Hawks bounce back, end Western swing with win at Jazz

By Bud L. Ellis

It would be unfair to say the Atlanta Hawks were reeling out of control as they arrived in Salt Lake City Monday night. But after blowing a 17-point fourth-quarter lead to lowly Golden State the night before, a win definitely was needed.

That’s what the Hawks got, leaving Utah with a victory for the first time since 1993. Down six points with under nine minutes to play, Atlanta finished strong in a 105-100 victory.

With the win, the Hawks wrap up their four-game Western Conference road swing at 2-2. The win pulls the Hawks within two games of Orlando in the Southeast Division standings. Sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta moves to within ½ game of Boston for the third seed.

Joe Johnson scored 28 points on 12-for-19 shooting. Josh Smith added 18 points and led the Hawks with nine rebounds. Jamal Crawford scored 17 points off the bench, hitting four 3-pointers. Al Horford added 13 points and Marvin Williams scored 11.

Atlanta returns home to play Minnesota on Wednesday at Philips Arena.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 9:21 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, Utah Jazz

Hawks totally fall apart in loss to Golden State

By Bud L. Ellis

The Atlanta Hawks have looked like a legitimate NBA championship contender at times this season.

But Sunday night in Oakland, the Hawks looked like a team that will be long gone before late May gets here.

Blowing a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Hawks fell totally apart in the final 12 minutes, losing to Golden State 108-104 in the third game of a four-game road swing.

The Hawks, who finish the road trip Monday night at Utah, carried a 90-73 advantage into the fourth quarter. But Golden State ripped the Hawks apart in the final 12 minutes, outscoring Atlanta 35-14 over the course of the final quarter.

Up 52-51 at halftime, the Hawks owned the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors 38-22. Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 31 points. Al Horford scored 26 points with 11 rebounds, and Josh Smith added 14 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists. Jamal Crawford scored 17 off the bench.

The Hawks, who now trail Orlando by 2 ½ games in the Southeast Division, return home to Philips Arena to play Minnesota on Wednesday.

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Monday, February 22, 2010 at 9:04 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Utah Jazz

Hawks can’t capitalize, fall to Suns

By Bud L. Ellis

A rotten night shooting from the field kept the Atlanta Hawks from gaining ground in the Southeast Division standings.

Shooting just 39.5 percent Friday night, the Hawks couldn’t hold a one-point halftime lead at Phoenix, slipping behind in the second half and falling to the Suns 88-80, on the second game of a four-game Western Conference road swing.

With division leader Orlando and Eastern Conference frontrunner Cleveland both losing, the Hawks were unable to capitalize and inch closer in both races. Atlanta remains 1 ½ games behind the Magic in the division and 7 ½ behind Cleveland in the conference.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 21 points. Joe Johnson added 19 and nine rebounds. Jamal Crawford scored 11, and Al Horford added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Outside shooting doomed the Hawks on this night. Atlanta hit on just 30 of 76 attempts, including a paltry 3-for-14 from 3-point range.

The Hawks continue their road swing Sunday at Golden State and wrap up the road trip Monday at Utah. Atlanta returns home Wednesday to face Minnesota.

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Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 9:13 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz

Hawks open road trip by trimming Clippers

By Bud L. Ellis

After a sluggish first five minutes Wednesday night, the Atlanta Hawks woke up and opened the second half of the NBA season with a flourish.

Tied with the lowly Los Angeles Clippers early in the first quarter, the Hawks stepped on the accelerator and pulled away during the next 19 minutes. Building a 56-44 halftime advantage, the Hawks survived a mini-run by the Clippers in the third quarter, taking a 110-92 victory.

The win moved Atlanta 16 games above .500 at 34-18.

Al Horford, fresh off the first All-Star appearance of his career, scored a career-high 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting. Josh Smith came close to a triple-double, scoring 20 points with nine rebounds and seven assists. Joe Johnson scored 18 and Jamal Crawford added 12.

The Hawks, who shot 54.4 percent, saw the Clippers pull within 81-75 after three quarter. But Atlanta outscored Los Angeles 29-17 during the final 12 minutes to put this one away.

The win opened a four-game road swing for Atlanta, which played Friday at Phoenix.

