Good, bad, ugly: Hawks have to make stops, give themselves a chance
The Hawks have played many close games this season. They’ve closed out many and fallen short in some. On Tuesday night against the Pistons, they fell short, losing 120-112 at State Farm Arena.
They had the chance to overcome a double-digit deficit, but the execution on the defensive end that saved them in so many of their previous wins did not quite show up.
The Hawks allowed a 9-0 Pistons run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, and they never recovered.
“Even if we don’t get a make or something, a shot up, maybe it’s a rebound, it’s a difference for the game,” Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker said. “(If) they don’t get that transition, maybe we get a stop. I think just finding ways to get stops when we don’t score is most important, because you can’t always control making shots. So, if we can find ways to get stops down the stretch, we will give ourselves a chance.”
The good
The Hawks continue to show that they’re a resilient group of players. One game after rallying from a 22-point deficit in Phoenix, the Hawks charged back from a 19-point crater in the first half and a 14-point hole in the second half.
They got the margin within one point, giving themselves a chance to extend their win streak.
The Hawks (9-6) have needed a closer with Trae Young out, after being in multiple close games so far this season. That has fallen on the shoulders of Alexander-Walker lately.
As the Hawks delve deeper into the season and when they see Young return to the lineup, having multiple players with that kind of experience will prove critical.
The bad
After a hot-shooting West Coast swing, the Hawks couldn’t quite find the same heat. The Hawks made 15 3-pointers but they did take some tough shots that sometimes took the momentum out of some of their runs.
When the Hawks had success, they attacked the basket after drawing the Pistons’ bigs out of the paint. The Hawks were 27-of-43 on their 2-point field goal attempts and it was often when the Hawks were most decisive.
The ugly
In the five games leading up to Tuesday’s action, the Hawks seemed to have made a breakthrough with their offense. The Hawks had done a better job of making decisive reads to keep the ball moving to find optimal shots.
But on Tuesday, the Hawks stumbled against some of the Pistons’ defensive coverages. They ran into a couple of shot-clock violations late in the game, while also struggling to limit live-ball turnovers.
The Hawks ended the night with 19 turnovers, and the Pistons converted 30 points from those.
“I thought we did a good job on our defensive boards, that there were a few occasions when a screen would get blown up, we wouldn’t finish the cut,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “We’ve got to keep playing through those situations. You’ve got to keep working.
“I think those of you that have watched us play for the last few games, and we’re competing. We’re running. We’re doing the things we need to do. Getting in a game like this, there’s no moral victories in that. There’s an opportunity to learn. That’s what we’re gonna try to do. And taking care of the ball. Is something certainly that we need to keep focused on.”
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