Game ID: 22400395
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Atlanta Hawks
Monday, December 23, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ATL 35 17 30 35 117MIN 19 36 30 19 104
ATL vs MIN ScoutingATL vs MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ATL availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT Wallace missed 11 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 17 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 17 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Krejčí back 12/06 after 2, 17 min since (85% of 20)
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/08 after 10, 24 min since (126% of 19)
BACK Mathews back 12/08 after 3, 21 min since (118% of 18)
BACK Roddy back 12/08 after 4, 4 min since (32% of 13)
ATL availability going into 12/14 · 2 days' restOUT Wallace missed 12 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 18 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 18 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Krejčí back 12/06 after 2, 14 min since (70% of 20)
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/08 after 10, 24 min since (126% of 19)
BACK Mathews back 12/08 after 3, 21 min since (118% of 18)
BACK Roddy back 12/08 after 4, 4 min since (32% of 13)
ATL availability going into 12/19 · 4 days' restOUT Nance Jr. missed 2 since 12/11, returns tonight: 32 min (163% of 19)
OUT Mathews missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Wallace missed 13 since 11/18, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 19 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Roddy missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Bufkin missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 19 since 11/06, out tonight
BACK Krejčí back 12/06 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 20)
ATL availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Mathews missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 6 min (34% of 18)
OUT Wallace missed 14 since 11/18, returns tonight: 23 min (144% of 16)
OUT Gueye missed 20 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Roddy missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 9 min (72% of 13)
OUT Bufkin missed 3 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 20 since 11/06, returns tonight: 5 min (50% of 11)
BACK Krejčí back 12/06 after 2, 13 min since (67% of 20)
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/08 after 10, 28 min since (145% of 19)
ATL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Okongwu missed 2 since 12/19, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 21 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Bufkin missed 4 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/08 after 10, 27 min since (138% of 19)
BACK Mathews back 12/08 after 3, 13 min since (76% of 18)
BACK Wallace back 12/21 after 14, 23 min since (144% of 16)
BACK Roddy back 12/08 after 4, 7 min since (52% of 13)
BACK Barlow back 12/21 after 20, 5 min since (50% of 11)
ATL availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Okongwu missed 3 since 12/19, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 22 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Bufkin missed 5 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 26 min since (132% of 19)
BACK Mathews back 12/21 after 3, 16 min since (91% of 18)
BACK Wallace back 12/21 after 14, 12 min since (76% of 16)
BACK Roddy back 12/21 after 3, 5 min since (41% of 13)
BACK Barlow back 12/21 after 20, 5 min since (50% of 11)
ATL availability going into 12/28 · 1 day's restOUT Okongwu missed 4 since 12/19, out tonight
OUT Bogdanović missed 2 since 12/23, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 23 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Bufkin missed 6 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 2 since 12/23, out tonight
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 25 min since (129% of 19)
BACK Mathews back 12/21 after 3, 17 min since (96% of 18)
BACK Wallace back 12/21 after 14, 12 min since (76% of 16)
BACK Roddy back 12/21 after 3, 5 min since (41% of 13)
ATL availability going into 12/29 · back-to-backOUT Okongwu missed 5 since 12/19, returns tonight: 18 min (65% of 28)
OUT Bogdanović missed 3 since 12/23, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 24 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Roddy missed 2 since 12/26, returns tonight: 9 min (73% of 13)
OUT Bufkin missed 7 since 12/11, out tonight
OUT Barlow missed 3 since 12/23, returns tonight: 3 min (31% of 11)
BACK Nance Jr. back 12/19 after 2, 25 min since (131% of 19)
BACK Mathews back 12/21 after 3, 19 min since (110% of 18)
BACK Wallace back 12/21 after 14, 13 min since (79% of 16)
ATL availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Daniels missed 2 since 12/28, returns tonight: 30 min (89% of 34)
OUT Bogdanović missed 4 since 12/23, out tonight
OUT Gueye missed 25 since 11/06, out tonight
OUT Bufkin missed 8 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK Okongwu back 12/29 after 5, 18 min since (65% of 28)
BACK Mathews back 12/21 after 3, 20 min since (114% of 18)
BACK Wallace back 12/21 after 14, 13 min since (83% of 16)
BACK Roddy back 12/21 after 3, 7 min since (52% of 13)
BACK Barlow back 12/21 after 20, 4 min since (41% of 11)
MIN availability going into 12/13 · 4 days' restOUT Clark missed 7 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 5 since 11/29, returns tonight: 8 min (74% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/15 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 8 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 8 min since (74% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/19 · 3 days' restOUT Clark missed 9 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 8 min since (83% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 10 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 11 min since (109% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 11 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 11 min since (109% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 12 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Dillingham back 12/13 after 5, 9 min since (86% of 10)
MIN availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 13 since 11/26, out tonight
MIN availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 14 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
MIN availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Clark missed 15 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Dillingham missed 3 since 12/25, out tonight
