Skip to content

Hawks handle Thunder for franchise-record 15th straight win

Dale Zanine / USA Today Sports

The Atlanta Hawks might never lose again. 

The Hawks knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-93 on Friday night to improve their Eastern Conference-best mark to 36-8 and set a franchise record with their 15th consecutive win. 

It was yet another routine outing for Atlanta, who won by double-digits for the eighth time in 10 games. It was also another win over a team with a winning record, something the Hawks are quickly turning into a habit. They're now 16-5 against such teams this season, and 8-1 against winning teams from the Western Conference. They've won 28 of their last 30 games. 

Early on, it looked like the Thunder might be the team to finally flip the script. They came busting out of the gate, opening up a seven-point lead after the first quarter, which was the largest deficit the Hawks had faced since Jan. 5. 

Kevin Durant was dunking on everyone, and Dion Waiters still couldn't get anyone to pay attention to him. 

DION WAITERS IS STILL MUTHERFUCKING HERE, BITCHESSSS

But the Hawks clawed their way back the way they always seem to these days: by playing smothering, disciplined defense, and sharing the ball on offense. A Kyle Korver dunk put them ahead by a point just ahead of the halftime buzzer, and they never trailed again. 

The Hawks wound up with 27 assists on 40 made field goals. It was the 29th time this season they've had at least 25 assists - four more than the next closest team (the 34-6 Golden State Warriors). Five players scored in double figures, including Paul Millsap, who scored a team-high 22. 

The Thunder hung tough until the fourth quarter, when the Hawks started to run away with things, and Russell Westbrook came up huge, with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting to go along with 11 assists and 3 steals. 

Oklahoma City had been rolling as a team, too, with all their guys finally healthy. They came in on a four-game winning streak of their own, including impressive victories over the Warriors and Washington Wizards.

Ultimately, though, they ran into an immovable object. The Hawks are firing on every conceivable cylinder right now, and it's hard to find any weakness, or anything resembling a blueprint for beating them. 

With their next two games coming against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Brooklyn Nets, it's hard not to see them carrying a 17-game win streak into their meeting with the Portland Trail Blazers next Friday. 

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox