The Atlanta Hawks’ six-game winning streak ended with a 141-111 loss to Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets

The Atlanta Hawks almost snapped their losing streak against the Lakers on Friday night, but they were able to pull themselves together and get the win. Tonight, the Hawks were completely outmatched by three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, resulting in a stunning defeat. This game quickly got out of hand and the Hawks were never able to get back into the game.

Well, there were a few things going against the Hawks in today’s game. Jalen Johnson and Bogdan Bogdanovic were out and the Nuggets were just embarrassed by the Washington Wizards last night. Now, when one team plays back-to-back games, it’s usually an advantage for the other team, which is rested. This time, however, the Nuggets got Aaron Gordon back and were clearly motivated to build on last night’s loss, and they did so emphatically. Jokic led the Nuggets with 48 points on 17-for-29 shooting, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Michael Porter Jr. had 26 points for the Nuggets and Christian Braun had 17, but the main reason for the Nuggets’ dominance tonight was Jokic and Porter Jr. Denver finished the game shooting 63% from the field and 44% from three hits.

Atlanta’s offense took way too long to get going and the defense was terrible all night. The Hawks shot 41% from the floor and 23% from three. Atlanta has had games where they have overcome their poor three-point shooting, but tonight wasn’t one of them. The Hawks have been one of the worst shooting teams in the league this season, but they have found ways to overcome that. Defense had been a strength for the Hawks during their six-game winning streak, but the last two games were reminiscent of the Hawks’ defense in the past.

The only real bright spot tonight in my opinion was the play of Dyson Daniels. Daniels had 18 points, six assists and five steals tonight and played regularly on defense. Overall, the Hawks defense was poor, but Daniels had his chance to disrupt the Nuggets flow tonight.

With Jalen Johnson out, the Hawks started Larry Nance in his place and kept the rest of the starters the same. Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Clint Capela were the first five on the floor along with Nance.

Russell Westbrook started for Denver with Jamal Murray and was joined by Christian Braun, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon and Nikola Jokic.

It was as ugly a first half for the Hawks as you could imagine. Even without Johnson and Bogdanovic, the Hawks performed about as poorly in the first half as you could imagine a team doing. The Nuggets also looked very motivated after their loss to the Wizards last night, and combined with the Hawks’ performance (particularly on offense), it’s a recipe for disaster.

Denver immediately jumped on Atlanta and led 15-8 at the first timeout with 7:03 left in the first quarter. By the next timeout with 2:54 minutes left, they increased the score to 28:17. Atlanta couldn’t buy a basket and Nikola Jokic dominated. Denver led 38-23 at the end of the first period, the Hawks shot 30% and 0-8 from three, while allowing Denver to shoot 56% from the floor and 43% from three. The Hawks had to try to make a run whenever Jokic went to the bench, which is the case with most teams in Denver because they lack depth.

Atlanta fought back in the game and actually cut the lead to just 11, but the Nuggets switched gears and extended the lead to 23 points at halftime 71-48. Atlanta shot 33% from the floor and an astounding 11% (2-19) from three. Combine that with the Nuggets’ shooting percentage of 61% from the floor and 42% from three, and you have a game that was awesome.

Atlanta never got a lead below double digits and never made a serious attempt to make it a game. The Nuggets won 141-111, ending the Hawks’ winning streak.

The Hawks have a big game coming up on Wednesday. The NBA Cup quarterfinals begin and Atlanta travels to Madison Square Garden to take on the Knicks.