Los Angeles Lakers 104, Atlanta Hawks 80: Downward Spiral Continues

It isn't that alarming that the Atlanta Hawks lost a game to the defending NBA champ Lakers on their home floor. What is alarming is how they went about losing it. Any hopes that the break would rejuvenate the team appear to have vanished as the Hawks fell into the same pattern of doing the same things that plagued them leading into the All-Star break. We have seen this Atlanta team play at a high level this season. The problem is we have also seen many performances, some even worse, than last night. More and more those performances are becoming the norm and that is extremely troubling coming down the stretch of the season.