The Atlanta Hawks had one of those nightmarish NBA days that happens once every 30 or 40 years. They didn't go inside enough. They couldn't hit the broad side of a barn from outside. The result was a 100-59 whooping at the hands of the New Orleans Hornets.
The 59 points set an Atlanta franchise low, beating the previous record of 63. And Justin Bieber was there to witness it all (and get booed by a few Hawks fans along the way, too).
Baby, baby, baby, oh -- it was a terrible way to lose a basketball game. But luckily for Atlanta, their next game is on Saturday.
They'll just have to beat the team that replaced the Hornets in Charlotte. That has never really been easy for Atlanta's basketball team, no matter how well the Charlotte Bobcats are playing. The Hawks are just 2-10 in the Queen City since Charlotte got its second basketball team in 2004.
Atlanta has had success in January -- just not at Philips Arena.
The Hawks look to extend their road winning streak to six against the Bobcats. In order to do so, they're going to have to solve some of the woes that cropped up in the team's win over the Miami Heat and plagued the team against the Hornets.
Atlanta shot just 29-percent from the field on Friday. They had just 11 assists on 23 field goals. They got to the line just five times in the first half and they lost the battle of the boards 55-32. Such is life without Al Horford and Marvin Williams, who missed the game last night with injuries. It is unknown whether either player will suit up in North Carolina.
In order for Atlanta to win this one, they are going to have to regain the paint, which is not an easy task given that the Hawks will be a tad bit undersized if Horford's not in the lineup. In both the Miami win and the New Orleans loss, there hasn't been enough aggressiveness by this basketball team to attack the post. They've relied too much on the jumper without having anyone underneath the net to grab the rebound. The result on Friday night reminded many of that terrible 13 win team.
The Hawks beat the Heat because Miami couldn't hit shots, either. But the Hornets had an average NBA game on Thursday and just decimated the Hawks at the Highlight Factory.
Charlotte meanwhile has been playing well at the Time Warner Cable Arena, winning six of their last seven there en route to climbing into the No. 7 spot in the Eastern Conference. However, the Bobcats will be without forward/center Tyrus Thomas, who is out for up to eight weeks with a left knee injury.
The Bobcats are coming off of a 100-97 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.