Next up for the Hawks is the NBA’s top-ranked offense.
No rest for the weary. No easy task for a team trying to end a mounting losing streak.
The Hawks face the Trail Blazers on Wednesday having lost three consecutive and 11 of their past 12 games. Portland leads the league with a 107.8 points-per-game average. By contrast, the Hawks rank 23rd in points allowed, giving up 102.3 points per game.
The Hawks on Sunday allowed 129 points to the Suns, the league’s fifth-ranked offense. Transition defense has been an issue for the Hawks this season. It reared its ugly head against the Suns, the top fast-break offense in the league.
“Transition defense, a lot of it is just a commitment to sprinting back and not worrying about running to your own (man), stopping the ball, taking care of the basket, finding the most dangerous man, things we’ve been talking about all year,” coach Mike Budenholzer said after the 129-120 loss to the Suns.
Despite their scoring output, the Trail Blazers rank only 22nd in fast-break points, meaning the Hawks will have to play a half-court game against another opponent with a considerable height advantage. The Trail Blazers rank first in total rebounds (46.3), fourth in offensive rebounds (12.7) and fifth in defensive rebounds (33.7).
The Hawks (26-32) remain eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, with a three-game lead over the Pistons. The Trail Blazers (41-19) are third in the powerful Western Conference.
The Hawks are close to getting some help in the height department. Center Pero Antic could return after missing the past 17 games with a stress fracture in his right ankle. He was dressed and available against the Suns. He continues to be listed as day-to-day.
All-Star power forward Paul Millsap also is on the mend from a bruised right knee. The Hawks list his status as to-be-determined, and it’s possible he could return for one of the remaining four games on the current western trip.
The trip ends against the Jazz, the team Millsap spent his first nine seasons with before his rights were renounced and he signed with the Hawks as an unrestricted free agent.
“I think we are asking a lot of our guys from a size standpoint, but the guys, often times, have risen to that challenge,” Budenholzer said recently.
“Now, we need them to rise even higher. To a certain degree there is a challenge to our group considering the status of our bigs. Our guards and our wings are busting their butts, but we want more.”
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