Hawks Onyeka Okongwu calls game vs. Celtics in NBA Cup opener
Yesterday at 09:43 PM
In the opening matchup of the 2025 NBA Cup, the game went down to the wire in the Atlanta Hawks showdown against the Boston Celtics.
Down 115-116 during their final offensive possession, Hawks forward David Roddy drove to the basket in the pursuit of a game-winning bucket but was unable to connect, with his shot bouncing in and out of the net as Hawks fans watched on in horror from home. Fortunately, Hawks big Onyeka Okongwu was there with the assist and with the tips of his fingers – literally – he put the ball through the hoop for the go-ahead score.
Onyeka Okongwu tips it in to give the Hawks the lead over the Celtics with 6.1 seconds to go pic.twitter.com/oZgDNYOEaw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 13, 2024
With just 6.1 seconds left to play, the Celtics tried to flip the teeter-totter back in their direction, but in the end, they just couldn’t do it, talking an L in the game and a one-point loss in the NBA Cup standings.
Now, for the Hawks, this is a pretty definitive win for a team that has put more bad than good on the court in 2024. Only two other teams have defeated the Celtics so far this season, and getting a win when Roddy, of all people, was afforded a chance to take the final shot is pretty incredible.
And the best part? The Hawks now have a win and point differential of plus-one in the NBA Cup Standings, which uses both wins and points to determine the ultimate victor. If the Hawks can continue to win in mid-season tournament play, it has the potential to produce fantastic results for a young Atlanta team that is looking to come together under head coach Quin Snyder.
With eight players under 25 on their roster, including 19-year-old rookie Zaccharie Risacher, getting to play some high-leverage games with nothing really on the line could pay dividends six months in the future, when the Hawks are looking to make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
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