The Atlanta Hawks would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. Worst yet, they would not even qualify for the play-in tournament. It features seeds 7-10. Their 117-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers dropped them to 11th in the Eastern Conference.
A disjointed offense and half-efforted defense have largely been the culprits.
Luckily, the season doesn’t end today and they still have plenty of time to get it in gear, though their path won’t get any easier.
They got 21 points and 10 assists from Trae Young as he fell just one rebound shy of a triple-double. But he also shot a paltry 27.3 percent from the floor and was 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.
It could be considered a bit of a disappointment as he had 11 points in the first quarter.
Clint Capela (13 points, 16 rebounds) and John Collins (13 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks) both had double-doubles.
Kevin Huerter might have snapped out of his funk after his one-game absence for rest. He dropped 16 points on 77.8 percent shooting and went 2-of-2 from outside. It is just his second time reaching double-figures in points this season.
Coach Nate liked what he saw from Dre and Kevin, but overall, he wants the Hawks to be choosier on offense. pic.twitter.com/1CpIX9YL3O
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) November 4, 2021
De’Andre Hunter’s big night wasn’t enough to lift the Atlanta Hawks over the Brooklyn Nets
Unfortunately, Atlanta shot 26.7 percent from deep to 48 percent for Brooklyn in the second half.
This included a 15-point (on 71.3 percent shooting) outburst from Nets forward Kevin Durant in the third quarter. He was 2-of-3 from three-point range.
The Hawks went 2-for-8 from outside in the frame while the Nets were 6-for-12 as a team. They also shot about half as many free throws as they did in the win over the Washington Wizards on Monday.
The 4-4 Hawks host the 6-1 Utah Jazz in Atlanta on Thursday so they won’t have much time to dwell on the loss.