Crawford sparks Hawks in rout of Bulls

By Bud L. Ellis

When the Atlanta Hawks acquired Jamal Crawford during the summer, they knew bringing in the scorer would bolster the bench.

And while his first 20 games in an Atlanta uniform have been solid, Crawford unleashed his best game of the season Wednesday night, helping the Hawks roll to their biggest win of the season.

Boosted by a season-high 29 points from Crawford, the Hawks raced past Chicago 118-83 Wednesday at Philips Arena.

Josh Smith scored 18 points, and Maurice Evans came off the bench to score 18 as well for the Hawks, who improved to 15-6 on the season and stayed two games behind Orlando in the Southeast Division.

Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams each scored 12 points for Atlanta, which got scoring from every player on the roster. The Hawks broke it open in the middle quarters, outscoring the Bulls 65-36 to turn a two-point lead after one quarter to a 31-point advantage.

Crawford led the way, hitting on 10-of-16 field-goal attempts, including four from 3-point range, and all five of his free-throw attempts. He added four assists, a rebound and a steal in 34 minutes.

The Hawks travel to Toronto to face the Raptors on Friday.

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Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 9:59 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Maurice Evans, Philips Arena, Toronto Raptors

Hawks fall apart at home, lose to Knicks

By Bud L. Ellis

Great teams don’t lose games at home like this. Great teams don’t lose to 4-15 teams on their home floor after running out to an 11-0 lead.

Maybe the Atlanta Hawks aren’t as great as we thought they were. Or maybe it was just a bad night.

Either way, Friday’s 114-107 loss to woeful New York at Philips Arena underscores the dangers any team faces on any given night.

Atlanta seemed to fall apart after Josh Smith was ejected in the second quarter. By then, the Knicks had stormed back from that early deficit, thanks in part to red-hot shooting that resulted in New York finishing the night shooting 57 percent from the floor.

The Hawks led 84-83 entering the fourth quarter, but the Knicks took total control from there, outscoring Atlanta 31-23 during the final 12 minutes.

Joe Johnson shouldered the offensive load, scoring 29 points to lead the Hawks on 12-of-24 shooting. Marvin Williams added 20, Al Horford scored 17 and pulled down 14 rebounds, and Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 12.

Atlanta plays tonight at Dallas.

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Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 11:26 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, National Basketball Association, New York Knicks

Hawks Dismantle Raptors, Score Most Points in 16 Years, 146-115

After a rough week last week, the Atlanta Hawks soundly put the wheels back on track on Wednesday night, as they absolutely dismantled the slumping Toronto Raptors, 146-115.

Center Al Horford led the team with 24 points and nine rebounds, as he was one of nine Hawks in double figures in the game. It was the first time the Hawks had nine players in double digits since a game in 1987 against New Jersey, and the most points the team has scored in regulation since a Jan. 30, 1993 matchup with Philadelphia.

“It was fun. It was one of those nights where we couldn’t miss,” Horford said.

After a loss to Orlando on Thanksgiving Day, and a loss to lowly Detroit on Sunday, Hawks coach Mike Woodson started demanding more out of Hawks players in practice, and they responded accordingly.

“It got a little intense the last couple of days and we needed that,” Woodson said. “We had been lagging from a defensive standpoint and rebounding the ball.”

The Hawks blew the game open by halftime, having already broken open a 75-54 lead, which caused Raptors All-Star Chris Bosh to stay on the bench for most of the second half, with the game already well out of reach.

“I think everybody pretty much knows we’re an explosive team,” guard Joe Johnson said. “Our consistency is where we’re lacking. We’ve got to figure it out on the road instead of just bringing it at home.”

at 12:16 am by bryan

Hawks rediscover offensive output, blast Raptors

By Bud L. Ellis

It looks like the Atlanta Hawks have rediscovered their offensive mo-jo.

Mired in a slump on the offensive end during a 1-3 stretch, the Hawks busted out in a big way Wednesday night at Philips Arena. Nine Atlanta players scored in double figures as the Hawks ripped the Toronto Raptors 146-115, matching the highest offensive output in the NBA so far this season.

Al Horford led the assault with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, but he had company … lots of company. Josh Smith and Jamal Crawford scored 16 points each. Marvin Williams added 14. Rookie Jeff Teague scored 13. Joe Smith, Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson added 12 points each, and Zaza Pachulia scored 11.

The Hawks hit 59 percent of their shots from the floor, totally blowing away the overmatched Raptors. Atlanta led by 21 at halftime and by 30 after three quarters. Going into the fourth, the Hawks had 114 points, after scoring 88 points or fewer in the three losses preceding the rout.

Now 13-5 on the season, the Hawks take on New York on Friday.

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Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 9:38 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Joe Smith, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Zaza Pachulia

Hawks seek return to offensive output

By Bud L. Ellis

There’s no place like home for the holidays, and the Atlanta Hawks will enjoy plenty of home cooking the first three weeks of December.

Starting with Wednesday’s home contest against Toronto, the Hawks will play six of their next eight contests inside the (apologizes to Cubs’ fans everywhere for this) friendly confines of Philips Arena. The combined record of the opposition in the next eight: 53-88.

Not exactly a list of world-beaters, this upcoming stretch for the 12-5 Hawks. Toronto, which the Hawks face twice, is 7-12. There are home games against 0-17 New Jersey, 4-14 New York and 6-12 Memphis in the next three weeks.

Is it too much to ask the Hawks to go 6-2 during this stretch? If Atlanta could do that, the Hawks would be sitting at 18-7 after 25 games, a 59-win pace that would set the franchise record for victories in a single season.

But these Hawks have much more on their minds than accomplishments from November to April. After reaching the playoffs the past two seasons and winning a postseason series for the first time in a decade last spring, the Hawks really believe they can make a push deep into the Eastern Conference playoffs.

But wins – no matter the caliber of the opposition – all count just the same. And the next three weeks, the Hawks have a great chance to pile up some marks in the W column.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 9:39 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Cubs, Memphis Grizzlies, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Philips Arena, Toronto Raptors

Hawks seek offensive spark to end mini-skid

By Bud L. Ellis

Dropping three games in their past four outings has moved the Atlanta Hawks out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

And the weather isn’t the only thing that’s cooled in the waning days of November and the opening hours of December.

The Hawks have scored 88 points or fewer in all three of their losses during their mini-skid that’s dropped Atlanta into a tie with Cleveland for third place in the Eastern Conference.

Prior to the recent hiccup, the Hawks ran off seven consecutive victories, scoring 97 points or more in each victory and topping 100 five times.

So, why the sudden struggles on offense? Start with a lack of patience.

The Hawks have been impatient on offense, which is surprising considering how fluid the Atlanta offense has been through most of the first 17 games.

In one of the losses, the Thanksgiving night defeat to Orlando, the Hawks faced one of the top defensive teams in the league. But in losses to New Orleans and Detroit (who combined have one more victory – 13 – than the Hawks), Atlanta simply didn’t find their rhythm on offense.

No doubt when the Hawks return to the floor to face Chicago on Wednesday, they will seek a return to the patient, balanced offensive attack that sparked their rise to the top of the East.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 8:33 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic