The Hawks dropped from sixth to seventh at 3-4 after their lowest-scoring night of the season. Their next game, at Indiana tomorrow, comes with Jalen Johnson and Jock Landale both carrying injury tags.
A Slide With Little Cushion
Atlanta fell from sixth to seventh on Saturday. The Wizards, at 3-3, now hold sixth, and the Hawks sit half a game ahead of 11th. New Orleans led by 28 at its peak; Atlanta's biggest lead was 2. Seven games is a small sample, and the Hawks' net rating of 1.0 this season says they are still near break-even. The last two weeks have not felt like it.
Where the Offense Went
Brad Rowland of Locked On Hawks reported 19 turnovers that led to 34 Pelicans points, and 8-46 from three. The box score backs the shape of it: Nickeil Alexander-Walker went 0-7 from deep, Luguentz Dort 1-7, Aaron Wiggins 2-7. Johnson turned it over four times in 28 minutes and finished minus-20. Asa Newell was the only rotation player in the plus, at plus-1 in 19 minutes.
Health Decides the Next Week
Johnson's left ankle and Landale's left hip both list Nov. 2 as the estimated return, the date of the Pacers game. Mouhamed Gueye is out until Nov. 20 at the earliest, and Henri Veesaar is out for the season. By our count, the club has lost 214 minutes to injury since opening night. Johnson is also 42 rebounds from 2,000 for his career, about five games away at this season's 9.0 a game, a projection that assumes he plays. The open question is simpler: can Atlanta turn open looks into makes before the Wizards come twice, on Nov. 4 and Nov. 6?
Will Jalen Johnson play against the Pacers?
His status is not settled. He is listed with a left ankle injury and Nov. 2, the Pacers game, is his estimated return.
Where are the Hawks in the standings?
Atlanta is seventh at 3-4, half a game behind sixth-place Washington and half a game ahead of 11th.
