Atlanta Hawks studs and duds as defense, three-ball fail at home

We might be reaching a tipping point with these Atlanta Hawks following their 133-115 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday. It drops their record to 14-15 overall and, now, 8-7 at home on the season after losing their last six at State Farm Arena. It’s quite the juxtaposition of their start at home and of the fact that they’re currently on a five-game winning streak on the road.

Their last loss on the road? Nov 12 against these very Nuggets.

Big, 30-point first and third quarters swung the pendulum in Denver’s favor in that 105-96 defeat just over a month ago.

This time, they put up 43 points in the second quarter alone in addition to 34 points after the break in the third. The Hawks were outscored 77-61 in the middle quarters of a game that felt like more of a “must-win” than it actually was.

The Atlanta Hawks have let State Farm Arena become very welcoming to visitors

Head coach Nate McMillan said he told the team that he questioned their defensive effort for the first time this season after the game. Denver was able to efficiently go about their business, shooting 58.1 percent from the floor and 44.7 percent from beyond the arc while they struggled, shooting 46.6 percent overall but just 29.2 percent from deep.

Denver also had four players finish with at least 20 points while the hosts had just two.

Trae Young led all scorers with 34 points and 10 assists for his 15th double-double of the season, second behind only James Harden among guards, and 100th of his career.

Young shot 44.4 percent from the floor but was 1-for-6 from three and had four turnovers. There were also several possessions where he took questionable long threes early in the shot clock with the Hawks battling back or clinging to a slim lead early in the second quarter.

The Hawks have allowed back-to-back (and three of the last four) visitors to score 130-plus points and have given up an average of 127 points over their last four at home.