Most were at a loss for words.
The Hawks had an elusive victory within reach and they let it slip away. The result was an eighth straight loss that left Hawks players struggling to for what to say about their current state.
The Hawks failed to hold a double-digit second-half lead, after one of the best quarters in the NBA this season, en route to a 115-107 loss to the Pistons Friday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The Hawks (25-29) are now eighth in the Eastern Conference, percentage points behind the Bobcats. They are 2-1/2 games ahead of the Pistons for the final playoff spot. They were third in the East when the losing streak began. The last time the Hawks lost eight straight was between Dec. 16, 2006 and Jan. 5, 2007.
“We are just hungry for a win,” Elton Brand said. “We have a lot of injuries, a lot of guys out, but we feel like we can get a double-digit lead on a team and find a way. We have enough talent to find a way to do it.”
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 23 points and eight rebounds. Shelvin Mack scored a career-high 21 points filling in for the injured Jeff Teague – the latest in rash of injuries that have befallen the team. Mike Scott added 20 points and Lou Williams had 15 points. Kyle Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 123 games with a 3-pointer.
The Hawks went to the Hack-A-Drummond strategy with 4:20 left in the game. Down 102-98, they fouled center Andre Drummond on two consecutive trips. He missed all four attempts, and was 0-for-8 for the game, and the Hawks pulled to within two points on a Scott basket. The Pistons took him out of the game for the final 3:30. Another Scott basket tied the game at 102-102.
However, Kyle Singler hit a 3-pointer with 1:55 left for a 107-104 Pistons lead. After a Scott miss at the shot-clock buzzer, and a Mack miss of the rebound, Will Bynum completed a three-point play for a six-point lead with 1:06 left. After two Millsap free throws, Singler hit another corner 3-pointer with 30.1 seconds left for a 113-106 advantage.
Game over.
“It helped us stay in the game,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of the strategy. “He missed several. I don’t think we scored on the other end every time but it gave us an opportunity. He had a heck of a game. He is a heck of a young player. At that time, we felt it was the best way for us to find a way to win a game.”
The Pistons (23-32) snapped a three-game losing streak, overall and to the Hawks.
Greg Monroe led the team with 22 points. Drummond and Singler added 20 points apiece. Former Hawk Josh Smith had 17 points. He had a total of 11 points in the two previous games between the teams this season.
The Pistons won the game in the third quarter when they erased the Hawks’ 13-point lead. They outscored the Hawks 34-20 in the period. They erased the deficit when Brandon Jennings scored 12 of 14 Pistons’ points for an 82-79 advantage. They took an 86-83 lead into the final quarter.
The Hawks led by double-digits and took a 63-52 lead into halftime with a white-hot second quarter. The Hawks scored 41 points in the period on 17 of 20 (85 percent) shooting. At one point they made 17 of 18 shots, including 13 straight. It was the second-best field-goal percentage by any team in a quarter this season. The Nuggets were 13 of 15 (86.7 percent) in the fourth quarter of a Dec. 1 game against the Raptors. The 13 straight field goals tied the season high by any team. The Mavericks also made 13 straight Nov. 20 against the Rockets.
Scott had the first 10 points of the second quarter and Williams added eight points, including a steal and emphatic break-away dunk. The Hawks bench – of just Williams, Scott and Cartier Martin combined for 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting in the first half.
“It’s not a good feeling,” said DeMarre Carroll, who returned to the lineup after missing three games. “We thought we should have won this one. They had a great third quarter. We just have to try to get one and build off that. Right now, it’s no fun because we are losing.”
The Hawks host the Knicks Saturday, their fourth game in five days.
