Sunday NBA Roundup: Can We Trust Atlanta Hawks' Recent Success?

Just when it seems like a good idea to pass judgment on the Atlanta Hawks, they make us question everything we think we know.

Sunday night offered a perfect portrait of this controlled chaos.

It began with ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst reporting that Atlanta is open to trading soon-to-be free agents Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and Thabo Sefolosha. It ended with the Hawks squeezing out a gutsy 114-112 overtime victory against the San Antonio Spurs, owners of the NBA's second-best record.

Now, like we did when they began the season 9-2, and as we did yet again when they dropped 10 of 11 contests, we're once more left to wonder: Who in the mother-loving heck are these Hawks?

It's tempting to buy back into their Eastern Conference threat level given recent success. They have won three straight and eight of their last 12. During this stretch, the Hawks are pumping in 107.2 points per 100 possessions—noticeably more flattering than the 99.0 they were tallying beforehand.

Beating the Spurs is, in a vacuum, a particularly encouraging sign. Atlanta trailed by as many as 10 points and couldn't get going at the free-throw line (16-of-27), but outscored San Antonio by 12 in the paint, 15 from beyond the arc and a whopping 21 in transition.

Millsap pieced together an otherworldly effort—the kind that makes would-be trade suitors salivate over his play and cringe at the thought of what it would cost to poach him, as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Chris Vivlamore noted:

At one point, Millsap, who played the entire second half, dropped 17 consecutive points, ensuring Atlanta didn't fold after San Antonio went on a 9-0 run late in the third quarter. He finished with 32 points, 13 rebounds and three assists while shooting 11-of-23 from the field.

Tim Hardaway Jr. also went boom. He put up a career-high 29 points and posted a team-best plus-14 on a seemingly unending string of triples (6-of-7)—including a game-tying missile inside four seconds to play that forced the extra period:

It's almost as if the New York Knicks were wrong about him or something, per Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher:

Dennis Schroder continued to raise his offensive stock by getting into the lane and limiting miscues. He shot just 7-of-17 from the floor but dished out 10 assists and provided a general boon with his jittery drives. Atlanta's offense has been significantly better with him on the court during this 12-game mini-surge—a huge deal considering he was a net minus for an anemic attack through his first 22 appearances.

Korver, meanwhile, did both Korver and non-Korver things to the Spurs. He buried four of his nine three-point attempts, served as a secondary playmaker (four assists), grabbed eight rebounds and played pesky defense.

This was, in no uncertain terms, a big win. Atlanta is now within two games of the East's No. 3 seed as the season approaches its halfway point, and head coach Mike Budenholzer has bragging rights over Philadelphia 76ers lead honcho Brett Brown, per NBA.com's John Schuhmann:

And yet red flags abound. 

The Hawks' trek back toward relevance has been anything but convincing. They have a negative net rating (minus-0.5) while winning eight of 12 and are hovering around the bottom 10 in defensive efficiency. 

Crunch-time victories against the Detroit Pistons and Knicks to round out a three-game winning streak shouldn't be celebrated for long. Detroit is struggling to carve out any sort of identity following Reggie Jackson's return from thumb and knee injuries, and New York is a crummy basketball team masquerading as a playoff candidate.

Budenholzer has needed to tinker with the starting five as well. The preferred lineup of Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard, Korver, Millsap and Schroder is being outscored by more than 10 points per 100 possessions when on the court.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Sefolosha has been subbed in for Korver over the last four tilts, and the resulting crew is much better. But that improvement feels unsustainable with Bazemore, Atlanta's $70 million man, shooting under 40 percent and being forced to spend time at point guard.

The Hawks' new starting five was a wash in nine minutes against the Spurs. Bazemore specifically was unplayable: He failed to crack 20 minutes of court time and logged all of eight seconds through the fourth quarter and overtime.

Most of Atlanta's major issues aren't going away, either. The point guard rotation is laughable behind Schroder; he is sometimes spelled by Hardaway, in addition to Malcolm Delaney and Bazemore. And the offense doesn't generate enough quality three-point looks on a regular basis. (Related: Hot damn, going from Al Horford to Howard on the more glamorous end is a downgrade.)

What's more, the Millsap-Sefolosha-Korver rumors aren't going anywhere. All three will be due a raise in free agency over the summer, and Millsap, who turns 32 in February, is the youngest of the trio.

There are things the Hawks can try in hopes of turning this bizarrely suspect streak into a lasting wave.

Swapping out Bazemore for Hardaway in the starting five feels almost necessary. Atlanta is a statistical monster when he plays beside Howard, Millsap, Schroder and Sefolosha. That doesn't change when Korver replaces Sefolosha.

Acquiring a traditional backup point guard would be nice, but it might not be mandatory. Only four teams assist on more of their baskets, and the Hawks have done an even better job sharing the ball since the start of December. Hardaway's development into a serviceable passer helps. Many of the lineups that feature him without Schroder are scoring enough to be competitive.

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

What does this all mean for a Hawks squad that's barely treading water above .500 and could just as easily be working off a loss had either of Kawhi Leonard's looks at the end of the fourth quarter and overtime found nylon?

What's the ceiling? Will the current iteration of the offense stick? Can the defense figure out how to survive when Howard and/or Millsap sits? Is it best to deal some combination of Millsap, Korver and Sefolosha, perhaps shop Howard, and begin a reset?

Who are these Hawks? 

Exactly who they are now and have been all season—inconsistent, often unpredictable, with just enough talent to remain relevant, absent any chance of winning the East.

