ATLANTA (AP) — Al Horford scored 19 points in his first start since January, and the Atlanta Hawks held on for an 87-86 victory over the Boston Celtics in a thrilling Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoffs Tuesday night.

The Celtics lead the series 3-2 heading back to Boston for Game 6 on Thursday. If the Hawks can steal one on the road, the deciding game would be Saturday in Atlanta.

Boston had a chance to clinch the series when Rajon Rondo stole Josh Smith’s inbounds pass with 10 seconds remaining and raced down the court, looking for the winner. But he got hemmed in along the sideline and Smith knocked away a desperation pass, the ball rolling away as time ran out.

A relieved Smith collapsed on the scorer’s table.

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 16 points apiece. Rondo had 13 points and 12 assists, and the last of his five assists gave Boston a chance to end the series early and get some much-needed rest.

But there’s still work to do.

The Hawks kept their season going, getting a huge contribution from a player who wasn’t there for much of it. Horford went down in January with a torn pectoral muscle, missing the rest of the regular season and the first three games of the playoffs. But he made a surprise return in Game 4, one of the few bright spots in an embarrassing 101-79 loss that gave the Celtics command of the series.

Boston headed to Atlanta intent on wrapping things up, but Horford clearly wanted to play a little longer after missing so much time. He led fast breaks and dived on the court for loose balls, not the least bit worried about reinjuring himself. In addition to leading the Hawks in scoring, he grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, came up with three steals and blocked three shots.

Smith clearly looked hobbled by a sore knee, but still managed 13 points and 16 rebounds. Jeff Teague had 16 points, while Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams had 15 apiece, giving Atlanta double-figure scoring from all five of its starters in a revamped lineup.

In a back-and-forth game, the Celtics tied it at 83 on Ray Allen’s 3-pointer from the corner, capping a quick 7-0 run.

The Hawks called time out and set up a play that reclaimed the lead for good. Teague drove into the lane and dumped it off to Horford for an uncontested dunk.

After Garnett missed a jumper in the lane, Johnson ran down the shot clock looking as though he had every intention of shooting. But, at the last possible second, he rifled a pass to Horford coming off the wing. The big center threw up a sort of pseudo-hook with Garnett and Brandon Bass all over him. The ball bounced around the rim before falling through with 1:34 left, giving the Hawks an 87-83 lead.

With less than a minute to go, after misses by Pierce and Horford canceled each other out, Pierce was inexplicably left open for a 3-pointer. He swished it, pulling the Celtics within a point. They wouldn’t get another, even with a couple of chances.

Teague missed an open 3 for the Hawks, giving Pierce a look at the go-ahead shot. But his 18-foot jumper with Johnson in his face barely touched the bottom of the net, falling harmlessly out of bounds while Pierce looked around in disbelief, believing he must have been fouled.

Rondo’s steal gave the Celtics one more chance, but they never actually got a shot off.

Boston appeared to have the momentum, closing the third quarter on a Rondo-led 10-0 spurt that cut Atlanta’s 12-point lead down to a mere basket. The Celtics kept it going early in the fourth, pushing out to a 73-69 edge on Allen’s 3-pointer with 8 1-2 minutes remaining.

But no lead was safe in this topsy-turvy game. The Hawks ripped off a 14-3 run. The Celtics called time out and scored seven straight of their own, capped by another 3 by Allen.

Looking to spark his team and generate more offense, Atlanta coach Larry Drew juggled his lineup for Game 5. Horford’s first start since his injury wasn’t totally surprising, given the center had 12 points and five rebounds off the bench in the 22-point blowout.

Perhaps more significantly, the Hawks started Williams at small forward and shifted Johnson to shooting guard, hoping that would create mismatches and give Atlanta’s top scorer more offensive chances. He took only eight shots in Game 4, a totally unacceptable number that had some wondering if Horford’s return disrupted the offense more than it helped.

No one is questioning him now.

Notes: The Hawks have used three different lineups in the five-game series. … Allen kept up his solid play off the bench with 15 points. Bass had 14.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ATLANTA – Four years ago, Boston and Atlanta were in much different places when they met in the NBA playoffs.

The Celtics, a champion in the making. The Hawks, a team on the rise.

This time, they’re in a similar situation: playing to stay together.

The Celtics are possibly making a last stand with their aging Big Three – Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Hawks have a younger core but desperately need a long run in the playoffs to justify keeping all the important pieces intact, especially dynamic forward Josh Smith, who has one more year on his contract and a checkered relationship with his hometown team.

Game 1 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in Atlanta, which has home-court advantage despite being the lower-seeded team.

“Both teams are playing for their survival as a group,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Saturday. “If we win the series, and keep winning, you’re going to want to build on this group. If we win, you may not see that (Hawks) team anymore.”

Atlanta has made three straight trips to the second round, including a tough six-game loss last year to the top-seeded Chicago Bulls. But the Hawks have never won more than one playoff series in any given year since moving from St. Louis in 1968, which has turned the city into something of a basketball wasteland.

When it comes to attendance, Atlanta generally ranks near the bottom of the league no matter its record (this year, the Hawks were 23rd overall and second-worst among playoff teams). Many of the fans who do turn out in this city of transplants tend to root for the other team, which was certainly the case for Boston’s two visits to Philips Arena this season.

Atlanta star Joe Johnson is hoping the fans will be more like there were in the 2008 playoffs, when the Hawks won all three at home before raucous, supportive crowds to surprisingly force a Game 7 against the top-seeded Celtics.