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 122, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Young at 24 and Hunter at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Okongwu (2 straight), Gueye (21 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Edwards at 22 and Randle at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-4 a night and Minnesota minus-6 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 108 a night to Atlanta's 122. Call it Minnesota 113, Atlanta 112, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/11 @ NYK 108-100 — ATL notes
ATL won 108-100. ATL shot 41% (43 of 104) to NYK's 43%, 9 of 31 from three. Hunter led with 24 (8 of 15, 4 of 5 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Young added 22, Johnson 21. The hinge was Q3, 34-18: ATL came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 9. ATL trailed 47-54 at the half and won the second half 61-46. Johnson was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/14 @ MIL 102-110 — ATL notes
ATL lost 102-110. ATL shot 43% (35 of 82) to MIL's 45%, 10 of 24 from three, and went to the line 34 times to MIL's 27 — 22 points from the stripe to their 18. Young led with 35 (9 of 18, 3 of 5 from three, 14 of 17 at the line); Johnson added 15, Hunter 15. Q3 was theirs, 34-27, turning a 6-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 83-68 against them. Johnson's -11 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/19 @ SAS 126-133 — ATL notes
ATL lost 126-133 in 1 overtime. ATL shot 47% (46 of 97) to SAS's 49%, 16 of 38 from three. ATL turned it over 22 times to SAS's 17, and SAS turned those into 15 steals. The glass went 53-42 for them. Hunter led with 27 (9 of 15, 4 of 8 from three); Young added 23, J. Johnson 22. Q2 was theirs, 37-24, turning a 7-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 4 periods went 109-89 against them. They led by as many as 11. Daniels's -34 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 vs MEM 112-128 — ATL notes
ATL lost 112-128. ATL shot 49% (39 of 80) to MEM's 52%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 24 times to MEM's 13 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. ATL turned it over 25 times to MEM's 18, and MEM turned those into 13 steals. Hunter led with 26 (9 of 14, 1 of 5 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Daniels added 15, Johnson 13. Q4 was theirs, 36-28, the deficit cut from 24 to 16, but the other 3 periods went 100-76 against them. Hunter's -22 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 vs MIN 117-104 — ATL notes
ATL won 117-104. ATL shot 53% (39 of 73) to MIN's 43%, 18 of 36 from three, and went to the line 26 times to MIN's 13 — 21 points from the stripe to their 12. Young led with 29 (8 of 15, 4 of 7 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Mathews added 25, Hunter 19. The hinge was Q1, 35-19: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 19. ATL trailed 52-55 at the half and won the second half 65-49. Daniels was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/26 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Young at 27 and Hunter at 22 a game. Without Okongwu (3 straight), Gueye (22 straight). 2 days' rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 18 free throws a game; LaVine at 19 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without Giddey (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 40 percent from three to Chicago's 31 and the turnovers, Atlanta giving it away 18 times a game to Chicago's 13. Call it Atlanta 117, Chicago 113, Chicago keeping it close.
12/28 vs MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 122, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 28 free throws a game; Young at 28 and Hunter at 22 a game. Without Okongwu (4 straight), Bogdanović (2 straight), Gueye (23 straight). One day's rest. Miami comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 107, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Herro at 22 and Adebayo at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Butler III (3 straight), Richardson (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Miami allowing 107 a night to Atlanta's 122 and the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-2 a night and Miami minus-5. Call it Atlanta 115, Miami 114, Miami keeping it close.
12/29 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 126, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Barrett at 27 and Barnes at 18 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 11 a night. Without Poeltl (4 straight), Quickley (20 straight), Shead (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 122, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Hunter at 25 and Young at 22 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Okongwu (5 straight), Bogdanović (3 straight), Gueye (24 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Toronto wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-4 a night and Toronto minus-11 and the arc, Atlanta at 41 percent from three to Toronto's 36. Call it Toronto 120, Atlanta 119, Atlanta keeping it close.
1/01 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Gordon (3 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 28 free throws a game; Young at 25 and Hunter at 24 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Daniels (2 straight), Bogdanović (4 straight), Gueye (25 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Atlanta giving it away 17 times a game to Denver's 12 and the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Atlanta minus-1. Call it Denver 121, Atlanta 119, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/13 vs LAL 97-87 — MIN notes
MIN won 97-87. MIN shot 40% (35 of 87) to LAL's 38%, 9 of 32 from three, and went to the line 24 times to LAL's 17 — 18 points from the stripe to their 11. MIN turned it over 13 times to LAL's 21. Edwards led with 23 (9 of 20, 2 of 7 from three); Randle added 21, McDaniels 18. The hinge was Q1, 32-23: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Edwards was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
12/15 @ SAS 106-92 — MIN notes
MIN won 106-92. MIN shot 40% (40 of 100) to SAS's 41%, 12 of 35 from three, and went to the line 16 times to SAS's 9 — 14 points from the stripe to their 7. MIN turned it over 12 times to SAS's 18. Edwards led with 26 (10 of 21, 3 of 7 from three); Alexander-Walker added 17, McDaniels 12. The hinge was Q1, 28-19: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +28.
