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
By Bud L. Ellis
Monday, the nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. The Atlanta Hawks were scheduled to work, but it didn’t look like they showed up.
Shooting just 4-for-16 from 3-point range and looking lackluster throughout their Monday afternoon matinee at Philips Arena, Jamal Crawford couldn’t bail out his mates this time. Three days after beating Phoenix with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, Crawford missed a game-tying 3 at the horn as the Hawks fell 94-91 to Oklahoma City.
For a team with championship aspirations, it was a disappointing loss. The Thunder aren’t chopped liver, coming in four games over .500. But still, these are games the truly elite teams need to win at home.
The Hawks on this day looked anything but ready for elite status.
They shot just 40 percent from the floor. They fell behind early, trailing by seven after the first quarter and by 12 in the second quarter. They continuously sent Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant to the foul line, where the Thunder star sank 14-of-15 attempts.
Still, Atlanta grinded its way back into the game, but couldn’t come up with a miracle finish for the second consecutive game.
Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 23 points. Josh Smith added 18 points and 12 rebounds, missing a triple-double by three assists. Al Horford scored 13 to go with 10 rebounds. Mike Bibby and Crawford each scored 12.
The loss dropped the Hawks back into a tie for first in the Southeast Division with Orlando. Atlanta continues its homestand Wednesday against Sacramento at Philips Arena.
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Monday, January 18, 2010 at 9:30 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Kevin Durant, Mike Bibby, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philips Arena, Sacramento Kings
