Hawks run past Bobcats, prepare for huge week

By Bud L. Ellis

When the Atlanta Hawks are running and gunning like they did in the first and third quarters Friday night, they just might soar all the way to June.

In perhaps two of their most dominant stretches of basketball of the season, Atlanta took Charlotte’s six-game winning streak and dispatched it in a 103-89 victory at Philips Arena that wasn’t anywhere near as close as indicated.

Were it not for a lull in the second quarter and another in the fourth, the Hawks might have won by 40. Seriously. They were that good, shooting 51 percent from the floor, getting five 3-pointers and a team-high 24 points from Jamal Crawford, five Hawks finished with four or more assists and Atlanta was a perfect 14-for-14 from the foul line.

Crawford hit on 8-of-12 field-goal attempts, and added five assists and two blocked shots. Al Horford added 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Joe Johnson finished with 19 points and seven assists. Josh Smith mixed several big-time dunks into his 14 points, adding eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. Marvin Williams also scored 14.

The Hawks now prepare for a huge week in which they will play at Houston, at San Antonio, home with Boston and at Orlando. The Hawks lead the Magic by ½ game in the Southeast Division, and trail the Celtics by ½ game for second place in the Eastern Conference.

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Saturday, January 23, 2010 at 11:47 am by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Houston Rockets, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, National Basketball Association, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, San Antonio Spurs

Hawks conclude season’s first half with win over Kings

By Bud L. Ellis

Midway through the season, the Atlanta Hawks are in a pretty good place.

Sitting at 27-14 and in first place in the Southeast Division, the Hawks reached the middle point of the 2009-10 season Wednesday night, overcoming a sluggish start to down Sacramento 108-97 at Philips Arena.

Jamal Crawford, arguably the team’s MVP in the first half, continued his strong work off the bench with 20 points. Joe Johnson added 17. Josh Smith, who left early after taking a blow to the knee, returned to finish with 16 points and nine rebounds.

Atlanta, which sits four games behind Cleveland for the best record in the Eastern Conference, trailed by 10 in the opening minutes until finding its gear. The Hawks shot 51 percent and, after the first few minutes, played crisp, precision basketball.

Atlanta plays host to Charlotte on Friday.

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Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:39 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, National Basketball Association, Philips Arena, Sacramento Kings

Hawks return home, chew up Nuggets

By Bud L. Ellis

The easiest path to the playoffs is simple math:

Play .500 on the road, and dominate at home.

So far, the Atlanta Hawks are earning straight A’s in math class. Keep this up, and Atlanta will have a shot when it comes to exam time.

One night after a four-game in six-day road trip caught up to them in a road loss at Charlotte, Atlanta returned home and ripped through Denver, 125-100 Saturday night at Philips Arena.

Through seven games, consider the Hawks are 2-2 on the road, having downed Portland and Sacramento in between losses at the defending champion Lakers and at Charlotte. At home, the Hawks are perfect, moving to 3-0 at Philips with the win over Denver.

Good teams play even ball on the road, then do what they’re supposed to do at home. The Hawks had that missing zip, that missing step, when they stepped onto their home court against a Denver team that played deep into the playoffs last season.

Jamal Crawford again did his thing off the bench, Mr. Offense leading the way with 25 points. Joe Johnson and Josh Smith each popped in 22 points, as seven Hawks scored in double figures.

The Hawks put their even-steven road record on the line Wednesday with a trip to New York.

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Monday, November 9, 2009 at 8:19 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Denver Nuggets, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Philips Arena, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings

Smith reaches milestone, Hawks get defensive in win over Washington

By Bud L. Ellis

A monumental moment on the defensive end for Josh Smith sparked the Atlanta Hawks in a return to defensive night at Philips Arena.

Smith became the youngest player in NBA history to block 900 shots, and Atlanta rebounded from a shaky defensive effort in the season opener to beat Washington 100-89 on Friday, improving to 2-0 on the season.

