Not just losing, but losing big

The Hawks are fighting an epidemic of their own making.

One missed shot has led to another. One bad shot has led to another. Before they know it, they are on the losing end of another double-digit defeat. Six times in the last 10 games, but none more embarrassing than historic back-to-back losses to the Pistons by 36 points on Friday and to the Raptors by 44 on Saturday.

“We got our (butt) kicked,” Kent Bazemore said after the 128-84 loss to the Raptors. “We had good stretches but we can’t seem to sustain it. It gets us in trouble. We come down and take bad shots. It keeps our defense scrambling trying to get matched in transition and teams just pick us apart.”

The Raptors loss tied for the fifth-worst defeat in franchise history by margin of loss. The 36-point loss to the Pistons is tied for the 20th-worst defeat.

The Hawks are 10-11, which is hard to imagine after a 9-2 start. After losing six straight and nine of the past 10 games, they are reeling. The Hawks’ average margin of defeat in the nine most recent losses is 16.8 points.

While most players declined to say the team is folding under pressure as the offense struggles game after game, it’s clear there is building stress.

“I just think we need to get out of our heads,” Dwight Howard said. “You’re frustrated. You miss a shot and you’re like ‘Oh man, I can’t make a shot,’ or, ‘Oh man, I just messed up again.’ We just need to get out of our heads and have fun and enjoy this. It’s a blessing to be able to play this game. We just have to stay focused, not get frustrated, as hard as it is.

“None of us like coming into the locker room down 40 points at the end of the game. It’s a bad feeling but we can’t get frustrated and allow it to carry over. I think we’ve done that. We have to erase it out of our minds. Don’t talk about it. Don’t text about it. Do whatever we can to move on and I know it’s tough.”

The Hawks have missed plenty of shots. They shot under 40 percent from the field and 25 percent (13 for 52) from 3-point range in each of the last two losses.

Compounding all the misses is that too many have not been quality attempts or come out of isolation plays.

“As a competitor you want to get it back,” Bazemore said. “You come down and take a quick 3 or you try to force something. It’s frustrating because we all have good intentions but we are just executing the wrong way . ...

“We see how good we can be when the ball is moving and everyone is touching the ball, using all the pieces we have . ... We have to understand the only way we are going to win is to play the right way.”

The Hawks’ patented ball-movement offense, where a good shot gets passed up for a great shot, has nearly vanished. There have been glimpses of the system functioning as it has the previous three seasons. Glimpses won’t get it done in the NBA.

The Hawks once had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They now sit in ninth place.

Coaches and players said Saturday they are looking forward to some time at home to clear their heads and get into the practice gym and film room. Their next two games are at home, including today against the Thunder, after a grueling run of eight of 10 games on the road over a span of 16 days.