Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce knew that forward Danilo Gallinari was in some sort of zone against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. But just to be sure, Pierce asked the Italian native if he can maintain his immaculate shooting stroke for long. And Gallinari responded with utmost confidence.
After the game, Pierce shared their conversation after he noticed that Gallinari was shooting lights out from deep. Gallinari assured Pierce that he can and will remain hot.
“That first stretch, you see there’s something special going on, the only thing I asked him is ‘Can you keep going?’ He goes ‘I can go 48 right now, coach,’” Pierce said per Sarah K. Spencer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
In the Hawks' 127-112 victory over the Celtics, Gallinari came off the bench and casually dropped 38 points. He started off scorching hot from downtown, hitting all seven 3-point attempts in the first half. He finished the game shooting 10-of-12 from deep.
John Collins echoed Pierce's sentiments. He was in awe of the Italian and the entire Hawks squad loved every single minute of it.
"Gallinari! I mean honestly dude is on fire, could not miss. We love it. The entire team loves it."
– @jcollins20_ on @gallinari8888's career night. pic.twitter.com/RtBopgl0qg
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2021
Below is one of Gallinari's 3-pointers. It was a heat check of some sort. The Italian was 6-of-6 from downtown and tested his stroke by launching it from the logo.
GALLINARI FROM THE LOGO 😳
He's up to 23 Pts, 7-7 from three-point range. pic.twitter.com/wvJoinxn4R
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 25, 2021
So far in the season, Gallinari is averaging just 20.2 minutes per game — the lowest since his rookie year. Perhaps that's the main reason why Pierce was concerned. But after showcasing how much of a potent scorer he is, Hawks fans may see more of the Italian in the coming games.
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