Hawks by the numbers: What they say about the team’s losses

When the Hawks are good, they live up to the expectations many had for them at the start of the season. But at 21-25, the Hawks have shown inconsistency that has dropped them further and further in the standings.

The Hawks finally snapped a four-game losing streak after they downed the Grizzlies on the road in Memphis on Wednesday. Fortunately for the Hawks, their schedule continues to lighten over the next few months.

Per Tankathon, the Hawks have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule. The Hawks already have moved through the bulk of their road schedule, having played 26 games away from State Farm Arena. They’ve done pretty well on the road, going 14-12, but they’ve struggled at home, having won only seven of the 20 games played.

This season, the Hawks have been at their best when their defense ranks in the 50th percentile or better for games played that day, according to Cleaning the Glass. Of their 25 losses this season, the Hawks ranked in the 50th percentile or higher only seven times.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, so much of their offense runs on the defense and getting out in transition. So, when their defense suffers, their offense tends to slow down.

“Sometimes, the play to drive and pass is just as important, or sometimes more important than the guy that actually gets the shot,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder told Bob Rathbun on the FanDuel Sports broadcast Wednesday. “And as I said, I think when you make those plays, you’re showing confidence in your teammate. And I think those shots become our shots, instead of one guy’s individual shot. And we got bogged down a little bit in the third quarter (against Memphis). We’re best when the ball moves and we can get out and run.”

This season, the Hawks have averaged 17.9 fast-break points, and they are 11-20 when they score 20 or fewer fast-break points.

“The more we get out and run in transition, the more lethal we are,” Jalen Johnson told Matt Winer postgame on the FanDuel Sports broadcast Wednesday. “And I think we did a great job starting the half like that. And in the second half, we had a little slow start, but fortunately, we were able to pick it back up and continue what we were doing.”

The Hawks have a similar pattern when it comes to points off turnovers. They have an 8-20 record when they score 20 points or fewer off their opponents’ turnovers.

On defense, the Hawks are 19-10 when they give up 20 or fewer fast-break points and 18-13 when they give up 20 or fewer points off turnovers.

But the Hawks also have struggled to keep their opponents out of the paint. They’re 7-20 when they give up 50 or more points in the paint, giving up, on average, 52.5 points in the paint, the ninth most in the NBA. It has them ranked among teams that have the six worst records in the NBA.

As the Hawks move forward, they know that they need to continue honing their strengths. The Hawks play with some of the best pace in the NBA, ranking third over the past 10 games.