“There was so much excitement here in Atlanta,” Johnson remembered. “Just the way the crowd was into it and made this a very hostile environment. Man, it was pleasing to play in this building. It was a lot of fun.”

What does he expect this time?

“I know it’s going to be loud,” Johnson said, breaking into a sly grin. “I just hope it’s going to be in our favor.”

Neither team is at full strength. Allen has not played in two weeks because of a sore right ankle, and he’s not sure if he’ll be ready to go in the series opener. In fact, if this wasn’t the playoffs, the 36-year-old shooting guard would already be having surgery. Instead, he took a cortisone shot a few days ago and said Saturday the ankle “feels a lot better.”

“As I stand here, just moving around on it, walking around, it feels great,” Allen said at his team’s suburban Boston practice facility, before the team flew to Atlanta. “Now, transferring it out on the floor and moving around on it is the next step.”

The Celtics won’t get any sympathy from their opponent. Atlanta already played most of the season without center Al Horford, who had hoped to be recovered from pectoral surgery in time for the playoffs but has already been ruled out for the Celtics series. The guy who took his starting spot, rugged Zaza Pachulia, missed the last seven games of the regular season with a sprained left foot.

While coach Larry Drew has tried to be coy about Pachulia’s status for the playoffs, saying again Saturday that it will be a game-time decision, the players have already accepted having to start the postseason without their top two centers.

“With us not having Al and Zaza, it’s going to be tough,” Johnson said.

If Pachulia is indeed out, Drew will have to decide on which way to go with his lineup. He could stick with third-stringer Jason Collins as the starting center and leave everyone else in the roles they’ve played so well, including Smith at power forward and Marvin Williams coming off the bench with a highly effective second unit. Or, the Hawks could go smaller and quicker with their first five, moving Smith to center and promoting Williams to the starting lineup.

No matter who’s on the court, Smith figures to spend plenty of time tussling with Garnett at both ends of the court. That figures to be one of the key matchups in the series, along with the one at point guard, where Atlanta’s Jeff Teague gets the difficult task of trying to contain Rajon Rondo. Boston’s superb floor leader averaged more than 14 assists a game and dished out 20 in an overtime win over the Hawks on April 11.

The teams are much more closely matched than they were before Boston’s playoff victory in 2008 – the Hawks finishing one game ahead in the East standings, the Celtics winning two out of three meetings, none of which was decided by more than five points.

Another seven-game marathon is not out of the question.

“They’ve got three Hall of Famers on that team,” Johnson said. “They’re a great veteran group that knows how to get it done.”

He feels good about his own team, too.

“We’re a lot better, a lot deeper, than we’ve ever been. I think now’s the time,” Johnson said. “The main thing I want to do is try to bring a championship here to Atlanta. The city is well overdue. Why not give it a try?”

CBSSports.com wire reports
April 24, 2012

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson was just trying to hit the rim.

He wound up doing a lot better than that.

Johnson scored 28 points, including a desperate 3-pointer in the final minute, and the Atlanta Hawks held on for a 109-102 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, moving a step closer to wrapping up home-court in the first round of the playoffs.

Johnson hit a pair of treys coming down the stretch, but the one that really stood out came with 38 seconds remaining and the shot clock running down. From 30 feet away along the sideline, he flung the ball toward the basket with two hands. It somehow banked in to give the Hawks a 103-96 lead.

“The craziest I ever hit in a game” was how Johnson described it. “I had no clue how much time was left or what even happened,” he said. “I just heaved it up there. I wanted to at least hit the rim. I accidentally made it.”

Blake Griffin scored a season-high 36 points, while Chris Paul added 34 in a back-and-forth game in which neither team led by double figures until Atlanta went on a 15-2 run at the end of the third quarter, sparked by Jeff Teague and Josh Smith.

The Hawks can wrap up home-court advantage for their opening-round series against Boston by winning the regular-season finale against Dallas on Thursday. They’ll also clinch it if the Celtics lose that same night against Milwaukee.

Los Angeles is trying to hold on to the fourth seed — and home-court — in the West. The Clippers go into Wednesday’s finale at New York tied with the Memphis Grizzlies.

“I guess we just made it real interesting,” Paul said. “We’ve got to use this game [Wednesday] as a huge barometer as far as what it’s going to be like in the playoffs. In the playoffs you’re not going to be able to get down 10, 15 and try to come back in the fourth quarter, because the game’s going to be way too intense for that.”

This game was tied at 70 when the Hawks took control in the final 3:42 of the third. Teague scored seven straight points and got the best of his fellow Wake Forest guard at the defensive end, stuffing Paul on a drive to the hoop.

Teague stood over the Clippers’ star, smiling, but there was no bad blood. Paul hopped up to give the Hawks’ player a pat on the backside.

“It’s always fun to play against someone you know,” Teague said.

Paul hit a pair of free throws, before Smith responded with six straight points. The last of those came after Paul turned it over with an errant pass, sending Marvin Williams flying down the court on a fast break. He missed the drive, but Smith was there to clean up with a dunk.

Ivan Johnson closed the quarter with a pair of free throws, pushing the Hawks to an 85-72 lead.

Teague finished with 21 points, while Smith had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Los Angeles was essentially a two-man team. Griffin scored 16 of the first 21 points for the Clippers, while Paul scored 20 in the second half. It wasn’t enough, not against a much more balanced effort by the Hawks. Williams scored 11 to lead the Atlanta bench, which outscored the Los Angeles reserves 32-19.

