HAWKS: Streak’s end isn’t end of all that ails 7-4 club

On the surface, the Hawks’ 7-4 record looks good considering their rugged early season schedule.

It’s when you focus on how the Hawks got to that mark that you understand why the team is less than impressed.

“With the quality of the teams we beat to go 6-0 and the quality of the teams we lost to on our 0-4 stretch, it stings a little bit,” Hawks guard/forward Mo Evans said. “But to be 7-4 this far … it’s a long season. What we know is that we were a much better team during that 6-0 stretch than we are in our last five games.

“And even in going 6-0 we still had chemistry issues, depth issues and still trying to find out minutes and shots and all that kind of stuff. Now with the injuries, we’re throwing guys in … so we still have a lot of issues to work out. But that’s what goes into an 82-game season, and that’s what makes it special when you get to the playoffs and have a successful season.”

Getting to this point with only four games from Josh Smith (ankle sprain), and with Al Horford (ankle sprain) playing only 6 minutes, 48 seconds of the past two games speaks volumes about what the Hawks have done.

They have played nearly twice as many road games (4-3 record) as they have home games (3-1). Nitpicking about the results after such a small sample seems a bit premature. Still, when you start 6-0, the expectations, internal and otherwise, get inflated.

“I’ll take 7-4 over 6-5,” Horford said. “I felt like guys really stepped up at that place where we needed it, and that’s something to build on. We’ve got another big game [against Charlotte tonight]. And if we take care of our business, we’ll be headed in the right direction.”

That direction includes a return to the team that played swarming defense, shared the ball and trusted each other during the six-game winning stretch.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson spoke repeatedly about his team’s sagging “trust factor” during their week of disarray before Wednesday’s win over Washington. He explained what he meant after practice Thursday.

“We can’t be a team that when we lose a game or two we hang our heads and not play with high energy,” Woodson said. “I don’t want to see that. When you get down and adversity smacks you in the face a little bit, you can’t run from it. I want guys to do something about it, like they did [Wednesday night]. They willed themselves to win that game.”

Woodson knows his team has matured from a year ago, when it would have struggled mightily to pull out a win like Wednesday’s. Against the Wizards, the Hawks battled back from a four-point deficit in the final 65 seconds.

“Listen, we know it could have been better,” Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said of his team’s start. “Going 6-0 gave us a little cushion, but we’ve still got a lot more work ahead of us. Our last four games, really our last five, haven’t been worth a thing.

“We just have to get some guys back healthy and we’ll be all right.”

Injury updates

Horford and Smith worked out on their own Thursday. Smith ran on the treadmill for the first time, although he isn’t expected to resume practice or play until after Thanksgiving. Horford had treatment on his right ankle and did some on-court work and shooting drills alongside Zaza Pachulia. Horford said he’ll see how he feels at the shootaround this morning and will try to play against the Bobcats.