Atlanta Hawks Beat OKC Thunder 82-77 Behind Huge Summer League Comeback
· Yahoo Sports
After losing their Summer League opener in Salt Lake City to the Utah Jazz on Saturday, the Atlanta Hawks bounced back with a nice win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
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It was a defensive affair, with neither team shooting the ball very well from the floor, 3-point range or the free-throw line. But the Hawks did enough to hold off the Thunder and emerge with an 82-77 victory after being down by 20.
Atlanta shot 37.5 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from long range and 60.0 percent from the stripe. OKC shot 36.2 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from deep and 68.4 percent from the line.
One key for the Hawks was the impact of rookie Zuby Ejiofor on the glass, both offensively and defensively. He grabbed 15 boards, nine on defense and six on offense. He also added 19 points to earn himself a double-double, even though he wasn't super efficient and shot 5-for-13 from the field. He did knock down a few 3s to finish a respectable 3-for-8 from long range.
It was a gritty win for Atlanta given how big OKC's lead was. Ejiofor, for his part, never seemed fazed by the score.
"We were down 20?" he said on ESPN after the game.
Rising sophomore Asa Newell also had a nice game for the Hawks, totaling 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists on 5-for-8 shooting.
Meanwhile, Kingston Flemings, Atlanta's top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, made an impact with 12 points, two rebounds and five assists on 4-for-10 shooting.
Off the bench, rising sophomore Keshon Gilbert was a top performer with 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field and 2-for-2 shooting from beyond the arc.
The Hawks lost in a bit of a heartbreaker in their Summer League opener to the Jazz, forcing overtime before coming up just short in a 103-102 final. It's good to see that they were able to wash that sour taste away and get in the win column against the Thunder.
Atlanta now has one game remaining in Salt Lake City this summer, a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. After that, the Hawks will head to Las Vegas where Summer League will take center stage all across the NBA.
If Atlanta wants a chance to end up with the Summer League crown in Vegas, this group is going to have to learn how to win together, and Monday's win was a good step.
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