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The Atlanta Hawks were down 16 points against the Houston Rockets with 5:16 remaining, and like they've done all season, they fought until the end and made it a game. They found themselves down two points with 20 seconds left, and De'Andre Hunter pulled up for a routine three-pointer that bounced on the rim, and then over the backboard. The Hawks fell 100-96 and lost their sixth straight game.
It's been a tough stretch for the Hawks, but Trae Young and Dyson Daniels are staying optimistic.
“We’re on a losing streak and we have to figure out how to get back on the winning side,” Young said. “It’s frustrating; it’s definitely other factors that go into it, but whenever you’re fighting the way we’re fighting, we’re still giving ourselves a chance with everybody out there. It’s a good sign, but you obviously want to win more games than you lose. We’ll be alright, trust me.”
“We can sit back and point fingers and blame each other, or we can go out there and fight,” Daniels said. “Last night, guys were really undermanned, and they went out there and fought. Had a chance to win that game, tonight, we came out and fought, so we just gotta keep fighting. Losing Jalen hurt us, but next-man-up mentality, come in, be physical, play the right way, play hard. If we do that, we’ll be alright. It’s a tough stretch right now, but spirits are still high.”
With injuries to a few players and the Hawks not being able to get consistent offense, the team has sputtered over the past couple of games, and things may not get better for them as the tough stretch continues.
Hawks fall short against Rockets in sixth-straight loss
The Hawks fought back late in the fourth quarter as things got physical between both teams at a point. After a dead ball, Trae Young and Dillon Brooks got into a squirmish, which led Brooks to put his hands around Young's neck. Both players were called for a technical, but Young didn't seem to have done anything to warrant that call.
“I didn’t get an explanation, they told our coaches that I head-butted him,” Young said after the game. “That’s just terrible. He’s 6’6, I walk to a spot, my head is going to be at his chin. He knew what he was doing. The refs tonight – I’m trying to save my money – I got plenty but I’m trying to save it.”
In the pool report, crew chief Jacyn Goble stated that “Young was seen instigating the altercation by first, bumping Brooks as he was walking by him. He then closes space with his head and contacts Brooks' face while talking to Brooks who reacts by grabbing the back of Young's head.”
Despite the six-game losing streak, there have been positive signs on defense, and head coach Quin Snyder sees the fight that the team continues to show.
“There’s a long runway for this team, but this is a tough stretch right now,” Snyder said. “We just have to keep grinding. This game is a lot of ways like this time of the year.”
Things don't get easier for the Hawks as their next matchup is against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and following that, a matchup with the Indiana Pacers.
