The Hawks (13-14) melted down in the fourth quarter of a 132-126 loss to the Rockets (9-18) Monday at State Farm Arena.
Next up, the Hawks will play in Orlando Wednesday.
Below are some takeaways from the loss:
1. Languishing in the fourth quarter continues to be an issue. The Hawks scored a first half season-high 69 points, leading by as much as 19, and had a 17-point advantage with 1:48 to play in the third quarter, but blew it in the final period as the Rockets stormed back. Houston made eight 3-pointers in the fourth and finally took the lead, 121-119, at the 3:31 mark, and ultimately outscored Atlanta 44-25 in the final period, grabbing 16 rebounds (five offensive) to the Hawks’ nine (two offensive). Trae Young made a driving layup with 18.3 seconds left, Eric Gordon (team-high 32 points) then made two free throws and Cam Reddish missed a 3-pointer on the Hawks’ final shot attempt.
“I thought they out-worked us in that fourth quarter,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “When we did force misses, they were able to get second, third opportunities. Forty-four points in a quarter, I can’t explain that. That’s just getting out-worked. That’s no defense. When that game is on the line, going down the fourth, we talked about our finishes. It’s not just the offensive end of the floor, it’s both ends of the floor, and we flat just got out-worked in that fourth quarter.”
2. The Hawks entered this game knowing late-game execution had to be better, given their recent loss to the Nets in which Brooklyn outscored them 24-14 in the fourth quarter. Instead, this loss to the Rockets only amplified those issues. What’s lacking isn’t schematic, center Clint Capela (12 points, 16 rebounds, two blocks) said. It’s belief. Capela called out the Hawks’ not matching the Rockets’ intensity down the stretch, particularly when it was needed with defense and rebounding.
“The intensity’s got to be there,” Capela said. “I don’t think it’s mistakes, scheme-wise, it’s just energy. Do you want more than the team in front of you? ... It’s just, do you want it more than the guy in front of you, or not?”
3. McMillan said he thought Houston’s speed in the fourth quarter tripped up the Hawks, and it’s something they’ve struggled with before when facing small lineups.
“They were just weaving, playing with four guards, looking to attack, and when they shot the ball, they sent four guys to the boards,” McMillan said. “They just out-worked us. They were quicker to the ball and we didn’t finish, simple as that.”
4. Young registered a season-high for points in the first quarter (16), and finished with a game-high 41 points and nine assists, recording his NBA-leading 12th 30-plus point game of the season. But he added seven turnovers, and agreed the Hawks haven’t been buckling down on defense enough to finish out games.
“Obviously not enough,” Young said. “I think we’re getting into the refs a little too much and complaining to the refs too much, and they’re just attacking us in the fourth quarter and really just got to be better. We scored enough to win tonight, we just didn’t get enough spots… We’ve just got to figure it out.”
5. This was Cam Reddish’s second game back from a wrist injury, and he added 12 points and two rebounds. Reddish checked in and immediately hit a 3-pointer, then grabbed a steal on the other end. He was not on a minute restriction but still came off the bench, with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot remaining in the starting lineup.
Stat of the game: 64% (or 16-25, what the Rockets shot from the field in a red-hot fourth quarter)
Star of the game: D.J. Augustin (tallied 16 points in the fourth quarter alone, leading the Rockets’ comeback, finishing with 22 points off the bench)
Quotable: “We’ve got to execute down the stretch. We cannot just keep dwindling the game on, like how we’ve been doing. It’s like beating a dead horse.” (Collins, who added 14 points and seven rebounds, on frustration with the Hawks continuing to have issues finishing games)
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