ATL ReKap: Hawks Fall Short, Braves' Battle with Yankees, Falcons Eyeing Kirk Cousins

Good evening everyone and welcome back to another blog on ATL ReKap. I hope you all had a wonderful day today as we start a new month in the Lunar calendar, which is pretty cool. Tomorrow marks the first day of Ramadan, so I wish all my readers a Ramadan Mubarak. Ramadan is all about taking time to reflect, change ourselves for the better, and spend time with our loved ones, so to my non-Muslim readers, I encourage you all to partake in this wonderful concept. So let’s jump right into tonight’s blog!

Atlanta Hawks

This evening, the Atlanta Hawks faced Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans, unfortunately falling short 116-103. Bogdan Bogdanovich led the team in scoring, putting up 25 points going 9-19 from the field and 7-15 from beyond the arc. 

With Trae Young out, Bogi has taken advantage of the court putting up crucial points for the team with ease, especially making seven 3-pointers tonight. Bogi finished off the game with a rebound, seven assists, and two steals.

 Dejounte Murray followed Bogi in scoring, putting up a solid 23 points going 7-20 from the field and 4-10 from beyond the arc. DJ had lots of control over the ball tonight as he avoided defenders with his slick ball-handling moves and found open shooters when locked up by the opposition. Murray finished off the game with a rebound, eleven assists, and a steal. 

Clint Capela had a great night tonight putting up 18 points for the Hawks, going 9-13 from the field. Capela found the rim on multiple plays being a key player in the paint, grabbing rebounds, and putting up easy twos. Capela finished the night off with fourteen rebounds and a block. Saddiq Bey put up fourteen points going 3-11 from the field and 3-8 from beyond the arc, with one of those threes being a corner three at the buzzer to mark the end of the third quarter. 

Guard Vit Krejci put up three points but was a crucial player for tonight's game as he had a special bond with Capela, finding him in the paint a couple of times tonight. Krejci also was impressive after stealing a loose ball in the third, confusing a defender with a behind-the-back move, then faking the layup and passing it to Capela who came down with a slam. Krejci finished the game with two rebounds, three assists, and a steal. 

Off the bench, Bruno Fernando shone as he blocked a dunk from the opposing team at the buzzer, saying goodbye to end the first. In the second, Fernando was set right in front of the basket after a missed three, as he came in clutch for the putback dunk. Fernando put up six points going 3-5 from the field, with five rebounds, two assists, and a block. De’Andre Hunter has also been shining off the bench, putting up twelve points tonight going 5-15 from the field and 2-8 from three-point range. Hunter finished the game with six rebounds and two assists. 

The Hawks are set to play the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday evening at 10:00. Stay tuned after the game for a recap!

Atlanta Braves

This afternoon, the Atlanta Braves faced Juan Soto and the New York Yankees in an “America’s Team” matchup. The Braves fell just short of the Yankees with a 9-8 upset. 

The Braves' scoring started early as they loaded the bases with the first three batters, as leadoff hitter Michael Harris II singled on a line drive to center field, and David Fletcher walked. The new addition to the team, Jared Kelenic, singled on a line drive to right field with runners on all bases. Sean Murphy, the next batter up to the plate, doubled on a sharp line drive to left field, clearing the bases with a double RBI to start the game at 3-0. With Murphy in scoring position, Nacho Alvarez Jr. singled on a line drive to right field, bringing home Murphy from third and putting the game at 4-0. 

The scoring continued for the Braves in the fourth, as outfielder Forrest Wall singled on a line drive to right field, and Luke Willams, the next batter then homered on a no-doubter to left field, adding two more runs to the Braves, putting the game at 6-2. 

The Braves tried to come back in the ninth, down 6-9, as Cade Bunnell doubled on a fly ball to right field putting him in scoring position. Ambioris Tavarez then singled on a line drive to first base making it an infield hit and bringing home Bunnell, putting the game at 9-7. This play was significant as there was an error as the ball was deflected by the pitcher putting Tavarez at third with ease. Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. then flew out on a ball to center field as Tavarez tagged the base and took off for home, which concluded the scoring of the game, not enough for the Braves to tie the game. 

A.J. Smith-Shawver started the game for the Braves, pitching three innings, giving up seven hits, four runs, one walk, and striking out three batters. Not the best outing for the pitcher, but I see a lot of potential in him as he is young and has a lot of control over his pitches at his age compared to others. 

The Braves collected a total of eleven hits this afternoon, with Wall leading the count with two, as Harris II, Kilpatrick Jr., Kelenic, Murphy, Keshawn Ogans, Williams, Luis Liberato, Bunnell, and Tavarez each with one.

The Braves are set to face the Minnesota Twins tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 with Spencer Strider taking the mound as he is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Stay tuned after the game tomorrow for a recap!

Atlanta Falcons

Shifting gears to the Falcons, the team is considered a major contender to lure QB Kirk Cousins out of Minnesota once free agency officially opens on Monday at 12 ET, per Jordan Schultz. The Vikings are still trying to retain Cousins, who is the top quarterback on Atlanta’s wishlist.

As we bring this blog to a close, I wish each of you a fantastic rest of the evening. Let's make the most of the day and share some love with our parents and loved ones – they truly deserve it!