Why Tree Young believes “no one will feel sorry” for Atlanta

ATLANTA, Georgia – Defeated. Deflated. Dejected.

That was the vibe Atlanta Hawks when the clock struck zero after a 126-111 loss to the Miami Heat the day after Christmas. It was fifth straight loss for the Hawksand the fifth consecutive game in which their opponent scored more than 125 points.

It was same story for the Hawks in the past few weeks, where the defense is not connected. A group that was once one of the better defensive units in the league seems to have lost its edge. Wide open shots, easy touches and allowing the opposition to beat them on the dribble have been problems for the team this season. The offense can score at will, but it’s been a problem on the other end of the floor.

“Teams are putting too many points on the board for us… Our offense isn’t too much of a problem,” Trae Young he said after the game. “We had a lot of turnovers, but the last few games it hasn’t necessarily been our offense, it’s been our defense, and tonight it was a little bit more of both.”

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“Teams are putting too many points on the board for us. … Our offense isn’t too much of a problem. We’ve had a lot of turnovers, but the last few games it hasn’t necessarily been our offense, it’s been our defense, and tonight it was a little bit of both.” pic.twitter.com/0HPkLvJHJv

— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) December 27, 2025

Not all losses have been the same, and the Hawks know it’s up to them to make things right.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Young said. “There are 30 teams and only one champion. We have to figure out how we can put ourselves in that top tier of the group and just try to give ourselves a chance. Right now we’re not even in that group that gives ourselves a chance. We just have to figure it out. It’s a long season for a reason.”

The Hawks continue their bad habits with their fifth straight loss

The Heat used the Hawks wherever they could, and they did, even without their top two players. They outscored them in the paint, whether it was offensive rebounds or interior scoring. The Hawks didn’t improve at times on offense, as they finished with 21 turnovers.

“We had some turnovers tonight, which is our offense, but defensively, which was better, we couldn’t come back whenever they missed shots,” Young said. “We’ve got to get better at not letting them get two chances. Whenever a team can get a rebound or a rebound and be able to get it back, we either foul or give them an and-one, or they get a rebound. We’ve got to get better at making sure we hit our man and just hit him early and try not to let him get too far in the game.”

“Getting hits and boxing,” Nikhil Alexander-Walker said. “Any basketball clinic you go to, everywhere you go, they’re going to say jump and box. It starts with that. Get more shots, box and compete. Because that’s what it’s all about. . . . The art of rebounding is getting shots, wanting the ball more, and doing it together.”

Aside from the rebound, the Hawks must play the full 48 minutes. There were times when it looked like they were going to get back into the game, and sometimes they did, but then they fell back into old habits and the Heat applied the pressure.

With the loss, the Hawks are now two games under .500 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.

It doesn’t get any easier for them, as their next three opponents are the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, all teams that are playing well this season. If the Hawks want to be in the same conversation as those teams, they’re going to have to figure it out soon.