The Atlanta Hawks have had a rough start to March

The Atlanta Hawks (31-34) are clinging to the final spot in the play-in tournament with the Washington Wizards breathing down their necks and the New York Knicks not totally out of the picture either. A tilt with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday would seem to be a get-right spot with no Paul George or Kawhi Leonard.

But L.A. has won six of its last eight games and beat the Hawks earlier in the season.

Meanwhile, the latest chapter in the Hawks season has been rather disappointing. They have gone 2-3 to start the month of March and have seen several of their silver linings become lead weights.

Their three-point shooting, for example, has fallen off but they just keep on chucking resulting in a 2-11 record when they shoot below 30.0 percent from beyond the arc.

The Atlanta Hawks are sliding in key areas as the season winds down

The Hawks defensive rating in March (five games) is 119.8. That is 6.2 points worse than their mark on the entire season and would be their second-worst mark posted in any month this season beating out a 5-9 December that saw them post a 116.5 defensive rating. They posted a 105.8 defensive rating in October.

Their offensive rating was 106.2 in October as they played just six games.

They have a 117.0 offensive rating this month which is just behind February’s 117.5 mark. But, thanks to their porous defense, their minus-2.7 net rating is behind only their minus-3.4 net rating from December which was thanks to a 113.5 offensive rating.

The Hawks offensive rating in March ranks eighth in the NBA, lower than their second-place ranking on the season but with a higher number.

Their defensive rating, however, ranks 26th.

Per Cleaning the Glass, which removes garbage time, the Hawks have allowed an average of 121 points per 100 possessions over their last four games. They have gone 2-2 in that span beating the Chicago Bulls at the free-throw line before struggling to put away the very same Wizards they are fighting off for a play-in berth.

We talked about some trends to keep an eye on before they returned from the All-Star break. Now, we have our first to watch out for the rest of the way between their waning defense and over-reliance on the three-point shot even when it isn’t falling.

Interestingly enough, the Hawks most inconsistent moments have seemed to come when they have been at their healthiest.

Trae Young still averaged 27.2 points and 10.0 assists to just 2.8 turnovers in March.

But there has been little behind him with even Bogdan Bogdanovic struggling to 28.3 percent shooting from deep in March. That has led to some questionable decisions and shot selection from the superstar point guard late in close games. It has been a stark reminder of the need for a second star despite Bogdanvic’s outburst in February.

At the beginning of the year, it was chemistry and understanding roles. At this point in the season, after they already dodged one bullet trading Cam Reddish, we might have to accept that this is a deeper-rooted issue.