The last time the Warriors beat the Hawks in Atlanta, Steph Curry (30 points), Kevin Durant (28 points) and Klay Thompson (27 points) combined to score 85 points in a 128-111 win at State Farm Arena.
It was Dec. 3, 2018, six seasons ago. The Warriors now have lost their last six games in Atlanta after falling to the Hawks 124-115 on Saturday without Steph Curry to start a six-game road trip.
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In the final three quarters, the Warriors outscored the Hawks by eight points. But they fell behind by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, and swimming upstream the rest of the way was too hard to overcome.
Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting and was 10 of 14 on free throws. Butler, plus-11, was the only Warriors starter with a positive plus/minus. Gary Payton II (plus-6) joined Butler as the only two Warriors to have a positive plus/minus.
Jimmy with the up-and-under finish 👏
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 22, 2025
pic.twitter.com/xkQwhZZ5UM
Trae Young had a 25-point, 10-assist double-double, but he wasn’t the only Hawk to star offensively. They had three players score at least 20 points, including 23 off the bench from Georges Niang.
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The Hawks ended up shooting 57 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. They dished 37 assists and outscored the Warriors 60-44 in the paint.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors losing once again in Atlanta.
DPOY Battle
As the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost four consecutive games, Draymond Green has risen to a neck-and-neck race with Evan Mobley as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Hawks defensive ace Dyson Daniels is right there, too.
Daniels came into the day leading the NBA in total steals (194) and steals per game (3.0). Halfway through the first quarter, Daniels snuck from behind to steal the ball away from Green, drove down the court and finished with a tough layup over him.
I spy the DPOY pic.twitter.com/rPfkXl1VWy
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 22, 2025
Green roamed as he always does in Golden State’s defense. Daniels began the game guarding Butler, and also spent time on Brandin Podziemski and others. Both were effective in their own ways.
Each player had three steals, and Green added one blocked shot. Awards season is creeping closer, and both stated their case to hoist the DPOY trophy.
Hawks Slice Dubs’ Defense
Offense isn’t an issue for Atlanta. The Hawks since the start of February are top five in points per game, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. There was no slowing them down Saturday on their home court.
The Warriors in the first quarter fell into a 17-point deficit they couldn’t fully climb back out of. Simply put, the Hawks got whatever they wanted. Atlanta tallied 40 points on 64-percent shooting, going 16 of 25 overall and 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. Everybody put up points.
Quin Snyder used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. At halftime, the Hawks held a 12-point lead from shooting 60 percent (30 of 50) while handing out 23 assists and turning the ball over only three times. Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half.
Through three quarters, six Hawks had scored in double figures, giving them a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
This was supposed to be all about containing Young. It wound up being about so much more.
Podz’s Up-And-Down Performance
Without Curry, the ball was going to be in Podziemski’s hands, and his 3-point shot was going to be needed. Well, Podziemski did bring the long ball to Atlanta.
He made two 3-pointers in the first quarter and another two in the third quarter. Podziemski made a fifth three in the fourth quarter, giving him a season high. He struggled scoring elsewhere.
Podz knocks down his fifth triple of the night 🙌
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 23, 2025
pic.twitter.com/XbHev5jmGI
Podziemski missed numerous chances right around the rim. Whether it was a layup, tip shot, floater or getting stuck in the paint, Podziemski found himself in more trouble the closer he was to the hoop. Podziemski was 5 of 8 on threes, but 1 of 6 on 2-pointers.
Ending with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists is a strong stat line. Podziemski also was a minus-8 in 36 minus, and every opportunity for points becomes amplified when the Warriors don’t have Curry.