“That’s what coach [Larry Drew] told us at halftime,” Teague said. “Blake and Chris are going to score the basketball. We just had to take care of everyone else.”

Teague was at the center of things coming down the stretch as the Clippers tried to close the gap. First, he leaped outside to block a 3-pointer by Caron Butler, sending the ball flying into the seats. Then, winding up in a mismatch with Griffin, Teague managed to hold his ground, knock the ball away and draw a foul on Griffin as they battled for the loose ball.

Teague jawed a bit with Griffin, Mo Williams stepped in and players from both teams got in the middle of things before the confrontation escalated.

“He had me in a headlock,” Teague said. “I was trying to get out of there, but he had me locked up pretty good.”

Griffin hit eight of his first nine shots while his teammates were missing seven of nine. His most spectacular basket wasn’t one of his thunderous dunks — instead, he drove under the hoop, then flipped the ball back over his head without looking, turning just in time to watch it drop in.

Los Angeles led 28-23 at the end of the opening quarter, but the Hawks’ reserves led the home team back. Ivan Johnson sparked a 14-2 run with a defensive play, stuffing Nick Young as he drove into the lane looking for a dunk. At the other end, Willie Green put up a 3-pointer that bounced off the rim, the backboard, the rim again and dropped through.

The Atlanta starters leaped off the bench to celebrate, while Green did a little hop and pumped his fist along the sideline.

“If you’re going to get over the hump in the playoffs, you’ve got keep advancing with the bench,” Joe Johnson said. “They’ve got to play a big role.”

Notes

• Before the game, the Hawks presented injured C Zaza Pachulia with the Jason Collier Memorial Trophy for his dedication to community service. The annual award is named after the late Hawks C who died in 2005 from a heart ailment at the age of 28. Collier’s widow, daughter and parents attended the ceremony.
• Early in the fourth, Green had a 3-pointer reduced to a 2 after the officials looked at the video replay during a timeout.

ATLANTA (AP) The New York Knicks gave center Tyson Chandler, the key to their improved defense, a day off against the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams seemed to scrap their defenses through three quarters of a shootout between playoff-bound teams.

However, it was a defensive play that decided the game when Amare Stoudemire blocked Marvin Williams‘ dunk attempt at the buzzer to save the Knicks’ 113-112 win over the Hawks on Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and hit the winning jumper with 1:40 left on Atlanta’s defensive miscommunication. Stoudemire finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 with a sore back.

Williams scored a season-high 29 points in a rare start, but came up empty when he – and a full-throated crowd in Philips Arena – felt he was fouled.

”No contact at all. It was a great battle,” Stoudemire said. ”It was a phenomenal game. From what Coach Woody’s (Mike Woodson) saying, the way to win a championship is defense and rebounding.”

Defense was often absent as the Hawks shot a season-high 15 for 23 on 3-pointers, and the Knicks were 12 for 19 from beyond the arc.

New York led 94-93 after three quarters.

The Hawks (38-26) hold the No. 5 seed in the East, and still have hopes of securing homecourt advantage in a likely first-round match-up against the Celtics (37-27).

Sunday didn’t help, and Atlanta All-Star Joe Johnson wasn’t happy about it after he spent much of the day chasing Anthony. Johnson scored 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Anthony was 14 for 32 as the only New York starter to shoot under 50 percent.

”It’s frustrating that we’re still playing for something and defensively we were non-existent,” Johnson said. ”There was no help (on defense). If you were guarding somebody 1-on-1, you were definitely guarding 1-on-1.”

Woodson gave Chandler the day off after New York played seven games in 11 days. The Knicks have allowed 116.3 points in three games without Chandler, and 93.8 when he plays.

The Hawks built a 65-60 halftime lead on 59 percent shooting even as Anthony scored 20 points and the Knicks shot 60 percent.

”It shows how valuable Tyson Chandler is to our ball club,” Woodson said. ”He plugs a lot of holes for us. It’s fun for fans, but we have to defend better.”

Both teams slowed down offensively in the fourth quarter, when the Hawks took their final lead at 112-111 on Johnson’s 3-pointer with 1:50 left.

Anthony countered with a jumper 10 seconds later to close the scoring when he was left wide open on the right wing.

Yet the Hawks had a good chance to win.

With just more than 3 seconds to play, Johnson inbounded to Williams near the Knicks’ bench. The plan was for him to hand the ball back to Johnson on a curl, but New York rookie Iman Shumpert – who played at Georgia Tech just a mile or so away – bumped Johnson off his path.

Williams turned and beat Stoudemire down the lane only to find both he and Anthony contesting at the rim – as Chandler normally would. A split-second after the ball was rejected, the buzzer sounded.

”I felt like I got fouled at the end,” Williams said, ”but they didn’t call it.”

Johnson, who made 2-of-3 shots in the final quarter (both being 3s), was as irritated about the Hawks’ offense as he was the defense.

”Down the stretch, I just figure you got to put the ball in the hands of your playmakers,” he said. ”The Knicks did it all game. ‘Melo shot 32 times. They got the ball to the right man.”

The Knicks (34-30) are one-half game ahead of Philadelphia (33-30) for the No. 7 spot in the East.

NOTES: Knicks F Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right knee, and Woodson said he will not play in the last two regular-season games Wednesday against the Clippers and Thursday at Charlotte. … Knicks uber-fan Spike Lee was at the game. … Hawks center Zaza Pachulia missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left foot. Josh Smith started at center. … Stoudemire started at center for New York.