KCP Is the GOAT of DET

Issac Baldizon/Getty Images

Something uncomfortable is happening in Detroit.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has become the Pistons' best player.

This isn't just about his 23-point, six-rebound, five-assist, two-steal showing against the Miami Heat Sunday. If anything, he and the Pistons should have dominated.

Goran Dragic, Hassan Whiteside and Justise Winslow were all out for the Heat. That didn't stop them from building a 14-point first-half lead, but it did prevent them from executing down the stretch, as head coach Erik Spoelstra lamented, per Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley:

Detroit is lucky to have escaped with a win. The offense still looks out of sorts when head coach Stan Van Gundy plays too many of his ball-dominant scorers, and the defense has been trash since mid-December.

Andre Drummond (25 points, 18 rebounds) continues to compile ridiculous numbers, but his production has yet to mean something. His touch around the rim when he's not dunking is questionable at best, and the Pistons are much better on defense—his supposed specialty—when he takes a seat.

Jackson (27 points, four assists) is finally having a positive impact on the offense when he plays, but he's still trying to figure out that balance between facilitator and attacker. And his return coincides with Detroit's defensive downfall.

Caldwell-Pope is the only regular starter with a positive net rating, which he's earned while routinely taking on the toughest defensive assignments and honing his three-point stroke. And then there's this, courtesy of NBA Math:

In an NBA that values versatile wings above everyone else these days, he's become the Pistons' MVP—an All-Defense candidate having an above-average offensive impact.

No Lillard, No Problem?

David Sherman/Getty Images

OK, maybe this subhead is a tad hyperbolic.

Playing without Damian Lillard for a fourth straight game, the Portland Trail Blazers needed to erase a 14-point lead to get their 95-89 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday. But there were times, particularly during his 16-point third quarter, when C.J. McCollum made this feel like a blowout.

McCollum finished with a career-high 43 points on a scintillating 16-of-25 shooting. He torched twine on three of his six long-range looks and sank eight of his nine free-throw attempts. He also pitched in three assists, three steals and an infinite number of dropped jaws.

Mason Plumlee was so impressed with McCollum's detonation that he used Twitter-speak to express his approval, per Casey Holdahl of the Blazers' official website:

Evan Turner also experienced some New Year's joy. Sort of. Though he was a team-worst minus-10, he made some nice defensive stands (two steals, four blocks) and, for roughly a millisecond, looked refreshingly comfortable on the offensive end.

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who thought the Timberwolves would be a playoff squad.

Gorgui Dieng, Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio and Karl-Anthony Towns combined to shoot 13-of-45 from the field, and the third-quarter bug latched onto Minnesota once again, per Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press:

On the bright side, Andrew Wiggins (24 points, 10-of-20 shooting, indifferent defense) did this:

And Kris Dunn (11 points, four assists) somehow did this:

Hooray for silver linings!

Myles Turner Gotz Skillz

New rule: Whenever we mention the unicorn-ness of Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis and Towns, Myles Turner must be included as well. 

Anyone who doesn't adhere to this new edict will be forced to watch Rajon Rondo (post-Boston Celtics) defensive highlights on a perpetual loop.

The Indiana Pacers spanked the Orlando Magic for the second time this season. But where they killed the Magic with defense during the first go-round, the Pacers used offense Sunday night, notching a cool 117 points.

Turner led the charge for Indiana with 23 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. The dude is flat-out comfortable with the ball in his hands and—having carried the Pacers when Paul George (19 points, 5-of-13 shooting) had an "off" night—looks primed for superstardom.

Turner does need to improve his defense against stretchy bigs, but let's not nitpick. As FanSided's 8 Points, 9 Seconds reminded us, Turner can't even order his own cotton candy cosmopolitan yet:

Ron Hoskins/Getty Images

The future is bright in Indiana, even if the present is anything but.

Kyle Lowry, #NBAVote

Kyle Lowry is too good at this whole basketball thing.

The Toronto Raptors needed just about every one of his 41 points to fend off the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday. They led by as many as 19 points, but a barrage of threes from the Lakers near the end of the fourth quarter was enough to give the Raptors a slight scare.

Lowry's 40-burger came on an unfair 12-of-16 shooting—including a 6-of-7 clip from deep, plus an 11-of-11 display from the charity stripe. He even trolled recent high-point, low-assist performances from Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Rose by handing out seven dimes against Los Angeles' super-terrible-awful defense.

After beginning the year in something of a shooting slump, Lowry's climb back to ridiculousness isn't being fully appreciated. He continuously pairs offensive explosions with bulldog defensive sets, and Toronto hardly knows how to function whenever he's taking a breather.

DeMar DeRozan (31 points) receives a ton of shine for leading the Raptors in scoring, but Lowry is their MVP. And as we all rush to praise the growing legends of other floor generals, NBC Sports' Michael Gallagher implores us to remember something:

Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Kyrie Irving, Thomas, John Wall and Kemba Walker are younger than Lowry. They, unlike him, probably haven't peaked.

Right now, though, there's no question: Lowry is the East's top point guard.

Sunday's Final Scores

• Atlanta Hawks 114, San Antonio Spurs 112
• Detroit Pistons 107, Miami Heat 98
• Indiana Pacers 117, Orlando Magic 104
• Portland Trail Blazers 95, Minnesota Timberwolves 89
• Toronto Raptors 123, Los Angeles Lakers 114

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com. 

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @danfavale.