12/19 vs NYK 107-133 — MIN notes
MIN lost 107-133. MIN shot 46% (41 of 89) to NYK's 52%, 17 of 42 from three. The glass went 37-57 against them. Randle led with 24 (8 of 17, 4 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Edwards added 17, DiVincenzo 15. Q4 was theirs, 33-29, the deficit cut from 30 to 26, but the other 3 periods went 104-74 against them. Gobert's -37 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 vs GSW 103-113 — MIN notes
MIN lost 103-113. MIN shot 42% (36 of 86) to GSW's 46%, 14 of 38 from three. MIN turned it over 15 times to GSW's 10, and GSW turned those into 9 steals. Edwards led with 19 (6 of 20, 4 of 11 from three); DiVincenzo added 19, Gobert 18. Q3 was theirs, 38-29, the deficit cut from 13 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 84-65 against them. McDaniels's -12 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 @ ATL 104-117 — MIN notes
MIN lost 104-117. MIN took 18 more shots (91 to 73), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to ATL's 53%, 14 of 43 from three, and got to the line 13 times to ATL's 26. Reid led with 23 (10 of 19, 3 of 10 from three); Randle added 19, Edwards 16. Q2 was theirs, 36-17, turning a 16-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 100-68 against them. Edwards's -23 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/25 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 26 free throws a game; Dončić at 29 and Thompson at 20 a game. Without Hardy (6 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 108, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Edwards at 20 and Randle at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where Dallas takes 26 free throws a game to Minnesota's 18 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 108 a night to Dallas's 115. Call it Dallas 114, Minnesota 109.
12/27 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; Brooks at 22 and Green at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Without Brooks (2 straight), Eason (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Edwards at 21 and Randle at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-10 a night and Minnesota minus-2 and the line, where Houston takes 24 free throws a game to Minnesota's 16. Call it Houston 113, Minnesota 106.
12/29 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 16 free throws a game; Randle at 22 and Edwards at 20 a game. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 32 and Sochan at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 107 a night to Minnesota's 115. Call it Minnesota 111, San Antonio 110, San Antonio keeping it close.
12/31 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 34 and Jal. Williams at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Holmgren (21 straight), Caruso (3 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Randle at 20 and Edwards at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 37 percent from three to OKC's 32 and the defense, OKC allowing 103 a night to Minnesota's 110. Call it OKC 114, Minnesota 104, OKC by 10.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
DD D. DiVincenzo
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. Minott
JR J. Randle
LM L. Miller
MC M. Conley
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RD R. Dillingham
RG R. Gobert
TS T. Shannon Jr.
ATLCC C. Capela
DD D. Daniels
DH D. Hunter
GM G. Mathews
JJ J. Johnson
KW K. Wallace
LN L. Nance Jr.
TY T. Young
VK V. Krejčí
ZR Z. Risacher
MIN/ATL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Mathews and Young lead the Hawks past the Timberwolves 117-104
ATLANTA -- — Garrison Mathews made a career-best seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 25 points off the bench as the Atlanta Hawks knocked off the Minnesota Timberwolves 117-104 on Monday night.
Trae Young had 29 points and seven assists and De'Andre Hunter added 19 points to help the Hawks halt a three-game losing streak. Young was listed as questionable with a bruised heel but showed no ill effects.
Naz Reid scored 23 off the bench for the Timberwolves, who have lost three straight. Anthony Edwards had 16 points and six rebounds in his only regular-season appearance in his hometown. He shot 7 for 20 from the floor and committed five turnovers while being guarded by NBA defensive player of the month Dyson Daniels most of the night.
Daniels finished with eight steals.
Mathews was 5 for 5 from 3-point range with 15 points in the first half and 7 for 8 for the game.
The Hawks sprinted out to a 30-11 lead as the Timberwolves shot 4 for 20 with five turnovers, but Minnesota rallied quickly and took a 55-52 halftime lead thanks in part to 11 points off the bench from both Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker .
Takeaways Timberwolves: On a day when Edwards was fined $75,000 for criticizing officials , the Timberwolves came out flat. They rebounded in the first half but faded in the fourth quarter, adding to a frustrating season. Minnesota (14-14) was 22-6 on Christmas Day last season.
Hawks: After a blowout loss to the Grizzlies with Young sidelined, the Hawks bounced back and reached .500 on the season heading into Christmas with a strong performance.
Key moment The Hawks went on an 8-0 run early in the third quarter that turned an 89-87 deficit into a 95-89 lead. Mathews had seven points during the spurt. Atlanta pulled away from there.
Key stat The Hawks were 18 for 36 from 3-point range.
Up next The Timberwolves will play on Christmas for the third time in franchise history when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Hawks host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.