The Hawks came into this contest with their postseason fate having already been sealed. Atlanta will finish with the 10th-best record in the Eastern Conference, and they will have to travel to the 9-seed Chicago Bulls to stave off elimination next week.
For that reason (and especially following a double-overtime game against the Miami Heat this past Tuesday), Quin Snyder has opted to forgo fighting for every win. Instead, he rested his taxed starters in the fourth quarter Friday night in advance of the game on the horizon that really matters.
So while the Hawks showed a ton of fight through three quarters and change, their 109-106 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves — who were scrapping and clawing for the 1-seed in the Western Conference the entire way — is a positive takeaway in a season full of negatives.