HAWKS REPORT

> TIME TO TIGHTEN UP: Now that his team is finally all grown up in the experience department, Hawks coach Mike Woodson insists that they do the same with their actions on the court.

He’s seen too much inattention to detail lately, and it’s cost his team during this road trip, where they’ve dropped two games in the late stages because they couldn’t maintain their focus long enough to finish off the Dallas and Houston.

“It’s like [Tuesday night in Houston], Josh Smith hit that 3-pointer to put us up eight and everybody is so happy and they just stop playing,” Woodson said. “And you saw the stretch to the end the game —- it was crazy. Instead of playing the way we did to get back in the game, we just went crazy. And it’s all related to the dumb stuff we’re doing.

“We’ve got to be mentally tougher in terms of doing the things we’re supposed to do. Because when I can watch film and we come out of a timeout and don’t execute the things we’ve been taught to do, I know we’ve had some slippage.”

> READY FOR WHATEVER: Both the Hawks and Spurs played games that went down to the wire Tuesday night, the Hawks losing to the Rockets and the Spurs knocking off the Mavericks in double overtime in Dallas.

The Spurs being the oldest team in the league and the Hawks being the sixth youngest would seem to give the Hawks an edge in the bounce-back energy department.

But that’s only in theory. And Woodson doesn’t subscribe to that theory. Not with the championship banners hanging over the team’s heads at the AT&T Center Wednesday night.

“This team has won enough titles and been in enough tough situations that nothing, and I mean nothing, fazes them,” Woodson said.

> ANOTHER SLOW START: The Hawks got off to their second straight slow start Wednesday night, going down 20-8 with 3:33 to play in the first quarter behind a 28 percent (4-for-14) shooting performance.

They managed just 16 points in the first quarter against the Rockets Tuesday night. The Hawks trailed by as many as 13 points in the first quarter both nights.