Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder lauded his team’s energy and focus following Monday night’s 112-102 victory over the Boston Celtics at State Farm Arena.
Snyder acknowledged that the Hawks faced early defensive struggles. “We didn’t start out as focused as we needed to be defensively. I thought in the first quarter they got some easy stuff. Got better as the game went on defensively,” he noted.
The coach also highlighted the team’s ability to handle the mental challenge of scoring against Boston’s zone defense. “Sometimes when the team goes zone and you don’t have a great possession…we just didn’t score. And then it can get in your head a little bit where you’re not really disorganized or doing anything wrong. I thought we handled that mentally,” Snyder said.
Dyson Daniels’ recent improvement caught the coach’s attention. “I think you know he’s just shooting. You can’t make him if you don’t take him. And as much as anything, everybody’s got confidence in him taking that shot. So just getting space…is getting him ready to shoot where he’s not passing anything up,” Snyder explained. He emphasized that Daniels’ confidence and mental approach have been key. “I don’t want Dyson to overthink it. He didn’t feel that tonight. Every time you look at, it’s plus minus like leads our team whether he’s shooting or not.”
Spacing and execution were also central to the Hawks’ performance. “I mentioned it’s similar to Dyson. I think the spacing is everything. You space early. Before your open, you just space two space and then you’re available,” Snyder said, pointing to the team’s disciplined movement on the floor compared to previous matchups.
On defense, Snyder praised Zaccharie Risacher and Jonathan Kuminga. “I’m not worried about anything to do with Zacch in respect for the referees. I’m worried about him playing like he did tonight and defending and crashing. I thought he played great,” he said. He also recognized the physical presence of Jonathan Kuminga. “You could feel him. He was aggressive at the right times. Getting to the free throw line is significant for us,” Snyder added.
Snyder reflected on Atlanta’s 13th consecutive home win. “Everybody in the locker room has an appreciation for being at home…you feed off that energy and you want to come through for them and win those games at home,” he said. He highlighted the importance of efficiency and teamwork in the Hawks’ late-season push. “What really they’ve started to think more about is how efficient can they be because efficiency, that’s what leads to winning,” Snyder noted.
Monday’s victory was fueled by Onyeka Okongwu and Jalen Johnson, who each scored 20 points, with Johnson recording his 45th double-double of the season. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a key 27-foot 3-pointer to close the first half, setting the tone for Atlanta’s third-quarter surge.
The Hawks now prepare for a road game against Orlando on Wednesday, while the Celtics travel to face Miami.
