CJ McCollum channels Dory amid Hawks’ 3-game winning streak

On Wednesday night, the Atlanta Hawks continued their surge up the Eastern Conference standings with a dominant road win over the Orlando Magic by a score of 130-101. The victory pushed Atlanta’s record after the All-Star break to 18-3, and moved them into sole possession of fifth place in the playoff race.

On Thursday, NBA analyst Evan Sidery brought some key stats to light about the Hawks’ success since trading for CJ McCollum.

“The Hawks have the best starting lineup in the NBA since trading Trae Young for CJ McCollum: 123.9 Offensive Rating, (1st), 100.8 Defensive Rating (1st), +23.1 Net Rating (1st),” reported Sidery on X, formerly Twitter.

McCollum then took to the social media platform to quote tweet Sidery’s post with a message of his own.

“Just keep swimming and when they hate, let em hate and watch the money pile up,” wrote McCollum.

McCollum has been a revelation since joining the Hawks via a trade with the Washington Wizards, providing elite shot creation and mostly holding up on the defensive end of the floor, while also giving the team a veteran presence to help them stay poised in close games.

Few could have seen the Hawks’ sudden surge up the standings coming a couple of months ago, when the team entered the All-Star break at 26-30 and looked to be heading for another season in the play-in tournament. Atlanta hasn’t yet fully solidified their playoff spot just yet, so they will need to keep up the winning down the stretch in order to finally break free of that carousel.

For now, however, Hawks fans have to be thrilled with the team’s shocking turnaround. The Hawks will look to pick up their fourth straight win on Friday evening when they hit the road to face the Brooklyn Nets.

The post CJ McCollum channels Dory amid Hawks’ 3-game winning streak appeared first on ClutchPoints.