NATE MCMILLAN NAMED NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE COACH of the MONTH Interim Head Coach Led Hawks on an Eight-Game Winning Streak and Their Best Month Since January 2017
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 4/1/21 CONTACT: Hawks Communications, (404) 878-3800 NATE MCMILLAN NAMED NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE COACH OF THE MONTH Interim Head Coach Led Hawks on an Eight-Game Winning Streak and Their Best Month Since January 2017 ATLANTA – Atlanta Hawks Interim Head Coach Nate McMillan was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for March, it was announced today by the NBA. McMillan, who was named interim head coach on March 1, led the Hawks to an 8-0 start to begin the month and became the first NBA coach to win his opening eight games after taking over in-season since 2003-04. The eight-game stretch of wins was Atlanta’s longest streak since the club won 19 straight from 12/27/14-1/31/15. The Hawks won five consecutive road games during the streak, their longest run of visiting victories since taking five in a row from 1/4/17- 1/16/17. Atlanta’s defense allowed the East’s two lowest single-game scores of the month, limiting Miami to 80 points on March 2 and holding Cleveland to 82 points on March 14. Overall, Atlanta allowed the NBA’s second-fewest points per game in March (105.7) and the East’s third-lowest FG% (.450). The Hawks posted the conference’s second-best point differential (+5.0) and the third-highest FG% differential (+.027). From March 13-18, the Hawks won four straight games by 12-or-more points, Atlanta’s longest streak of 12-point victories since winning four in a row from 12/5/14-12/10/14. The Hawks finished March with a 9-4 record, good for a .692 winning percentage, Atlanta’s best monthly mark (min. five games played) since earning a .733 winning percentage in January 2017. This is the eighth time a Hawks coach has received a Coach of the Month honor and the first time since January 2015. This marks the seventh time McMillan has won Conference Coach of the Month during his career. Phoenix Suns Head Coach Monty Williams, an assistant coach on McMillan’s staff in Portland from 2005-10, was named NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month. # TrueToAtlanta # ABOUT THE ATLANTA HAWKS Committed to entertaining and uniting the city of Atlanta since 1968, the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena, under the leadership of Principal Owners Tony Ressler and Jami Gertz, continue to build bridges through basketball by following its True to Atlanta mantra. On the court, the Hawks’ exciting young core is led by All-Star point guard Trae Young as the organization received the NBA’s top ranking in overall in-game experience for the last two seasons. Off the court, the Hawks organization focuses on positively impacting the lives of Atlantans through providing access to youth basketball, fighting food insecurity, and the recent transformation of State Farm Arena into Georgia’s largest-ever voting precinct for the 2020 elections. The Hawks family also includes the College Park Skyhawks (NBA G League) and Hawks Talon Gaming Club (NBA 2K League). Atlanta Hawks Membership, which includes your seat for every home game for the 2020-21 regular season, is on sale now at www.hawks.com/membership or by calling 866-715- 1500. For more information on the Hawks, log on to www.hawks.com or follow us on social media @ATLHawks. .