ATLANTA (AP) — When the Boston Celtics played the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, it might have been a precursor to an NBA playoff series, but it certainly didn’t qualify as a “preview.”

Joe Johnson scored 30 points as Atlanta edged the short-handed Celtics 97-92 to take a step toward securing a home-court edge against Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

But the Celtics hardly looked like themselves.

Starters Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and key reserves Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus did not play. On top of that, there wasn’t much defense from either team in the first half as Atlanta took a 58-49 lead.

Johnson scored 23 points, Boston guard Avery Bradley scored 17 of his career-high 28 and both teams combined to make 23 of 38 shots over the first two quarters (60.5 percent).

Rondo, Allen and Pietrus stayed in Boston with injuries, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave Garnett and Pierce rest after playing 11 games in 15 days.

Still, Boston had more energy even with several rarely used players getting big minutes, and the Celtics pulled within one point five times in the fourth quarter before Johnson’s three-point play with 1:56 left gave Atlanta a 90-86 lead.

The Hawks held on, but they were not so happy about it afterward.

“For us, it definitely sits a little uneasy,” Johnson said. “I don’t feel like we brought our ‘A’ game.”

Bradley, who moved into Allen’s starting spot at the shooting guard

position several weeks ago when Allen began battling problems with a surgically repaired ankle, moved into Rondo’s point guard position and gave the Hawks fits.

He scored 12 points in the first quarter and surprised the Hawks in a variety of ways while besting his previous career high of 23 points.

“When . . . you come out and pretty much right before the game find out that (Garnett and Pierce) are not going to play . . . I don’t know if it does something to you mentally, but it makes them that much (more) unpredictable,” said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“Bradley played outstanding for them. I didn’t know he had that much in his game.”

The Hawks lost a home game earlier this season when Miami Heat stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James did not play, and there was danger of a repeat Friday, especially when Keyon Dooling scored on a layup with 2:33 left to close the deficit to 87-86. Johnson’s three-point play came moments later.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said he considered leaving Johnson and Smith on the bench late in the interest of getting them some rest, but the prospect of moving toward home-court advantage came into play. They each played 5:22 in the final quarter as the unsung Celtics made life difficult.

“That was certainly wavering,” Drew said. “It was a situation of making a decision of just trying to solidify the home court position.”

Dooling finished with 17 points, and Marquis Daniels added 12.

The Hawks (38-25) have the fourth-best record in the East, which as long as they finish with a better record than Boston (37-27) would give them home court in a 4-5 match-up against the Celtics even though the Celtics are going to be considered a top four seed by virtue of having clinched the Atlantic Division title.

If the teams finish with the same record, Boston would be considered the fourth seed (behind the Pacers) and gain home court against Atlanta by virtue of being a division champion. Plus, the Celtics beat the Hawks in two of three regular-season meetings.

The Celtics may be back to full roster strength in time for their game in Boston on Tuesday against the Heat.

“It has to help our team in the long run,” Rivers said of resting key players. “I just think when your team plays like that it gives (reserves) a lot of confidence, and it gives the guys that didn’t play a lot of confidence in them, which is huge.”

Notes: Hawks starting C Zaza Pachulia missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left foot. In his place, Jason Collins had a season-high eight points and seven rebounds. . . . The Celtics signed 6-foot-10 C-F Sean Williams, who averaged 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots for the Texas Legends of the D-League. Williams, who played at Boston College, averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds for Dallas. He was drafted by the Nets 17th overall in 2007, and has career NBA averages of 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He had a rebound in 3-plus minutes Friday. To make room, Boston requested waivers on injured C-F Jermaine O’Neal.

by

The Associated Press

Associated Press

ATLANTA — When the Boston Celtics played the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, it might have been a precursor to an NBA playoff series, but it certainly didn’t qualify as a preview.

Joe Johnson scored 30 points as Atlanta edged the short-handed Celtics 97-92 to take a step toward securing a home-court edge against Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

But the Celtics hardly looked like themselves.

Starters Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and key reserves Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus did not play. On top of that, there wasn’t much defense from either team in the first half as Atlanta took a 58-49 lead.

Johnson scored 23 points, Boston guard Avery Bradley scored 17 of his career-high 28 and both teams combined to make 23 of 38 shots over the first two quarters (60.5 percent).

Rondo, Allen and Pietrus stayed in Boston with injuries, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave Garnett and Pierce rest after playing 11 games in 15 days.

Still, Boston had more energy even with several rarely used players getting big minutes, and the Celtics pulled within one point five times in the fourth quarter before Johnson’s three-point play with 1:56 left gave Atlanta a 90-86 lead.

The Hawks held on, but they were not so happy about it afterward.

“For us, it definitely sits a little uneasy,” Johnson said. “I don’t feel like we brought our ‘A’ game.”

Bradley, who moved into Allen’s starting spot at the shooting guard position several weeks ago when Allen began battling problems with a surgically repaired ankle, moved into Rondo’s point guard position and gave the Hawks fits.

He scored 12 points in the first quarter and surprised the Hawks in a variety of ways while besting his previous career high of 23 points.

“When you come out and pretty much right before the game find out that (Garnett and Pierce) are not going to play … I don’t know if it does something to you mentally, but it makes them that much (more) unpredictable,” said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds. “Bradley played outstanding for them. I didn’t know he had that much in his game.”

