On December 30, Beijing time, in the NBA regular season, the Kings defeated the Hawks 117-110 away. It was a thrilling game as the Kings trailed by 23 points in the first three quarters, but came back from a stunning comeback in the fourth quarter to turn the game around with a 37-18 lead. While the Kings gave the Hawks four straight defeats, they also earned themselves a confident victory.
The Kings' core players Fox and Sabonis both played at the level of superstars, and they combined to score 56 points, 20 rebounds and 15 assists, becoming the biggest contributors to the Kings' comeback. Fox finished with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists on 9-of-13 shooting, including 14 points in the fourth quarter, leading the Kings to complete a shocking comeback. Sabonis was in full bloom, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and his dominance on the interior kept the Hawks helpless. In addition to these two, the Kings also had Lyles 19 points, Monk 15 points and 8 assists and other outstanding contributions.
For the Hawks, Trae Young didn't perform as well as he should, scoring just 24 points and 9 assists from the field while shooting just 364%, including only 1 of 9 three-pointers, which is inefficient. He also failed to step up in the fourth quarter, scoring just four points and unable to lead the Hawks to hold the lead. The rest of the Hawks players weren't able to provide enough support for Young either, with Murray scoring 18 points, Jalen Johnson 16 points and 15 rebounds, Capela 11 points and 14 rebounds failing to step up in crunch time.
The Kings' comeback road has not been smooth, they have been in a passive situation for the first three quarters, the Hawks have a faster offensive tempo, more aggressive defense, and the Kings' outside shooting is not ideal, at one point trailing by 23 points, seemingly hopeless. But the Kings didn't give up, and they showed stubborn fighting spirit in the fourth quarter, unleashing wave after wave of attacks, gradually narrowing the difference, and finally completing the comeback.
In this reversal, Fox played an indispensable role, he was the leader of the king and the soul of the king. His performance in the fourth quarter was perfect, not only did he score back-to-back points on the offensive end, but he also put so much pressure on Yang on the defensive end that he couldn't find his offensive rhythm. Fox's speed, explosiveness, and control are all amazing, and his decisiveness and execution in key moments are also admirable. He proved with his performances that he is a top defender and a player with a championship mentality.
The Hawks' loss was undoubtedly huge, as they played beautiful basketball in the first three quarters and showed their quality, but collapsed in the fourth quarter and allowed the Kings to complete the comeback, which took a serious blow to their confidence. The Hawks' problems were primarily on the defensive end, and they allowed the Kings to score 37 points in the fourth quarter while they only scored 18 points themselves, and that defensive efficiency was impossible to win. The Eagles' defensive intensity, co-defense awareness, and defensive transitions all need to be improved, and they need to find their resilience and consistency on the defensive end.
Young, the Eagles' key player, also needs to learn from this loss, as he didn't play well enough and failed to take responsibility in crunch time. Young is a talented player whose offensive prowess is unquestionable, but he also needs to improve on the defensive end, leadership, consistency and so on to become a true superstar. Young is still young, he has plenty of time and space to grow, and he needs to learn from this loss, adjust his mentality, keep working hard and lead the Eagles to higher goals.
The Kings' 117-110 win over the Hawks on the road was a shocking comeback and a thought-provoking loss. The Kings showed their resilience and fighting spirit, with both Fox and Sabonis playing to superstar levels to earn them a confident victory. The Hawks collapsed in the fourth quarter, their defense was in trouble, and Young's performance was not as good as they could have been, and they needed to reflect and summarize from this loss to find their form and confidence. It's a great game and an educational game, and hopefully both teams can learn from it and continue to fight on the NBA court."