks struggled near .500 most of the season. They lost four of six games before the All-Star break and were one game under .500 when McMillan was fired.

    There was no immediate announcement about Snyder’s Atlanta staff. The new coach will have only one day before making his debut with the team in Tuesday night’s home game against Washington, so the expectation is Snyder will retain at least most of McMillan’s staff which continued to operate under Prunty.

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    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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