Sure, the Hawks are unbeaten, but there was some worry after the Pacers ran through the Atlanta D for 65 first-half points in Wednesday’s season opener. Consider the message delivered, though: Atlanta held Indy to 15 points in the fourth quarter, then bounced back from an early 10-point deficit to take care of the Wizards.

J’Smooth led the Hawks with 20 points in 29 minutes, along with eight rebounds. Joe Johnson scored 17, Jamal Crawford infused the Atlanta offense with 16 points off the bench, and Al Horford and Marvin Williams chipped in 10 points each. Crawford’s effort led the Hawks’ bolstered bench, which gave Atlanta 27 points.

The Hawks needed these two wins at home, and they got them. Now, it’s time to hit the road. Atlanta plays at the defending champion Lakers on Sunday, opening a four-game road swing that includes meetings at Portland on Tuesday, at Sacramento on Wednesday, and at Charlotte on Friday.

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Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 6:54 pm by bud

Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Indiana Pacers, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Lakers, Marvin Williams, National Basketball Association, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards

Teague continues to impress as Hawks top Charlotte

By Bud L. Ellis

For some rookies, the middle days of October are when their NBA dreams expire.

For others — like Jeff Teague — it’s when those fantasties take flight for real.

Teague, the Atlanta Hawks‘ first-round draft pick this summer, continued to show why the organization thought so highly of the former Wake Forest star on Monday, leading Atlanta with 17 points in a 107-90 preseason victory over Charlotte at Philips Arena.

Teague needed just 29 minutes to score his 17, dish out seven assists, and continue to make an impression on his new teammates and coaching staff.

“It was a fun game,” Teague told Hawks.com. “I think I’m learning on the fly, learning quickly, trying to understand the game.”

That understanding is coming quickly for a player who gives Atlanta a young point guard to spell Mike Bibby this season. Teague leads the Hawks in scoring through three preseason games at 16.0 per contest

Coming off a loss Sunday night in Detroit, the Hawks showed plenty of bounce. Atlanta led by as many as 17 in the first half, hitting 53 percent from the floor in building an early eight-point advantage.

“We did a lot of good things tonight, which we didn’t do (Sunday) night in Detroit,” Hawks coach Mike Woodson told Hawks.com. “So it’s nice to see us bounce back.’

Joe Johnson, Zaza Pachulia and Juan Dixon each scored 14. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams added 11 for Atlanta, who plays Wednesday at Memphis.

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009 at 5:43 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Detroit Pistons, Jeff Teague, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Juan Dixon, Marvin Williams, Memphis Grizzles, Mike Bibby, Mike Woodson, National Basketball Association, Philips Arena, Wake Forest, Zaza Pachulia

Hawks using preseason to tune roster, find chemistry

By Bud L. Ellis

With three games in the next four nights, the Atlanta Hawks ramp up preparations for the 2009-10 season.

It’s likely by the time this three-game stretch ends Wednesday, there will be a few players who will be looking for another team.

Cuts are likely to come down at some point during this stretch, which begins at 6 p.m. today at Detroit. Atlanta returns home Monday to play host to Charlotte at 7 p.m., then travels to Memphis at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

As the Hawks’ staff evaluates the guys on the fringe, the more-established veteran players and the top newcomers brought onto the roster in the offseason will continue to work on meshing together as a team.

That’s what preseason is all about. Guys like Jamal Crawford, Jason Collins and Joe Smith are seeking the chemistry and where they fit into a team coming off back-to-back playoff appearances. Other guys, like Mario West, Othello Hunter and Courtney Sims, are hoping they can do enough during the next three weeks to land on the opening-night roster.

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Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 9:35 am by bud

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, Courtney Sims, Detroit Pistons, Jamal Crawford, Jason Collins, Joe Smith, Mario West, Memphis Grizzlies, National Basketball Association, Othello Hunter