The Hawks lost a home game earlier this season when Miami Heat stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James did not play, and there was danger of a repeat Friday, especially when Keyon Dooling scored on a layup with 2:33 left to close the deficit to 87-86. Johnson’s three-point play came moments later.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said he considered leaving Johnson and Smith on the bench late in the interest of getting them some rest, but the prospect of moving toward home-court advantage came into play. They each played 5:22 in the final quarter as the unsung Celtics made life difficult.

“That was certainly wavering,” Drew said. “It was a situation of making a decision of just trying to solidify the home court position.”

Dooling finished with 17 points, and Marquis Daniels added 12.

The Hawks (38-25) have the fourth-best record in the East, which as long as they finish with a better record than Boston (37-27) would give them home court in a 4-5 matchup against the Celtics even though the Celtics are going to be considered a top-four seed by virtue of having clinched the Atlantic Division title.

If the teams finish with the same record, Boston would be considered the fourth seed — behind the Pacers — and gain home-court against Atlanta by virtue of being a division champion. Plus, the Celtics beat the Hawks in two of three regular-season meetings.

The Celtics may be back to full roster strength in time for their game in Boston on Tuesday against the Heat.

“It has to help our team in the long run,” Rivers said of resting key players. “I just think when your team plays like that it gives (reserves) a lot of confidence, and it gives the guys that didn’t play a lot of confidence in them, which is huge.”

 NOTES: Hawks starting C Zaza Pachulia missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left foot. In his place, Jason Collins had a season-high eight points and seven rebounds. … The Celtics signed 6-foot-10 C-F Sean Williams, who averaged 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots for the Texas Legends of the D-League. Williams, who played at Boston College, averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds for Dallas. He was drafted by the Nets 17th overall in 2007, and has career NBA averages of 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He had a rebound in 3-plus minutes Friday. To make room, Boston requested waivers on injured C-F Jermaine O’Neal.

When the Boston Celtics played the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, it might have been a precursor to an NBA playoff series, but it certainly didn’t qualify as a “preview.”

Joe Johnson scored 30 points as Atlanta edged the short-handed Celtics 97-92 to take a step toward securing a home-court edge against Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

But the Celtics hardly looked like themselves.

Starters Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and key reserves Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus did not play. On top of that, there wasn’t much defense from either team in the first half as Atlanta took a 58-49 lead.

Johnson scored 23 points, Boston guard Avery Bradley scored 17 of his career-high 28 and both teams combined to make 23 of 38 shots over the first two quarters (60.5 percent).

Rondo, Allen and Pietrus stayed in Boston with injuries, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave Garnett and Pierce rest after playing 11 games in 15 days.

Still, Boston had more energy even with several rarely used players getting big minutes, and the Celtics pulled within one point five times in the fourth quarter before Johnson’s three-point play with 1:56 left gave Atlanta a 90-86 lead.

The Hawks held on, but they were not so happy about it afterward.

“For us, it definitely sits a little uneasy,” Johnson said. “I don’t feel like we brought our ‘A’ game.”

Bradley, who moved into Allen’s starting spot at the shooting guard position several weeks ago when Allen began battling problems with a surgically repaired ankle, moved into Rondo’s point guard position and gave the Hawks fits.

He scored 12 points in the first quarter and surprised the Hawks in a variety of ways while besting his previous career high of 23 points.

“When . . . you come out and pretty much right before the game find out that (Garnett and Pierce) are not going to play . . . I don’t know if it does something to you mentally, but it makes them that much (more) unpredictable,” said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

“Bradley played outstanding for them. I didn’t know he had that much in his game.”

The Hawks lost a home game earlier this season when Miami Heat stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James did not play, and there was danger of a repeat Friday, especially when Keyon Dooling scored on a layup with 2:33 left to close the deficit to 87-86. Johnson’s three-point play came moments later.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said he considered leaving Johnson and Smith on the bench late in the interest of getting them some rest, but the prospect of moving toward home-court advantage came into play. They each played 5:22 in the final quarter as the unsung Celtics made life difficult.

“That was certainly wavering,” Drew said. “It was a situation of making a decision of just trying to solidify the home court position.”

Dooling finished with 17 points, and Marquis Daniels added 12.

The Hawks (38-25) have the fourth-best record in the East, which as long as they finish with a better record than Boston (37-27) would give them home court in a 4-5 match-up against the Celtics even though the Celtics are going to be considered a top four seed by virtue of having clinched the Atlantic Division title.

If the teams finish with the same record, Boston would be considered the fourth seed (behind the Pacers) and gain home court against Atlanta by virtue of being a division champion. Plus, the Celtics beat the Hawks in two of three regular-season meetings.

The Celtics may be back to full roster strength in time for their game in Boston on Tuesday against the Heat.

“It has to help our team in the long run,” Rivers said of resting key players. “I just think when your team plays like that it gives (reserves) a lot of confidence, and it gives the guys that didn’t play a lot of confidence in them, which is huge.”

Notes: Hawks starting C Zaza Pachulia missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left foot. In his place, Jason Collins had a season-high eight points and seven rebounds. . . . The Celtics signed 6-foot-10 C-F Sean Williams, who averaged 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots for the Texas Legends of the D-League. Williams, who played at Boston College, averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds for Dallas. He was drafted by the Nets 17th overall in 2007, and has career NBA averages of 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He had a rebound in 3-plus minutes Friday. To make room, Boston requested waivers on injured C-F Jermaine O’Neal.
 

ATLANTA (AP) When the Boston Celtics played the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night, it might have been a precursor to an NBA playoff series, but it certainly didn’t qualify as a ”preview.”

