Wednesday night provided a prime opportunity to gain some ground in the Eastern Conference standings for the Atlanta Hawks. Matched up against the Charlotte Hornets, a team they are battling for a playoff position with, a chance to get over the .500 mark for the first time since December 17th, and keep a three-game win streak going, the Hawks were outscored by ten in the fourth to lose 116-106.
A game that was back and forth but saw the Hawks lead the majority of the way came to a head in the fourth. Tied at 85, the Hornets started the final quarter on a 6-0 run and would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Hawks faced injuries that contributed to their fourth quarter flame out. John Collins was out with a finger injury, Danilo Gallinari left the game early with a right bicep contusion, and Trae Young, who had his lowest scoring output of the season, nine points, went to the locker room for a left knee and quad injury but did return to the game.
The loss knocked the Hawks back to tenth in the conference and half a game behind the Hornets. Wednesday night also marked the eighth time this season the Hawks were in position to get above .500 on the season. They are 4-4 in those games.
Reality is settling in. The Hawks will be in the play-in game, but they will not be hosting any and will have to win in hostile territory twice just to make it to the playoffs.
