While bouncing from College Park to the big club, Brandon Goodwin waited for his opportunity in the spotlight to showcase his skills on the Hawks’ grandest stage. However, when Trae Young was sidelined with a thigh contusion, Goodwin stepped up to the plate. After a 19-point fourth quarter and leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 102-95 win Wednesday night over the Los Angeles Clippers, it was Goodwin who was on the receiving end of a water dousing by the aforementioned Young.
“Obviously, when I first got in there, I wasn’t doing much,” Goodwin said. “When that first 3 fell, I was kind of relieved. I started to hit my shots.”
Jeff Teague started the game for Atlanta, but it was Goodwin that played down the stretch for the Hawks.
“He controlled the offense and made big plays,” Hawks forward John Collins said. “To give us the minutes he did was extremely valuable.”
However, the beginning of the game was not promising for Atlanta. Without Kawhi Leonard who was on supervised load management, Paul George recovering from a hamstring and lock down defender Patrick Beverley missing with an injured right groin, the Clippers built a 21 point lead early in the second quarter.
”Once it became a 10-point game, you’re like, ‘Oh boy, it’s going to be a tough night,’ Clippers head coach Doc Rivers said.
Collins poured in 33 points and 16 rebounds in almost 36 minutes. Rookie Cam Reddish scored 10 points in 21 minutes. Meanwhile, Montrezl Harrell had 30 points in 32 minutes for the Clippers. South Gwinnett High School alum Lou Williams scored 18 points in his return to the Atlanta area.
Atlanta will travel to Oklahoma City this Friday night to face off against the Thunder.
