Spencer Hawes has missed two games this season and the Sixers have lost both.

After practice Thursday, no one was optimistic that Hawes would play Friday against Atlanta.

Do the calculus?

 “He is very ball friendly,” Doug Collins said. “And he is our best-passing 'big'. And a lot of the things we like to do is to hit Spencer in certain areas on the floor and get a lot of movement. The two games he has not played, we have had to do much more off the dribble.”

Hawes said he is improving, and there is time. But don't expect him to play. In the meantime, the Sixers responded to their one-game losing streak with, yes, a brief players-only meeting.

Obviously, they are not taking losing lightly.

 “This is the most success we have had in a long time,” Lou Williams said. “And we are not planning on letting that go. We can't afford to lose three, four in a row based on guys not being able to talk out some small things. We lost one. We consider that a losing streak in our building. So we just have to talk it out.”

Check out the complete Sixers coverage in the Daily Times Friday and, as always, on delcotimes.com