Hawks Talon looking to improve after opening series

Coming off a strong performance in its 2021 tournament debut, Hawks Talon Gaming, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks, lost its first two regular season games Thursday night. Despite flashes of chemistry and offensive firepower, Hawks Talon was simply overwhelmed by Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets by scores of 85-71 and 71-65.

Hornets Venom GT continued to create high percentage shots throughout the night, displaying fluid ball movement and an offensive chemistry that Hawks Talon struggled to match. Hawks Talon head coach Wesley Acuff, who spoke on the importance of defensive improvement going into Thursday’s matchups, was not pleased with all he saw from his team in the losses.

“Obviously, today, we’ll hit the lab, watch some film and figure out what we did wrong,” Acuff said. “We struggled to get things going on the offensive end a little bit, but mainly the defense is what crushed us yesterday, so (we’ve) just got to get more in sync with each other and figure out what we did wrong.”

Second year center Lee Lamb (LEE) also saw these defensive struggles, but believes his team will return to the team it appeared to be in its opening tournament last week.

“The glimpse there that we can be a top team as far as when everyone is locked in and we’re all looking good together playing as one unit, we’re definitely a top-tier team. It’s just about the consistency. The first game of the season didn’t go how we wanted, but it’s time to bounce back. As far as my guys, I definitely believe in them and I definitely believe we’re going to get the consistency factor down pat,” Lamb said.

Lamb and the rest of his team will get that opportunity tomorrow night with two regular season games against Grizz Gaming, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Memphis Grizzlies. Hawks Talon is 1-1 against Grizz Gaming this year and is looking to correct the mistakes it made in its loss to the team.

“Playing them before, it gives us good intel on where they’re currently at,” Lamb said. “We have to play like we’re not afraid to make a mistake and everybody has to buy into that system and when we do that, our defense is going to start to look better.”

Acuff and company will also play against a familiar face Saturday night. Small forward Kwan Niblack (followTHEGOD) spent last season with Hawks Talon before being acquired by Grizz Gaming in the league’s draft. Despite the enhanced familiarity coming from a former teammate, Lamb does not expect any extra problems coming from Niblack.

“No disrespect to my guy follow, that’s my boy over there, but we’ve got a dog in our point guard in CEEZ (Caesar A. Martinez) so I’m not really expecting too much out of him. He’s going to go out there and he’s going to get fried,” said Lamb.

Hawks Talon will face Grizz Gaming Saturday night at 9 P.M. The two games will be simulcast live on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels. Games will also be available on ESRevolution, Loco in India, Sport1 in Europe and Dash Radio.

“These are my guys,” Lamb said. “We’re here for six months together and it’s just time to go out there and win. We’re a family and it’s do or die.”