There might be some doubt starting to creep in for the Atlanta Hawks faithful following their 132-126 loss at home to the previously struggling Houston Rockets. Now 13-14, they find themselves below .500 for the first time since before beating the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov 22.
They’re just 2-5 in their last seven games and have lost five in a row on their home floor, bringing their record there to 8-6 this season.
Worst of all, they led by as much as 19 points in this contest only to have another fourth-quarter meltdown, this time of the defensive variety. They would see themselves get outscored 44-25 in the final 12 minutes.
After the game, Nate McMillan spoke on not matching the Rockets intensity.
Nate McMillan thought the Hawks didn't match the Rockets' intensity in the fourth quarter. pic.twitter.com/fOWdxEEkYJ
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) December 14, 2021
The Atlanta Hawks got “outworked” by a bad Rockets team in another brutal 4Q
John Collins had 12 points with five points on 1-of-4 shooting in the fourth quarter while going 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. He also snagged a couple of rebounds but tied Cam Reddish as a team-worst minus-19.
Clint Capela had a rather quiet 12 points but snatched 16 rebounds. He did miss a pair of big free throws down the stretch.
The Hawks struggled to contain veterans D.J. Augustin and Eric Gordon late as the duo combined for 26 points on 80 percent shooting and went 6-of-7 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter alone. Gordon finished with 32 points while Augustin had 22 points, 16 of which came in the fourth.