NBA 2018-19: Golden State Warriors vs Atlanta Hawks: 3 Talking Points

Final Score: Warriors defeat Hawks, 110-103

The Warriors were on the second night of a back-to-back after losing to the Los Angeles Clippers on the road. They were back in Golden State and played hosts to the Atlanta Hawks who were 3-10 to start the season.

Draymond Green was suspended one game without pay by the Warriors after his altercation with Kevin Durant spilled over into the locker room. Stephen Curry was also out of action as he is yet to recover fully from the left groin strain suffered during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson combined for 53 points for the Warriors and led the team to the victory. For Atlanta Hawks, Taurean Prince was the high-scorer with 22 points and was very efficient from the field. Let us take a look at three talking points from this matchup.

---

#3 Jonas Jerebko's double-double night

Jonas Jerebko's first double-double in

Warriors

jersey

Stat line: 14 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists on 50.0 % shooting

Jonas Jerebko has been incredible for the Warriors so far and even had a game-winning tip-in against his former team, Utah Jazz in October. Steve Kerr has a lot of faith in Jerebko and he is seeing a lot of minutes.

In the game against the Hawks, he put together his first double-double in Warriors jersey and finished the game with 14 points and 13 rebounds. In the absence of All-Star center Draymond Green, he stepped up his game and played a huge part in the win.

It is a known fact that the power forward is a reliable threat from the three-point line and he knocked down 4-for-7 to trouble the Hawks. With his shooting ability, he spread the floor perfectly and was +23 on the night.

#2 Taurean Prince

Taurean Prince had himself a night

Stat line: 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 57.1 % shooting

After starting in all 82 regular-season games last season, Taurean Prince has shown a lot of improvement early in the season and in the game against Los Angeles Lakers, he scored 23 points on the road in a tough one-point loss.

Two nights later, he came up with a strong performance once again against the two-time consecutive champions but his efforts could not lead the Hawks to the win.

He made 3 three-pointers in the second quarter and led the Hawks to a 3-point lead at half-time, 52-49. He went 8-for-14 from the field, with a field-goal percentage of 57.1, to finish the game with 23 points, to go along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He also connected 4-for-7 from the long range and helped the Hawks compete on the road.

#1 Kevin Durant's 29 point performance

Kevin Durant had 29 points on the night

Stat line: 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a block on 39.1 % shooting

Kevin Durant was red-hot in the game against Los Angeles Clippers and scored 33 points on 41.7 percent shooting. He picked up where he left off and scored game-high 29 points against the Hawks.

Durant went hot to start the game and had 11 points only in the first quarter. He finished the night shooting 9-for-23 from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line going for 11-11. He also had 6 rebounds and 3 assists on the night.

In the fourth quarter, with the Warriors up by 5 and 42.8 seconds remaining, Durant hit a fade-away jumper to deliver the dagger. The two-time finals MVP is averaging 27.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists on a ridiculous 53.1 shooting this season.