By Bud L. Ellis
Down 16 points in the first half on Sunday, the Atlanta Hawks instead kicked things into high gear, kicking off the 2011 portion of their schedule with a come-from-behind victory.
Joe Johnson scored 29 points – 11 in the fourth quarter – and Josh Smith added 22 as the Hawks fought back for a 107-98 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers. ( Read More…)
Monday, January 3, 2011 at 9:14 pm by bud
Tags: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks news, Atlanta Hawks schedule, Atlanta Hawks tickets, Boston Celtics, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, National Basketball Association
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
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
