Kobe Bufkin’s 31 not enough as Hawks lose preseason finale to Thunder, 104-99

Big night for the young guard.

The Atlanta Hawks were in Oklahoma City to face the Thunder in their preseason finale. After coming off a game the night before against the Miami Heat, head coach Quin Snyder elected to sit most of the starters outside of Dyson Daniels. This is a game where most of the reserves saw minutes, and they made the most of it from the beginning of the game until the end.

The good news for the Hawks was that Onyeka Okongwu was available after missing most of the preseason while he was recovering from toe inflammation. He started off the first quarter strong and was able to get these early points in the paint.

Kobe Bufkin also had a few good plays in the first quarter, getting some three-pointers to go down.

The Hawks were able to go on a run toward the end of the quarter, and Dyson Daniels was the difference-maker, putting pressure on the Thunder’s offense while doing the small things for the Hawks offense.

With all the work that he did in the paint, Okongwu stepped out to the perimeter in the second quarter and knocked down a three.

Mouhamed Gueye had his highlight in the second quarter, getting a dunk over Chet Holmgren.

Bufkin continued his strong play through the first half, finishing with 18 points, three rebounds, and two assists going into halftime.

Going into the third quarter, it was a back-and-forth battle between both teams, and Bufkin continued to have a strong night, hitting a few three-pointers. Garrison Mathews also was able to get in on the fun, as well as David Roddy.

Bufkin found Kevon Harris for this alley-oop late in the third.

The Hawks kept it tight in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to get them the win. Bufkin finished with 31 points, Roddy finished with nine points and 12 rebounds, and Daniels finished with 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

The Hawks open the regular season at home against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 23.