I think we have all the proof we need that the Denver Nuggets are a bad matcup for the Atlanta Hawks when they are missing Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Last month, the Nuggets came to Atlanta and trampled the Hawks by 30 points in their own arena and tonight, they used a dominant third quarter to put the Hawks away and get a convincing victory over Atlanta. The Hawks are now 0-2 against the Nuggets this season and their four-game winning streak has been snapped.
This game turned from a fun offensive shootout in the first half into a Denver beatdown in the third quarter. Denver outscored the Hawks 41-24 in the third and the Hawks offense slowed to a halt while the defense could not stop the Nuggets. WIthout Johnson, the Hawks were down one of their best defenders around the rim and one of their top rebounders, two keys whenever you are facing Denver. Without him, the Hawks could not stop the Nuggets offense around the rim.
Trae Young finished as the Hawks leading scorer with 30 points and nine assists and was one of the lone bright spots from the game. Vit Krejci (14 points) and De’Andre Hunter (20 points) had solid nights for the Hawks off the bench and Atlanta ended the game shooting 45% from the floor and 35% from three…