The Raptors have a new look that’s working for them. The Hawks will head into the All-Star break still searching.
Actually, that can wait until after the weekend. In the aftermath of their 104-83 loss to the Raptors Wednesday night, the Hawks were ready to get away from the game.
“We played like a tired team the last few nights,” Hawks forward Kyle Korver said. “We just haven’t been able to bring the juice. We are not talented enough to be a team that doesn’t bring the juice.”
The last time the Hawks lost as many as five consecutive games was a six-game streak to close the 2010-11 regular season. The Hawks (25-26) dipped below .500 this season for the first time since they were 9-10 and face tough tests at Indiana on Tuesday and at home against Washington Wednesday.
Coach Mike Budenholzer said finding a way to the offense back on track will be a focus when the Hawks reunite on Monday. But he didn’t plan to talk to his players about that or anything basketball-related before they dispersed for the weekend.
“I think we are ready for a break,” Budenholzer said. “I think we really like our group. It’s been a tough stretch. We are going to take a break, recharge and re-energize. We will come back and build on a lot of the positive things we had in these first 50 games. I don’t think tonight or even the last (five) games are a reflection of our group.”
The Hawks defeated Toronto 102-95 in their home opener. Since then the Raptors traded Rudy Gay in a seven-player trade Dec. 9 that netted them Patrick Patterson, Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons and Chuck Hayes.
The Raptors (28-24) have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 21-12 since the deal. Entering Wednesday the Hawks and Raptors were among five teams within three games of one another in the Eastern Conference and well behind Indiana and Miami.
Budenholzer said it’s much too early to ponder the standings.
“It’s amazing what can happen in 30 games, good and bad,” Budenholzer said before the game.
Budenholzer said the Hawks are focused on building good habits. They have some work to do.
The Bulls bludgeoned the Hawks with their grinding style in a 100-85 victory Tuesday night. In the Raptors the Hawks faced a smallish opponent willing to engage them in a more free-wheeling game, but Toronto did it better.
Atlanta managed to score just 39 points after halftime.
“I think these last five games have been tough for us,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. “We just can’t find our groove. We’ve been having a lot of scoring droughts, something we are not used to.”
Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 31 points. Kyle Lowry added 16 points and 13 assists for Toronto.
A night after he was overwhelmed by Chicago All-Star Joakim Noah, Hawks center Gustavo Ayon made his first six field-goal attempts and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Hawks forward Paul Millsap scored 17 points.
The pace and the ball movement were crisp for the Hawks early. They recorded an assist on each on their first 15 baskets of the game and might have built a sizable lead if not for careless turnovers and misses on eight of nine 3-point attempts.
Instead, the Hawks trailed 45-44 at the half and faded from there. The Raptors scored 33 points in the third quarter and opened the fourth with a 5-0 spurt for an 83-65 lead.
“I think Toronto deserves credit for their defense,” Budenholzer said. “They played very good defense tonight. We just didn’t play very well. The ball couldn’t go in the hole.”
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