Trae Young is confident the Atlanta Hawks will emerge better and stronger from their current rut.
That quest begins in Cleveland on Thursday against a Cavaliers outfit rolling again on the back of consecutive wins.
The Hawks’ losing run stands at six games following Tuesday’s 100-96 road defeat against the Houston Rockets.
Atlanta worked its way through a 16-point fourth-quarter hole to have a chance at a remarkable victory before De’Andre Hunter’s wide-open 3-point attempt with 12.9 seconds remaining rattled out.
“It’s tough but it’s part of the NBA; you’ve got to dig yourself out of the holes that you put yourself in,” said Young, who had 21 points and nine assists in his return after missing the Hawks’ previous game in Minnesota with hamstring tightness.
“Sometimes teams just get put in holes and you’ve got to figure out how to find a way out of it. That’s where we’re at right now. We’re on a losing streak and we’ve got to figure out a way to get back on the winning side, however it comes.
“Whenever you’re fighting the way we’re fighting, we’re still giving ourselves a chance with everybody out there. It’s a good sign, but you obviously want to win more games than lose. We’ll be all right. Trust me.”
Young is listed as probable for the trip to Ohio as he continues to manage his right hamstring, while Clint Capela (back) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (personal) have been ruled out.
The Hawks defended well for three quarters against the in-form Rockets but were ultimately left to rue inaccuracy from the perimeter. Atlanta made just 11 of its 47 attempts from 3-point range.
“I thought our looks were really good — they weren’t forced shots,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I haven’t seen the ball go in the hole as much as you’d hope, but other than wanting to shoot the ball better, I like the fact that we’ve continued to play and defend.
“There’s a long runway for this team and this is a tough stretch right now. I’ve told the guys we have to keep grinding.”
Atlanta has beaten Cleveland in both of their meetings this season and will catch the Cavaliers on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Cleveland cruised to a 126-106 win over the Heat in Miami on Wednesday, a margin sufficient for coach Kenny Atkinson to load-manage his team’s minutes.
“The icing on the cake is I saved some minutes for our guys,” Atkinson said. “We’ve got a look at big picture — we’ve got the game against an Atlanta team that’s beaten us twice.”
Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points in what Atkinson described as “an elite All-Star performance,” while Evan Mobley paired 22 points with 15 rebounds as he continues his to work into top form since returning from a calf issue.
“Better,” Atkinson replied when asked about Mobley’s performance. “(He) got to the boards, got to the rim, had a couple of dunks. I told him you’re 75-80 percent of where you were, so I can feel it coming.”
