ATLANTA – It’s one of sport’s oddities that Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer can explain, but he’s not complaining, not after his team beat the Timberwolves 105-100 Monday night at Philips Arena.
His Hawks had the NBA’s worst record entering Monday’s game, but they also had beaten their last five Western Conference opponents at home.
Make that six now.
They did so by prevailing a Wolves team that made a variety of mistakes when it mattered most.
As the game’s final six minutes ticked away, they committed consecutive technical fouls, missed a free throw that would have completed a clutch three-point play and were called for a inbounds violation when Jeff Teague failed to get the ball into play with 14.