The Hawks know that they have not lived up to their potential through their first 31 games this season.
Now one game above .500, the Hawks have given up double-digit leads in the second half of at least eight of their 31 games, with losses occurring in five of them.
The Hawks led the Magic by 12 points Monday night with 3:03 left after Trae Young made a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Then he drew a technical foul for staring down Magic center Moritz Wagner, who had stiff-armed Young following the shot.
That sparked a fire in the Magic, who then went on a 13-0 run that was capped by a pair of layups by Markelle Fultz in the final 30 seconds of the game, the second of which came with 3.8 seconds remaining. Fultz’s second shot, a reverse layup off a drive straight down the lane, gave the Magic a 125-124 lead. His clutch shot would have sealed the game on most nights, especially after the Hawks turned over the ball twice, gave up a pair of offensive rebounds and went 0-for-4 on shots from the floor in that three-minute span.
But the Hawks have gotten lucky a couple of times this season, especially in games that they seemingly gave away. The Hawks rank 28th in the NBA in fourth-quarter points per game (25.3) and boast the sixth-worst shooting percentage from the floor.
Despite that, Hawks coach Nate McMillan said he was not concerned that his team has a propensity for giving up double-digit leads late in games. After the game Monday, McMillan acknowledged the team is not where it wants to be and is still working to get there. He added the Hawks need to be more consistent, particularly on defense from start to finish.
Despite one-third of the season completed, McMillan said the concern level won’t rise until the season concludes.
“Right now, we’re in the eighth spot,” he said. “Now we’re a game above .500, and the playoffs don’t start tomorrow. So, we got time. When does it really become a concern is at the end of the season, when you don’t accomplish what you (set out to) do. So, right now, we know we need to be better, and we should be getting better. And we have to get more consistent.”
To get there, McMillan, as well as guard Dejounte Murray, acknowledges that the Hawks need to continue learning and growing from each game. Murray and his teammates understand that and know that they’re at the point where actions and words need to begin to line up.
Postgame Monday, Murray mentioned that the team is trying to navigate and grow together. Murray, who returned to the lineup after a five-game absence, also admitted that the string of injuries has hampered the ability to build chemistry among them.
“I think we’re just trying to figure out that identity, who we are,” he said. “You got a bunch of guys in the lineup, out (of) the lineup, guys having to step up and play, then not playing because guys are coming back. So, it’s kind of hard to build that chemistry, and that identity, like that.
“So, I think the main goal is to get healthy, and as we get healthy, I feel like you know, like I said, growing up, and not having situations like this fourth quarter because we have had multiple in the season. You know, so I feel like we’ll get there. But it starts with our health.”
John Collins, who returned to the rotation after missing eight games, added that the players will continue to hold each other accountable in those moments.
“It’s just hard,” Collins said. “Basketball, it’s a hard game. These guys are pros. Everybody in here are pros for a reason. So it’s easy to talk about it and say it. Then going out there and executing it is just another thing.
“It’s really just trying to hold everybody accountable. It’s nothing that we can harp over or be upset about, you know, spilled milk. Just gotta clean it up and continue to, like I said, just hold each other accountable and do our best to win. I feel like winning solves everything, cures all.”
The Hawks have Murray and Collins back in the fold, and they’ll likely see the return of center Clint Capela soon. McMillan said Capela, who worked on running the perimeter Tuesday, was getting closer to returning.
Barring any further injuries, the Hawks will be at their healthiest all season since Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to the lineup eight games ago.
The Hawks are 3-5 since the Serbian sharpshooter returned to the lineup, but they were without Collins, Murray and De’Andre Hunter in that span. Capela has missed the Hawks’ past two games, which the Hawks have won.
With wins in their past two games, the Hawks look to build off that as they hope to benefit from a healthy roster.
The Hawks face the Bulls, whom they beat in overtime Dec. 11, on Wednesday.