Joe Johnson scored 30 points as Atlanta edged the short-handed Celtics 97-92 to take a step toward securing a home-court edge against Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

But the Celtics hardly looked like themselves.

Starters Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and key reserves Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus did not play. On top of that, there wasn’t much defense from either team in the first half as Atlanta took a 58-49 lead.

Johnson scored 23 points, Boston guard Avery Bradley scored 17 of his career-high 28 and both teams combined to make 23 of 38 shots over the first two quarters (60.5 percent).

Rondo, Allen and Pietrus stayed in Boston with injuries, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave Garnett and Pierce rest after playing 11 games in 15 days.

Still, Boston had more energy even with several rarely used players getting big minutes, and the Celtics pulled within one point five times in the fourth quarter before Johnson’s three-point play with 1:56 left gave Atlanta a 90-86 lead.

The Hawks held on, but they were not so happy about it afterward.

”For us, it definitely sits a little uneasy,” Johnson said. ”I don’t feel like we brought our ‘A’ game.”

Bradley, who moved into Allen’s starting spot at the shooting guard position several weeks ago when Allen began battling problems with a surgically repaired ankle, moved into Rondo’s point guard position and gave the Hawks fits.

He scored 12 points in the first quarter and surprised the Hawks in a variety of ways while besting his previous career high of 23 points.

”When . . . you come out and pretty much right before the game find out that (Garnett and Pierce) are not going to play . . . I don’t know if it does something to you mentally, but it makes them that much (more) unpredictable,” said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds.

”Bradley played outstanding for them. I didn’t know he had that much in his game.”

The Hawks lost a home game earlier this season when Miami Heat stars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James did not play, and there was danger of a repeat Friday, especially when Keyon Dooling scored on a layup with 2:33 left to close the deficit to 87-86. Johnson’s three-point play came moments later.

Hawks coach Larry Drew said he considered leaving Johnson and Smith on the bench late in the interest of getting them some rest, but the prospect of moving toward home-court advantage came into play. They each played 5:22 in the final quarter as the unsung Celtics made life difficult.

”That was certainly wavering,” Drew said. ”It was a situation of making a decision of just trying to solidify the home court position.”

Dooling finished with 17 points, and Marquis Daniels added 12.

The Hawks (38-25) have the fourth-best record in the East, which as long as they finish with a better record than Boston (37-27) would give them home court in a 4-5 match-up against the Celtics even though the Celtics are going to be considered a top four seed by virtue of having clinched the Atlantic Division title.

If the teams finish with the same record, Boston would be considered the fourth seed (behind the Pacers) and gain home court against Atlanta by virtue of being a division champion. Plus, the Celtics beat the Hawks in two of three regular-season meetings.

The Celtics may be back to full roster strength in time for their game in Boston on Tuesday against the Heat.

”It has to help our team in the long run,” Rivers said of resting key players. ”I just think when your team plays like that it gives (reserves) a lot of confidence, and it gives the guys that didn’t play a lot of confidence in them, which is huge.”

Notes: Hawks starting C Zaza Pachulia missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left foot. In his place, Jason Collins had a season-high eight points and seven rebounds. . . . The Celtics signed 6-foot-10 C-F Sean Williams, who averaged 15.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots for the Texas Legends of the D-League. Williams, who played at Boston College, averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds for Dallas. He was drafted by the Nets 17th overall in 2007, and has career NBA averages of 4.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks. He had a rebound in 3-plus minutes Friday. To make room, Boston requested waivers on injured C-F Jermaine O’Neal.

by

The Associated Press

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Joe Johnson scored 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and eight Atlanta players scored in double digits in the Hawks’ 116-96 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night.

The Hawks broke open the game in the third quarter by shooting 17 of 23 from the field while scoring a season-high 38 points. They won their third straight and remained in second place in the Southeast Division, ahead of the struggling Orlando Magic.

Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and 16 rebounds, while Jannero Pargo had 15 points and nine assists for the Hawks. Ivan Johnson added 17 points.

Corey Higgins, the son of Charlotte president of basketball operations Rod Higgins, scored a career-high 22 points for the Bobcats, who’ve lost 11 straight.

The Bobcats need to win three of their remaining 12 games to reach the 10-win plateau.

Atlanta (34-23) currently owns the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks scored 56 points in the paint and outrebounded the Bobcats 42-31.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 23-19 lead in the first quarter behind nine early points from Byron Mullens, who carried over the momentum early on from his career-high, 31-point effort Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.

But the Hawks began to take over in the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 29-13 to take a 12-point lead at halftime behind solid play off the bench from Pargo, Marvin Williams, Ivan Johnson and Willie Green. The reserves played so well that coach Larry Drew stuck with them for most of the second quarter.

The third quarter has been a trouble spot for the Bobcats all season and it stung them again.

The Hawks went on a 12-2 run to open the second half to quickly build a 22-point lead. They hit 11 of their first 12 shots from the field in the period, many of those on uncontested layups.

The Bobcats fought back to trim the lead to 12 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t close the gap any further.

NOTES: The Bobcats were without guards D.J. Augustin, and Reggie Williams, as well as forward Eduardo Najera. Najera had surgery Saturday to repair a frontal bone fracture and coach Paul Silas says he’s not expected to play for the remainder of the season.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew likes his team’s focus as it makes a final push toward the playoffs.

