NBA Standings 2021: Hawks, Bucks, Blazers Among Most Disappointing Teams

A few NBA teams have fallen well below preseason expectations through the first few weeks of the 2021-2022 season. Last season’s Eastern Conference finalists are both below .500, while a perennial Western Conference playoff contender has a losing record after 11 games.

The Portland Trail Blazers (5-6) are the only 2021 West postseason team that is out of the early playoff picture. In the East, neither the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks (5-6) nor the Atlanta Hawks (4-8) owns a top-eight seed.

Portland fell to 0-5 on the road Tuesday night with a 117-109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers (6-4). Damian Lillard finished with 27 points, nearly eight points above his season average.

Lillard is only scoring 19.3 points per game on 36.5% shooting. A top-eight MVP finalist in each of the last four seasons, the star point guard averaged at least 25.8 points on 43.9% shooting in each campaign. He put part of the blame for his slow start on offseason rule changes that penalize shooters for overtly trying to draw foul calls.

“I feel like the way the game is being officiated is unacceptable,” Lillard told reporters Tuesday night, suggesting the NBA’s rule changes have gone too far. “I felt like, coming in, the rule change wouldn't affect me cause I don't trick the referees. I don't do the trick plays. ... It's unacceptable.”

The Blazers have made eight straight playoff appearances.

Milwaukee defeated Atlanta in six games in the 2021 conference finals before going on to win the championship. If the regular season ended now, the Bucks would be in the play-in tournament and the Hawks would be eliminated from contention.

The Bucks should ultimately be fine. Khris Middleton has missed five games because of COVID-19 protocols. Injuries have kept Jrue Holiday out of the lineup six times. With Holiday back on the court Tuesday, Milwaukee defeated a depleted Philadelphia 76ers’ (8-4) roster 118-109.

NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo totaled 31 points and 16 rebounds in Philadelphia. The 2019 and 2020 regular-season MVP leads Milwaukee with averages of 27.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

Atlanta was defeated by the Utah Jazz (8-3) 110-98 on Tuesday night, putting them 13th in the East. The Hawks are tied with the Orlando Magic (3-8) and Detroit Pistons (1-8) with a conference-high eight losses.

Defense has been Atlanta’s Achilles heel. The Hawks rank 27th in defensive rating, allowing 112.2 points per 100 possessions. Atlanta has given up at least 111 points in eight straight games.

The Hawks are on a five-game losing streaking during an especially difficult part of their schedule. Atlanta has been defeated by the Jazz, Brooklyn Nets (7-4), Golden State Warriors (9-1) and Phoenix Suns (6-3), all of which are considered serious title contenders.

Trae Young leads the Hawks with 24 points and 9.3 assists per game. Young has been affected more than most players by the league’s rule changes.

"I don't want to get fined too much, but it's frustrating," Young said earlier this season. "There's a lot of missed calls. It's basketball. It's just, it feels that they're learning, and they're just -- I don't know. It's frustrating."