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Friday, February 19, 2010 at 11:50 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Clippers, National Basketball Association, Phoenix Suns

Hawks look to soar in second half of season

By Bud L. Ellis

Joe Johnson and Al Horford are back from the All-Star game. Zaza Pachulia and Jamal Crawford are back from minor injuries.

For the Atlanta Hawks, it’s the second half of the season, and it’s time to make a move.

The Hawks sit in a great place in the standings, third in the Eastern Conference and just 1 ½ games behind second-seed Orlando in the Southeast Division. While catching the front-running Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference lead may be a reach for both teams – the Hawks are 8 ½ games back; the Magic seven games in arrears of Cleveland – the division title is there for the taking.

And with Boston just ½ game behind Atlanta for fourth and the red-hot Toronto Raptors in fifth and only four games behind the Celtics, the race for the second through fifth seeds in the East figures to go down to the season’s final days.

Atlanta opens a critical four-game west coast road swing Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Hawks also visit Phoenix, Golden State and Utah on the trip, before returning home to Philips Arena next Wednesday to face Minnesota. The last three teams the Hawks face on the road trip all are above .500 and all would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

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Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at 8:51 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Zaza Pachulia

After unexpected break, Hawks return to action

By Bud L. Ellis

After a break that lasted longer than scheduled thanks to a blizzard, the Atlanta Hawks are ready to return to the court.

Scheduled to play Saturday night against Washington at the Verizon Center, the Hawks couldn’t get into D.C. due to the major snowstorm that blasted the Mid-Atlantic States. The NBA postponed the game. It has been rescheduled for March 11.

Atlanta, which hasn’t played since beating Chicago on Friday at Philips Arena, plays Tuesday night at Memphis. And the Hawks needed the extra day to try and get Joe Johnson over the flu. Johnson, who leads the Hawks in scoring at 21.9 points per game (10th in the NBA), is expected to be in the lineup Tuesday.

Reserve forward Zaza Pachulia will not play. Pachulia is out with a hip injury and may not return until next week.

Atlanta opens the week in tied for third with Boston in the Eastern Conference standings at 32-17. The Hawks sit 1 ½ games behind Orlando in the Southeast Division.

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Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 5:35 pm by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Joe Johnson, Memphis Grizzlies, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Verizon Center, Washington Wizards, Zaza Pachulia

Hawks wake up at the finish, trim Clippers

By Bud L. Ellis

It took more than three quarters for the Atlanta Hawks to wake up Wednesday night at Philips Arena.

But when the lethargic Hawks finally shook off the malaise that caused substantial booing from the home fans and plenty of easy baskets for the L.A. Clippers, Atlanta hit its stride just in the nick of time.

Down by 13 in the third quarter and trailing by nine with eight minutes, left, the Hawks outsprinted the Clippers at the finish for a 103-97 victory.

Atlanta trails Orlando by 1 ½ games in the Southeast Division, and sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford shouldered the scoring load for the Hawks once again. Johnson led the way with 34 points, and Crawford came off the bench to add 22. A 12-point spurt in a 90-second span late in the third quarter was highlighted by Crawford’s fifth four-point play of the season, the 24th of his career to tie Reggie Miller’s NBA record.

Atlanta got 10 rebounds each from Al Horford (16 points), Josh Smith (15 points) and Marvin Williams (10 points). The Hawks play host to Chicago Friday at Philips Arena.

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Thursday, February 4, 2010 at 8:59 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, L.A. Clippers, Marvin Williams, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena

Hawks look to slow Thunder before returning home

By Bud L. Ellis

Knotted in a tight race for second place in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks seek a little payback when they travel to Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

The Hawks, locked in a battle with Orlando and Boston for second in the East, lost to the resurgent Thunder on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Atlanta, Kevin Durant going for 29 points in that game.

Durant leads the NBA in scoring the past month, and the Thunder are five games over .500 on the season and tied with New Orleans for the final playoff spot in the West. The Hawks, meanwhile, sit third in the East, one game behind Orlando and ½ game up on fourth-place Boston.

After Tuesday, the Hawks return home for three of their next five, with home games Wednesday against the L.A. Clippers, Friday against Chicago, and next Wednesday against Miami. Atlanta travels to Washington Saturday and Memphis next Tuesday.

After playing host to Miami, the Hawks hit the road for a four-game, six-day Western road swing.

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 6:52 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Kevin Durant, L.A. Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, National Basketball Association, New Orleans Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards