Flawless night from Dennis Schroder impactful for Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder became the first player this season to post 15 assists and zero turnovers.
The Atlanta Hawks needed an epic performance from Dennis Schroder to claim a victory in consecutive games for just the second time this season.
Facing the New Orleans Pelicans and star forward Anthony Davis — the explosive scorer that had totaled 93 points in his previous two games — the Hawks needed Schroder to find another way to make an impact as his shot wasn’t falling.
All season long, Schroder has been the most consistent scorer for Atlanta, leading the team in total points scored (823) and scoring average (20.1 points per game).
Schroder has scored 20 or more points in 22 of his 41 appearances this season, with two coming in his previous two games, but the Pelicans limited him to 4-of-16 shooting on the night. Instead of scoring points himself, Schroder instead focused on creating easy scoring attempts for his teammates.
As the third quarter was winding down, Schroder found Malcolm Delaney for his 10th assist of the night, marking the fifth time this season he has totaled a double-digit assist total.
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Once the game entered crunch time, the passing of Schroder was crisp, as he helped Atlanta erase a five-point deficit with just over two minutes remaining.
In a span of just 27 seconds, Schroder found Kent Bazemore dashing to the rim for a pair of layups, and with just over a minute remaining, Ersan Ilyasova turned one of his passes into a 3-pointer, tying the game at 92.
A free throw from DeMarcus Cousins with 13 seconds remaining allowed the Hawks an opportunity to claim a victory on the final possession.
A simple bounce pass from Schroder went to Bazemore. A crossover dribble created enough space away from Davis for an open look from 18 feet out and swished through the net, giving the Atlanta Hawks a 94-93 advantage with 2.1 seconds remaining.
A desperate attempt from Cousins five feet away from the rim fell out, capping a flawless night from Schroder.
Dennis Schroder dished 15 AST without committing a turnover in the @ATLHawks' win last night! He is the first Hawks player in 23 years to produce that many AST without a turnover. pic.twitter.com/zQ3zpOqYzU
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) January 18, 2018
Since the 1983-84 season, Doc Rivers and Mookie Blaylock are the only players in franchise history other than Schroder to collect at least 15 assists without turning the ball over.
No turnovers have been a rarity for Schroder, as his 258 turnovers a year ago ranked as the sixth-most in the league.
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Only this year, he has managed to take much better care of the ball. Schroder has managed to reduce his turnover average from 3.3 a game a year ago down to 2.6 a night in 2017-18.
Schroder has played 326 games in his career and has finished with zero turnovers just 44 times. The figure is a bit bloated since he has only be starting for two seasons, and since he supplanted Jeff Teague as the franchise point guard, he has only logged five games with zero turnovers.
The figure last night is especially impressive considering Schroder spent nearly 34 minutes on the floor, with the Pelicans’ defensive efforts focused on containing him.
The passing of Schroder led to 34 points on the night for Atlanta, accounting for 36.1 percent of the total points scored by the team.
The 15th assist of the night from Schroder not only matched a career-high, but improved the Atlanta Hawks record to 13-31. The win took Atlanta out of the league’s basement and instead into a tie with the Orlando Magic and the Sacramento Kings for the worst record in the league.
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The 2017-18 campaign has been a struggle for the Atlanta Hawks, and even on a flawless night from their franchise point guard, the team had to claw its way to a victory in the final seconds.