Hawks meek in losing third straight

By Michael Cunningham

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Hawks started fast, but they fizzled even faster.

That's what happened to them in their 108-91 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at Philips Arena, and it also describes the early trajectory of their season. All the positive buzz the Hawks generated during their 6-0 start has dissipated amid three consecutive losses to the best teams they have played to date.

The shine from the undefeated start to the season took a hit with each turnover, ill-advised shot and halfhearted effort to play defense against the Bucks. The Hawks weren't competitive after the first quarter, and by the end fans booed them and their starters watched the fourth quarter from the bench.

It was one thing for the Hawks to lose to the Suns because they couldn't slow Steve Nash and to the Magic because they couldn't make plays late. But this time the Hawks were outworked by an opponent that had played the night before, and they essentially surrendered instead of responding.

"Very, very dispiriting," Hawks coach Larry Drew said.

The Hawks had talked about being a different team this season after the strong start to the season and a rare competitive effort against Orlando on Monday. Instead, the Hawks returned home and displayed some of the same traits that led to the Magic sweeping them from the playoffs last spring.

The Hawks' offense bogged down with turnovers and poor execution, and the scoring droughts led to sagging defensive energy. Once the game turned against them, Hawks players bickered at each other instead of digging in.

"We didn't play together," Hawks forward Josh Smith said. "When adversity hit us in the face, we went our separate ways. That's not the team we want to be."

Just four days ago the Hawks were the only unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference. They had won four road games and seemed to be developing an ability to stay in tough games and hang on for close victories.

After the dreadful showing against the Bucks and with Utah coming to town Friday off consecutive comeback road wins against Miami and Orlando, the Hawks suddenly face the possibility of a four-game losing streak.

"When it gets a little tough, I don't want to see guys hanging their heads; I don't want to see guys giving up," Drew said.

The Hawks' body language suggested that's what they did once Milwaukee rallied from an early deficit.

The Hawks raced to a 22-9 lead by making nine of their first 11 shots. By halftime, the Bucks were ahead 54-40 and they led 63-41 early in the third quarter.

"I don't understand what happened between the start of the game and the end of the first quarter," Hawks center Al Horford said. "I thought we had a good thing going."

The Bucks played Tuesday while the Hawks enjoyed a day off after back-to-back games, but it was hard to tell. After the slow start, the Bucks were quicker, more physical and more energetic than the Hawks.

The Bucks outscored the Hawks 33-14 in the second quarter. That represented both the lowest-scoring period and the most points allowed in a quarter for the Hawks this season.

Milwaukee's comeback started when both teams started sending in their reserves, who combined to score 57 points. The same thing happened to the Hawks in the losses to Phoenix and Orlando.

"The minute I started subbing, we went dead in the water," Drew said.