Are the Atlanta Hawks in a position to challenge for the NBA championship?
With the Atlanta Hawks in the midst of their longest losing skid of the season, the question is whether they can challenge for the NBA championship.
The Hawks fell to a 104-101 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, despite leading by as many as 16 points. They suffered their third-straight defeat and dropped to eighth in the East with an 11-10 record.
During this losing skid, they have not found a way to close out their games. They had a double-digit lead in each game but lost all three of them.
At Wells Fargo Center, turnovers hurt Atlanta. They made 20, which led to 19 Sixers points. Seven of these 20 came in the fourth quarter, with three by Dejounte Murray.
"That's wheret he execution comes in," Hawks coach Nate McMillan said Monday. "We had a couple of costly turnovers late in the game."
Consistency and Clint Capela's presence are the keys to the Atlanta Hawks' contending status
Trae Young leads the team in scoring at 27.7 ppg, on 31% from beyond the arc. However, he has been limited to just 22 and 18 points over the last two games, after scoring 44 vs the Houston Rockets on Friday.
Dejounte Murray is averaging 20.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals over the last 10 games for Atlanta.
Clint Capela has a pivotal role in the team's tactics and is averaging 11.0 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He missed the games vs. Houston and Miami (dental pain) and his absence was obvious, as Atlanta lost both games.
Without Capela protecting the rim, the Rockets grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and registered 37 second-chance points, the most for any team in a game in the last 13 seasons.
Miami, meanwhile, outscored the Hawks by 20 points (42-22) inside the paint. With Clint Capela and John Collins on the floor, the Hawks have outscored their opponents by 5.0 points per 100 possessions.
Atlanta is 20th in the offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) with 110.4 and 14th in the defensive one with 111.1. At the same time, they are 20th in net rating (-0.7) and play at the eighth-highest pace with 102 points.
Following their defeat to the Heat and Sixers, the Hawks have gone 8-8 against Eastern Conference opponents and also have a 2-1 record in games decided by less than four points.
The Hawks have put an end to two of the four longest winning streaks in the league this season. They beat the Milwaukee Bucks (nine straight wins) and Sacramento Kings (seven straight wins), respectively. However, they have failed to build momentum and are still seeking consistency.
The Atlanta Hawks have a great chance of getting back on track and climbing higher in the standings. They will play 12 of their next 15 games against teams that are below .500, against whom they currently have a 5-3 record.
Overall, the Atlanta Hawks have what it takes to enter the title race and become a legit contender in the Eastern Conference.
Dejounte Murray's addition has bolstered the roster. However, the franchise has to put an end to its ups and downs and build a winning streak that will solidify its place in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.
In doing so, they will attempt to get back on track when they visit the Orlando Magic (5-16) on Wednesday.
