Hawks buried in third-quarter blitz, suffer first loss of season

By Bud L. Ellis

This wasn’t the way the Atlanta Hawks wanted to open their four-game road trip.

Playing at the defending NBA champions, the Hawks came unglued in the third quarter Sunday night, a four-point third-quarter deficit deficit turning into a 22-point hole thanks to an 18-0 L.A. run as Atlanta eventually fell 118-110.

It marked the first loss of the season for the Hawks after two home victories last week. And while Joe Johnson led the way with 27 points, he didn’t get much support as Atlanta shot 43 percent from the floor.

Jamal Crawford came off the bench with 17 points. Mike Bibby scored 15, and first-round draft choice Jeff Teague added 12, most coming in the fourth quarter to spark a rally that made the final score somewhat respectable.

The Hawks finished with 20 turnovers, and the Lakers made Atlanta pay for its sloppiness.

Atlanta takes on Portland Tuesday night in the second game on this four-game trip.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 9:23 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, Portland Trail Blazers