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.