Hawks search for consistency continues after another unlikely road win

Here we go again.

The Hawks are coming off an improbable victory on the road. The latest is a 109-108 victory over the Nuggets Friday in which the Hawks trailed by eight points with 1:43 remaining.

The Hawks have won four straight road games - at the Bucks, Raptors, Thunder and Nuggets. Each victory came in unlikely fashion. They were down by 20 to the Bucks. They defeated the Raptors less than two weeks after losing by 44 points on the same court. They avenged a home loss to the Thunder by winning without starting center Dwight Howard. The win over the Nuggets also came without Kyle Korver, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Howard.

Yet, there is a problem.

Each of the first three road wins was followed by a loss at home, including the well below .500 Magic and Timberwolves.

“It means a lot,” said Paul Millsap after making two free throws with six seconds left to clinch the win over the Nuggets. “But it means nothing if we don’t take it to the next game. … We’ve got to put two games together in a row. We haven’t been able to do that in a while.”

It’s a familiar refrain.

The Hawks will take the much-needed victory to return to an even 15-15 record and head into the holiday break on a positive note. They short break ends with a rematch with the Timberwolves on Monday.

“Until we can figure out to play with consistency and bring the energy and focus every night, execute every night, we’re going to be a .500 team,” Korver said after the loss to the Timberwolves. “That’s just our reality.”

Even through the uneven stretch – the Hawks are 6-13 since a hot start to the season – coaches and players believe the team is headed in the right direction. They are close, they believe, to putting a winning streak together.

Dennis Schroder and Millsap have carried the team of late. Schroder has scored in double-figures in 15 straight games and his averaging 21 points during that stretch. Millsap is averaging 20.8 points over the past nine games. The duo made seven of the Hawks’ nine straight free throws to end the victory over the Nuggets. Millsap hit the most important two to win the game and pulled down the final rebound when the Wilson Chandler missed a drive to the basket in the finals seconds.

“Nothing,” Millsap said of what he was thinking as he stepped up with the game on the line. “Nothing at all. I cleared my mind, got up there and just shot two routine free throws. They went in.”