Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder highlighted his team’s defensive resilience after Friday’s 110-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns, saying, “I liked how we guarded and particularly down the stretch… we have to have that focus on the defensive end and care as much about blocking somebody out and communicating in a certain situation on a switch as we do what’s going on on the other end.”
Snyder acknowledged the Hawks’ struggles in the third quarter, noting, “We obviously had a rough third quarter… the ball was stopping and we have to, when things aren’t going the way we want to individually or collectively on the offensive end, still guard.”
On turnovers, he explained, “We have poor spacing and we’re playing in a crowd and we don’t pass… when we did pass, they were bad passes… we just didn’t have the focus on our ball security.”
The coach praised CJ McCollum’s mid-range scoring as a new offensive dimension for Atlanta, saying, “CJ made some big plays for us and… he is selective about our shot profile… his ability to attack late-clock situations really helps our team.”
Snyder also discussed Jalen Johnson’s recent impact, emphasizing, “JJ’s challenge is to feel those situations… playing without the ball and running and doing a lot of the things that he’s doing for us is a huge part of who we are as a team and he’s pivotal to that.”
On the importance of back-to-back home wins, Snyder added, “You always want to play well at home… to come out tonight and be able to grind out a win in front of our home crowd is really important… people can feel the way our team competed on the defensive end late and that’s what won the game.”
The Hawks overcame a late third-quarter deficit after Devin Booker exited with a right ankle injury. Jalen Johnson recorded 23 points and 18 rebounds for his NBA-leading 30th double-double, while Onyeka Okongwu contributed 25 points. CJ McCollum added 21 points off the bench.
Phoenix struggled without Booker, who scored 31 points before leaving, as the Suns shot 44% overall and 32% from three. Dillon Brooks added 11 points and Collin Gillespie had 16 points, but the bench could not maintain offensive efficiency.
Atlanta outscored Phoenix 26-12 in the fourth quarter, shooting 53% from the field and 50% from three-point range, improving to 22-25. Phoenix fell to 27-18, remaining seventh in the Western Conference.
The Hawks return home Monday to face the Indiana Pacers, while the Suns will host the Miami Heat on Sunday.
