Atlanta Hawks: Grizzlies 96, Hawks 77

Here is the new game story on the Hawks’ loss to the Grizzlies Thursday night with post-game quotes: Larry Drew was afraid it would happen. The Hawks coach issued a warning to his team. It didn’t help Drew feared a letdown against the Grizzlies after his team’s recently completed 4-1 road trip had them tied for first in the Southeast Division and second in the Eastern Conference. The letdown came in a big way Thursday night in a 96-77 loss to the Grizzlies at Philips Arena. “When you come off a road trip like that the tendency is to have a letdown,” Drew said. “I was afraid today would happen. We weren’t sharp tonight. I’m not going to blame it on the road trip. Everybody else has to do it. They go off on long road trips and come back and play. We can’t use that as an excuse. The start of the first quarter that team just manhandled us. They played with physicality and we were a step slow in everything we did.” The Hawks held a seven-point lead early in the …