The Hawks, who are a half-game behind Indiana in the race for the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, got 18 points from Joe Johnson on 8-of-10 shooting and 57 points from their bench to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 116-96 on Saturday night.

Although the Hawks stumbled out of the gates in the first quarter Saturday night, they regrouped and took care of business against the NBA-worst Bobcats by scoring a season-high 68 points in the second half.

”We can’t have any mental letdowns,” Drew said, looking ahead to the final nine regular-season games. ”Here we are with nine games to go and we’ve shown that we can be a pretty good ballclub. But any coach is looking for that consistency heading down the stretch. This is no time to let up and to not finish the regular season on a strong note so we can carry some momentum into the playoffs.”

Zaza Pachulia had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Hawks, while Jannero Pargo had 15 points and nine assists and Ivan Johnson added 17 points off the bench.

The Hawks have overcome their fair share of adversity and appear to be on the right path.

”I’m real happy about it,” Drew said, ”considering what we’ve gone through this season and looking at the stretches of the road games and the injuries. We’ve weathered a major storm. There’s some games we felt we should’ve won that we let slip through the cracks. But still, looking at where we are and looking at what happened from an injury standpoint, I think we’re very fortunate to be in the position we’re in.”

Said Ivan Johnson: ”We’re already in playoff mode.”

The Hawks broke open the game in the third quarter by shooting 17 of 23 from the field while scoring a season-high 38 points. They won their third straight and remained in second place in the Southeast Division, ahead of the struggling Orlando Magic.

”We’ve faced a lot of adversity and a grueling schedule,” said Josh Smith, who had 15 points. ”We have persevered with a big injury to a major guy who impacts this basketball team in so many ways in Al Horford. We’ve fought through that and guys have come in and stepped up and contributed big minutes.”

The Hawks scored 56 points in the paint and outrebounded the Bobcats 42-31.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 23-19 lead in the first quarter behind nine early points from Byron Mullens, who carried over the momentum early on from his career-high, 31-point effort Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.

But the Hawks began to take over in the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 29-13 to take a 12-point lead at halftime behind solid play off the bench from Pargo, Ivan Johnson, Marvin Williams and Willie Green. The reserves played so well that Drew stuck with them for the entire second quarter.

”We know we have to get in and get to work real fast so we can get as many minutes as we can,” Ivan Johnson said.

The third quarter again proved to be the undoing for the Bobcats (7-47), who lost their 11th straight.

The Hawks went on a 12-2 run to open the second half to quickly build a 22-point lead. They hit 11 of their first 12 shots from the field in the period, many of those on uncontested layups. The Bobcats fought back to trim the lead to 12 in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t close the gap any further.

Rookie Cory Higgins, the son of Charlotte president of basketball operations Rod Higgins, scored a career-high 22 points for the Bobcats.

”You always want to win but it felt great to get some extended minutes and show what I can do,” Higgins said. ”The next step is trying to get everybody involved at the same point. Once I figure out the right balance, I’ll be all right.”

Higgins saw extended action because starting point guard D.J. Augustin did not play because of a knee ailment.

The Bobcats need to win three of their remaining 12 games to reach the 10-win plateau.

”Cory played well, executed the offense and did a very good job for us tonight,” Bobcats coach Paul Silas said. ”We’re a very young club and not as experienced as that Atlanta club is, but we still tried to hang in there. I’ll give them credit for that.”

NOTES: The Bobcats were without guards Augustin and Reggie Williams, as well as forward Eduardo Najera. Najera had surgery Saturday to repair a frontal bone fracture and Silas says he’s not expected to play for the remainder of the season. … Pargo’s nine assists tied a career high.

ATLANTA – Josh Smith scored 24 points, Jeff Teague added 17 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the woeful Charlotte Bobcats 120-93 on Wednesday night.

Joe Johnson finished with 16 points for Atlanta, which had lost three of four. Hawks coach Larry Drew rested all of his starters in the fourth quarter.

Rookie Kemba Walker came off the bench to lead Charlotte with 21 points. Gerald Henderson added 15 for the Bobcats, whose NBA-worst record dropped to 7-45. They have lost nine straight.

Willie Green scored 17, Marvin Williams had 14 and Jannero Pargo finished with 12 in reserve roles for the Hawks.

Charlotte never led after Smith’s short hook shot put Atlanta up 17-16 midway through the first.

Atlanta pulled away by outscoring the Bobcats 34-19 in the second quarter.

Teague split two defenders to covert a three-point play at the 3:35 mark of the second to make it 53-39.

Driving from left side of the perimeter, Teague left his feet for a layup, but had his first attempt nearly blocked. He pulled the ball back down, though, and floated toward the baseline to bank in the shot.

Smith, who followed with a 20-foot jump shot at the 2-minute mark to give the Hawks a 16-point lead, beat Eduardo Najera for a defensive rebound in the final minute and made a one-handed pass to Johnson at halfcourt. Joe Johnson passed to Ivan Johnson for dunk that made it 59-42.

D.J. Augustin started for the 39th time in his 41 games despite falling and hurting his left knee in the Bobcats’ five-point loss Tuesday at Toronto. Augustin, who managed just two points in less than 11 minutes, was already battling tendinitis in his right knee.

Coach Paul Silas said before the game that Augustin is still Charlotte’s starting point guard, though Walker got the nod against Toronto. Walker played 33 minutes against Atlanta, second-most on the team.

Charlotte center Byron Mullens, who pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds Tuesday at Toronto, finished with seven rebounds. The third-year center had 20 points in each of the past two games, but finished with eight.

