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
The euphoria of sweeping the Boston Celtics lasted just one day for the Atlanta Hawks, who ran into their own familiar brick wall Saturday night.
Dwight Howard continued tormenting his hometown team, scoring 31 points and pulling down 19 rebounds as the Hawks fell to the Orlando Magic, 104-86.
With the loss, the Hawks saw Orlando move ½ game ahead of Atlanta in the Southeast Division standings, and f\ell percentage points behind Boston for third in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks haven’t beaten the Magic since last season’s opening game, losing six in a row to the defending Eastern champions.
Atlanta ran out to a 10-point lead early, but the Magic reeled in the Hawks from there. Atlanta shot just 39.5 percent while the Magic hit on 54.2 percent of their attempts. Howard hit 10-of-16 from the field and shot 18 free throws – the Hawks as a team shot 20 from the line – as three Hawks’ defenders (Jason Collins, Zaza Pachulia and Al Horford) combined to commit 13 fouls.
Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford each scored 19 points to lead Atlanta. Josh Smith added 16 and Mike Bibby scored 10.
Atlanta returns to action Tuesday at Oklahoma City.
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Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 11:32 am by bud
Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Dwight Howard, Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Mike Bibby, National Basketball Association, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic
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
