TITLE: Southeast Roundup: Snyder Hits 500 Wins, Hornets Stumble Late, Wizards Manage Minutes
SLUG: southeast-roundup-snyder-500th-win-hornets-wizards
CONTENT:
ATLANTA — Quin Snyder became the 41st head coach in NBA history to reach 500 career victories Saturday, guiding the surging Hawks to their 15th win in 17 games. Atlanta’s 121-108 triumph over Sacramento moved the club to 42-33 and kept it sixth in a tightly packed Eastern Conference race.
“When you’ve been in this league for a while, you realize the record belongs to the players and everyone around you,” Snyder said post-game. The 12-year veteran coach owns a 500-396 mark (.558) between his tenures with Utah and Atlanta.
Center Jock Landale, acquired at the trade deadline, praised Snyder after producing 19 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks as a spot starter. “Quin’s incredible. He’s been instrumental in getting me up to speed, and all 17 of us would say the same thing,” Landale noted.
Hornets’ Win Streak Ends in Philadelphia
Charlotte arrived in Philadelphia with five straight wins and victories in 23 of its previous 29 outings. The Hornets led the 76ers by five entering the fourth quarter but shot 0-for-4 on twos and 5-for-18 on threes down the stretch, falling 104-97.
Head coach Charles Lee said missed shots affected the defense. “Our shot-making can’t affect our defense, and I thought it did a little bit,” Lee explained, pointing to lapses in physicality, back-door cuts and offensive rebounds.
Rookie wing Kon Knueppel grabbed 11 boards but finished 3-for-14 from the field, his third-worst shooting night of the season. The No. 4 overall pick is averaging 19.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting .485/.434/.864 in 73 games. Sixers coach Nick Nurse called Knueppel “a hooper” who contributes in every facet and owns “elite” shooting ability.
Washington Limits Minutes in Narrow Loss
Second-year forward Bilal Coulibaly scored 21 points with six rebounds during the Wizards’ 113-109 defeat to Golden State on Friday but logged only 19 minutes and did not appear in the fourth quarter. Rookie guard Bub Carrington (16 points, five assists in 26 minutes) also sat the final period, and center Alex Sarr fouled out in the third.
Head coach Brian Keefe said all three had reached predetermined minutes limits. “We’re prioritizing health and didn’t want to disrupt our rotations,” Keefe told reporters.
Guard Jaden Hardy, acquired from Dallas in last month’s Anthony Davis trade, is averaging 13.3 points on 43.9% three-point shooting over 18 games (20.4 minutes per contest) with Washington. “There are a bunch of players who haven’t gotten their opportunity,” Hardy said. “If you get it, you have to take full advantage, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Source: Hoops Rumors