Hawks center Zaza Pachulia had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Matt Carroll scored 12 points, Derrick Brown had 11 and Reggie Williams 10 for the Bobcats.

Notes: Hawks coach Larry Drew had everyone on his roster available except for C Al Horford (left pectoral surgery) and Vladimir Radmanovich (back). Pargo, who missed 10 games with an appendectomy, played 16 minutes. … Bobcats F Corey Maggette missed his third straight game with a strained right Achilles tendon. He also missed a combined 20 games with strained left hamstring and bruised back.

ATLANTA — Josh Smith scored 24 points, Jeff Teague added 17 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the woeful Charlotte Bobcats 120-93 on Wednesday night.

Joe Johnson finished with 16 points for Atlanta, which had lost three of four. Hawks coach Larry Drew rested all of his starters in the fourth quarter.

Rookie Kemba Walker came off the bench to lead Charlotte with 21 points. Gerald Henderson added 15 for the Bobcats, whose NBA-worst record dropped to 7-45. They have lost nine straight.

Willie Green scored 17, Marvin Williams had 14 and Jannero Pargo finished with 12 in reserve roles for the Hawks.

Charlotte never led after Smith’s short hook shot put Atlanta up 17-16 midway through the first.

Atlanta pulled away by outscoring the Bobcats 34-19 in the second quarter.

Teague split two defenders to covert a three-point play at the 3:35 mark of the second to make it 53-39.

Driving from left side of the perimeter, Teague left his feet for a layup, but had his first attempt nearly blocked. He pulled the ball back down, though, and floated toward the baseline to bank in the shot.

Smith, who followed with a 20-foot jump shot at the 2-minute mark to give the Hawks a 16-point lead, beat Eduardo Najera for a defensive rebound in the final minute and made a one-handed pass to Johnson at halfcourt. Joe Johnson passed to Ivan Johnson for dunk that made it 59-42.

D.J. Augustin started for the 39th time in his 41 games despite falling and hurting his left knee in the Bobcats’ five-point loss Tuesday at Toronto. Augustin, who managed just two points in less than 11 minutes, was already battling tendinitis in his right knee.

Coach Paul Silas said before the game that Augustin is still Charlotte’s starting point guard, though Walker got the nod against Toronto. Walker played 33 minutes against Atlanta, second-most on the team.

Charlotte center Byron Mullens, who pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds Tuesday at Toronto, finished with seven rebounds. The third-year center had 20 points in each of the past two games, but finished with eight.

Hawks center Zaza Pachulia had a game-high 11 rebounds.

Matt Carroll scored 12 points, Derrick Brown had 11 and Reggie Williams 10 for the Bobcats.

– NOTES: Hawks coach Larry Drew had everyone on his roster available except for C Al Horford (left pectoral surgery) and Vladimir Radmanovich (back). Pargo, who missed 10 games with an appendectomy, played 16 minutes. … Bobcats F Corey Maggette missed his third straight game with a strained right Achilles tendon. He also missed a combined 20 games with strained left hamstring and bruised back.

MILWAUKEE — Monta Ellis scored 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, as the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Atlanta Hawks 108-101 on Tuesday night.Brandon Jennings added 18 points for the Bucks, who moved to within two games of the idle New York Knicks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.Ellis, who has struggled since coming over in a trade from Golden State on March 14, tied a season low with four points against the Knicks on Monday. On Tuesday, he made 15-of-24 shots, including 7-of-9 in the fourth quarter, sealing the victory with a 15-foot jumper with 1:27 remaining. He added eight assists.Josh Smith led the Hawks with 30 points and 18 rebounds. Joe Johnson finished with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting.The Hawks had 22 turnovers.The Bucks were without two key players, forwards Ersan Ilyasova (back spasms) and Carlos Delfino (right groin injury). Coach Scott Skiles called both “day to day” before the game.The Bucks led 55-46 at halftime, but the Hawks used a 20-6 run over the last 6:58 of the third to take a 79-78 lead. The Hawks made 12-of-17 shots in the period. The Bucks missed their last five shots of the quarter.Atlanta, which had been seeking its season-high fifth consecutive win, went up 81-78 with a basket to open the fourth, but Ellis had a steal and a break-away dunk, two jump shots and a free throw in the first five minutes of the period to put Milwaukee up 89-85.The score was tied at 91 when Mike Dunleavy hit a 3 with 4:31 remaining. The Bucks never trailed again, as Ellis followed with a layup and jumper to make it 98-91.Rookie Ivan Johnson had a career-high 17 points for Atlanta.The Bucks’ last seven wins had come against teams with a losing record, and they had not beaten a team above .500 since March 5.It was the fifth game in six nights for the Bucks, who were coming off an 89-80 defeat to the depleted Knicks. The Hawks were coming off a 139-133 four-overtime victory over Utah on Sunday.Joe Johnson left Tuesday’s game less than three minutes in and received two stitches in his lip, the team said. He returned at the 8:59 mark of the second.The Bucks led by as many as 17 in the first half and 55-46 at halftime. Smith scored 13 points in the second quarter, and Johnson had just two points in the half on 1-of-5 shooting.
Notes: Luc Mbah a Moute and Ekpe Udoh started in place of Ilysova and Delfino. For Udoh, it was his first start since being dealt from Golden State in the Ellis trade. . The 24-point first-half scoring outburst by the Bucks’ Mike Dunleavy on Monday night against the Knicks marked the most points scored by a reserve in a half this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau