Thunder chemistry issue has nothing to do with James Harden being in Houston

But something is amiss in Thunderville.

The Thunder lost to the short-handed Hawks 104-95 Sunday night in a quiet Chesapeake Arena, and Harden's void didn't have anything to do with it. Unless The Beard took the Thunder's smarts and want-to with him to Houston.

“We're trying to win,” said Kendrick Perkins. “We're not really talking about the trade. The trade is done. We've got enough talent in here to win games.”

No kidding. Martin was sensational, with 28 points on 8-of-11 shooting. His 19-point second quarter, achieved with only five shots, gave OKC a 51-47 halftime lead but masked how badly the Thunder played.

The Thunder was out-hustled and outsmarted. Atlanta outscored OKC 16-8 in second-chance points and 31-16 in points off turnovers. In other words, the Hawks craved the ball and took care of it once they corralled it.

It's way too early to be concerned about the Thunder's record, although let's point out that at 1-2, OKC is a half game ahead of the 1-3 Lakers, whose start was labeled anywhere from disastrous to cataclysmic.

The remade Hawks were missing one of their cornerstones, Josh Smith, but took it the Thunder on both ends.

Atlanta shot 60 percent from the field in the first quarter and would have finished the game over 50 percent if not for two late misses when the game was decided.

“Lack of focus on the defensive end,” Perk said. “We gave ‘em too much confidence in the first quarter.”

Atlanta point guard Jeff Teague got to the basket repeatedly, but his teammates were effective, too, so much so that Teague sat the entire fourth quarter.

Ivan Johnson, who didn't even play in the Hawks' opener, became Ivan the Terrible, with 10 points in 12 minutes.