Okongwu career game powers Hawks to 120-116 opening night victory

A nervy game brought home in the final moments.

The Hawks kicked off their 2024-25 campaign with a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. The first starting lineup of the season was a defense-orientated selection: Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela.

The team got off to a hot start, coming away with points on each of their first five possessions in the new season.

Trae Young is still Trae Young, even with a prominent new beard.

After that, the Hawks hit a lull and allowed the Nets to chip away until a 9-0 Brooklyn run tied the game at 13.

No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher entered the game late in the first quarter for his first ever NBA action — and he didn’t waste any time making his mark on the game.

It was a strong first quarter, even with a mild sputter in the middle section, and the Hawks grabbed ahold of a 30-24 edge after 12 minutes.

However, the Hawks had a rocky opening to the second quarter. With Trae Young on the bench and Vit Krejci backing him up, the Hawks looked a step slow and the Nets hit some transition threes to build as much as a 6-point lead at one point.

But Onyeka Okongwu did his best to claw the Hawks back, with one emphatic block on one end and rim running finishes on the other. He finished the first half a perfect 7-for-7 from the field for a team-high 14 points.

But the Hawks really scuffled from deep in that period, going just 1-for-8 (13%), and as a result, the Brooklyn Nets took a 55-51 lead into the locker rooms at half.

In the third quarter, the Hawks quickly pulled even at 61-61 behind some stiff defense, led by Dyson Daniels who made life for Cam Thomas rough all night long. From there, it was pretty back and forth affair for essentially the rest of the period.

Trae Young continues to be saucy even in a new season.

The teams were aptly knotted at 83 apiece with both teams displaying clear Game 1 rust.

The Hawks had a strong defensive start to the quarter even with Daniels and Capela on the bench. Things did get a bit dicey when Daniels returned, however.

On a fastbreak, Dyson Daniels went to lay a ball up and was met with the arm of Nic Claxton, and a mild scuffle past the goal stanchion ensued.

The referees reviewed the incident and deemed that Claxton winded up and hit Daniels, and for that he was hit with a Flagrant-2 foul and an ejection.

There was a similar incident less than a minute later — this time a Cam Thomas foul on De’Andre Hunter. This one was ruled just a common foul, but both Thomas and Okongwu picked up technicals for the aftermath.

From there, the Hawks surged ahead as the game headed into crunch time. Daniels had some big contributions on offense, like on this pocket pass to free Okongwu for yet another dunk.

But the Nets stubbornly wouldn’t go away. Cam Thomas in particular shot his team back into the proceedings, including a miracle three-point shot after a bad Jalen Johnson inbound. But Onyeka Okongwu’s career game was just enough to get the Hawks over the finish line.

The Hawks eventually and mercifully closed the Nets out, 120-116, for the first win in as many opportunities this season.

Okongwu’s previous career high in scoring was 22 points, and he far eclipsed that mark with 28 points on just 11-for-12 (93%) shooting with eight rebounds to boot. Trae Young had a stellar opening night with 30 points and 12 assists. Dyson Daniels added 15 points, five steals, and hounding defense in 34 minutes of action.

The Hawks will have a day off before welcoming the Charlotte Hornets to town for a Friday night game also in State Farm Arena.