NBA Power Rankings: Blake Griffin trade shakes things up

The Hawks were on a such a pleasant turn, picking up wins against the Spurs and Pelicans last week, and started off this week with a victory at home over the Utah Jazz, only to see things spiral back down with three losses, being defeated by the Raptors, Hornets and Wizards to close out the week. The hope that was beginning to swell last week culminated in the highlight of the week coming from Lucas Nogiera, who missed two consecutive free throws with about 30 seconds remaining to give all the fans in attendance a chance at a free Chick-fil-A sandwich.

The win against the Jazz was a convincing one, with the Hawks climbing to a 26 point lead in the fourth quarter before the teams put in their end of bench guys to finish out the game. They took smart shots, finding ways to create open looks against the Jazz’s defense, and made them – that’s the more important part of taking good shots. They played well as a defensive unit as well, holding the starters for the Jazz to just 40 points. The Hawks fell victim to a well-rested Raptors team on Wednesday, getting blitzed in the first half and were unable to rally from the hole they were tossed into in the second half. The team shot just 39 percent from the floor for the game, with just seven made 3-point attempts to the Raptors 14 made 3-point attempts.

Former Atlanta Hawk Dwight Howard had a monster game on Friday, with 18 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks in the Hornets 121-110 victory. Howard’s dominating game seemed to affect the Hawks, and the 121 points tied for the fourth-highest points total by an opponent this season for Atlanta. The Hawks had a 105-104 lead with under four minutes left, but couldn’t stop Kemba Walker when it mattered most. Kent Bazemore had 26 points, missing setting a new career high by two points. Atlanta couldn’t take advantage of John Wall’s absence, and they dropped the second game of their back-to-back, 129-104. It looked like Atlanta was tired, with much of their energy coming from bench players throughout the game. It’s getting more and more difficult to understand why Miles Plumlee is starting for the Hawks, with John Collins continuing to improve his game as the season progresses.