The Hawks will kick themselves for this loss.
For several reasons.
The Hawks committed two late turnovers and missed four straight shots in the final three minutes of a 94-88 loss to the Grizzlies in front of a playoff atmosphere soldout crowd of 18,119 at FedEx Forum Sunday night.
“They found a way to get a little separation at the end of game and I don’t think we executed as well as we need to, but I think their defense and their activity is a big part of that,” coach Mike Budenholzer said.
The Eastern Conference leading Hawks (42-10, 17-7 road) lost for just the fourth time in the past 39 games with the end of a two-game win streak. They dropped to 14-4 against Western Conference teams. They split the season-series with the Grizzlies, the team with the second-best record in the West. The matchup came two nights after the Hawks beat the Warriors, the top team in the West, at home.
The Hawks were in the game until the final minutes in spite of dreadful shooting nights from Al Horford and Paul Millsap. The bigs combined for 10 points on 4 of 21 shooting. Horford finished with six points on 2 of 11 shooting to tie his season-low for points. He did finish with 12 rebounds. Millsap finished with four points on 2 of 10 shooting for his season-low for points.
“I think if you look at our shots, I don’t think we’ve had a game this season where we both can’t hit anything,” Horford said. “We got a lot of good looks. Credit their defense. There were some shots when they were right there and they forced us. But we also missed some shots that we normally make. That is just the way that it goes sometimes.”
Jeff Teague twisted his ankle hitting a game-tying layup with 4:30 left that pulled the Hawks even at 83-83. He had to be helped off the floor but remained on the bench.
The Grizzlies’ Jeff Green and Hawks’ Mike Scott traded 3-pointers and that’s when things went bad.
Teague re-entered the game after missing just 1:24. On the Hawks’ ensuing possession, Horford threw the ball out of bounds on a miscommunication with Teague.
“I thought Jeff (Teague) and I were going to play pick-and-roll and he thought that (Mike) Conley was pressuring him so he went back door,” Horford said. “Those are things that are unfortunate because it was in a key part of the game.”
The Hawks then committed another costly turnover with Kyle Korver was called for back-court violation when the ball hit off his knee.
“I think it was probably the right call,” Korver said. “Those are always tough handoff plays and I messed it up.”
The Grizzlies used those turnovers to fuel an 8-0 run. They took a 94-86 lead with 12.8 seconds left before a Teague layup accounted for the game’s final points.
“Give them credit,” Millsap said. “They play good defense. They beat the crap out of us. It’s just what it was, a tough physical game and they won. We had some open looks. I had an open shot that went over the rim. Al had open shots early. We just missed them. They force you to play physical so that could have played a part in it.”
Teague led the Hawks with a game-high 22 points. While the Hawks big men struggled, their bench kept them in the game. Kent Bazemore (14 points), Dennis Schroder (11) and Scott (11) played key roles.
The Grizzlies (38-13) have won nine of their past 10 games. They were led by Mike Conley with 21 points.
The Hawks survived a woeful start to the game. They were 3 of 11 from the field with five turnovers in the first 8:04. They trailed by nine points before Schroder hit a layup. The Hawks used a 14-6 run early in the second quarter to erase the early deficit and take a 33-32 lead. They kept the slight advantage for a 43-42 halftime advantage.
The Hawks’ rally came on the strength of the bench. The group accounted for 22 of the 43 points with Schroder (8), Bazemore (7) and Scott (5) doing the damage.
The Grizzlies took a 69-66 lead into the final period after a 13-3 run to end the third quarter.
“Just the execution down the stretch,” Millsap said of the difference. “We have to get better than that. But like you said, me and Al combined for 10 points and we still had a chance to win the game down the stretch. It’s a testament to our team. We’ve got to look at the positives out of this.”
The Hawks continue their three-game road trip in Minneapolis Monday night against the Timberwolves. The trip ends in Boston Wednesday before the All-Star break.
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