The Atlanta Hawks won their nineteenth consecutive game last night, setting a NBA record for most victories (17) over a calendar month in the process. But the Philadelphia 76ers made Atlanta’s task much harder than most anticipated due in part to plays like from Nerlens Noel. Watch the rookie defensive ace live up to that billing with a towering block of Kent Bazemore’s dunk attempt during his team’s hard-fought loss to the Eastern Conference leaders.
Sick.
Noel continued his strong recent play by scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against the Hawks for this third double-double of the month – he had four all season coming into January. Bazemore, meanwhile, struggled his way to just three points on 1-of-6 shooting in 30 minutes of playing time.
Though the hyper-athletic lefty won’t start for Atlanta once DeMarre Carroll returns to the lineup after resting versus Philly, he’s still due a major increase in playing time with Thabo Sefolosha sidelined six-to-eight weeks. And while Bazemore is a defender first and foremost, the Hawks certainly expect more from him on the other end going forward than they got on Saturday.
Atlanta, by the way, now holds the league’s best record at an incredible 40-8.
(GIF via r/nba user NamesNotCrindy)
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