NBA scores 2016: The Hawks have gone from red hot to painfully average

Atlanta has followed up a 9-2 start with a whole lot of losses.

Dec 14, 2016, 1:30 PM UTC

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s all go back to Nov. 17, when the Atlanta Hawks were 9-2. Those were better days in Atlanta, back when swapping Dwight Howard for Al Horford was a savant-like move, Mike Budenholzer was still an unflappable miracle worker, and Waffle House was poppin’ after every Hawks win. Now Atlanta is just 3-11 since, and they lost again to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

What? Nine wins in 11 games, followed by just three in 14? Sure, the Hawks lost to teams like the Warriors and the Raptors on the road, but they also fell to teams like Phoenix and New Orleans. On Tuesday, they let the Magic — with the second-worst offense in the league entering the evening — drop 131 points on them.

Still, Tuesday was abnormal. Atlanta’s defense has been good, and Howard has actually been incredible for the most part. His Tuesday statline registered at 20 points, 16 rebounds and plus-one when he was on the court, with a bulk of the blame for the lead spiraling out of control falling on the bench.

Atlanta has the sixth-best defense but 26th-best offense, and their starting five is being outscored by nine points per 100 possession when playing together. Tim Hardaway Jr. being elevated to the starting lineup due to a brief Kent Bazemore injury helped briefly, with the Hawks winning two games. But Tuesday immediately put them right back under .500.

If you knew the Hawks would fall apart after a hot start, you’d likely have pinpointed it on players who have actually been great. Maybe Howard broke down and was injured, you’d say. Or perhaps Dennis Schroeder proved that being elevated to starter over Jeff Teague — now shipped out to Indiana — was just too much too fast for the 23-year-old. Hell, maybe Paul Millsap could have hit his decline, or the bench pieces just didn’t have it.

None of that has happened, not in any significant way. Bazemore and Kyle Korver are by far the biggest culprits from the starting lineup, with Korver shooting 43 percent from the field and Bazemore under 40. The 9-2 start was never going to be sustainable, as much as Atlanta fans hoped briefly that this team would exceed all expectations. Likewise, the Hawks obviously are better than the 3-11 effort they’ve put forth since — they’re not that much different from last year, with 48 wins and an Eastern Conference semifinals appearance.

Ignore the massive swings both ways, it might be fair to just take their current 12-13 record at face value. They’re a middling team who lost a couple pieces, added a couple more that don’t fix exactly the same way, and are headed for an average season. It’s hardly inspiring.

Stephen Curry is a savage.

Look at this man.

He nailed a three and then DAPPED UP THE PELICANS’ ASSISTANT. It was his former coach, Darren Erman, but still.

Why does Steph hate New Orleans so much? He ended their playoff hopes in 2015 with a wild game-tying three and hit 13 triples — an NBA record — against them earlier this year. It’s turning into a vendetta.

Tuesday’s top performances

Kristaps Porzingis (34 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals)

And one reminder not to mess with dudes who grew up on the streets of Latvia.

Dwight Howard (20 points, 16 rebounds)

Elfrid Payton (26 points, 14 assists, 9-12 shooting)

A few nights ago, Payton had 25 points and nine assists, also on 9-of-12 shooting. He’s still up and down, but a couple career nights so close together must be encouraging for a younger prospect who has been treading water for a while.

LeBron James (23 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists)

It’s all just so easy for him.