A tough slate of games and several injuries led to a difficult end to March for the Atlanta Hawks, but they can put that behind them during a more favorable stretch in their schedule.

The Hawks host the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night for the first of two meetings against the NBA’s worst team this week.

Atlanta is in a tight race with Indiana and Orlando for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs but lost three of four to close out March, including 95-90 at Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Hawks (31-23) finished the month with a depleted roster. With Al Horford already out, Atlanta also found itself without Jannero Pargo (appendectomy), Vladimir Radmanovic (back) and Jerry Stackhouse (personal).

Pargo, though, has returned to practice and could play Wednesday. Stackhouse may also be available.

The Hawks are trying to boost their record during a favorable stretch in their schedule. Their next three games are against teams under .500, including another matchup with the Bobcats (7-44) on Saturday.

“I think we are in favor coming down the stretch as far as other teams we are competing with,” guard Joe Johnson said. “We just have to come out and take care of business.”

Of their final 12 games, eight are at home and half are against teams with losing records. The Hawks are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, one game behind fifth-place Orlando and 1 1/2 behind third-place Indiana.

“Everybody is right there,” coach Larry Drew said. “As I told the coaches, this thing is going to jump around from now until the end with the way we are all bunched up. … It’s going to be interesting to see how this thing shakes loose.”

Atlanta has won both games against Charlotte this season, led by Josh Smith’s 26.5 points and 13.0 rebounds. Smith finished March strong, averaging 26.3 points over the last eight games, and he scored a season-high 34 against the 76ers.

The league-worst Bobcats have lost eight straight after falling 92-87 at Toronto on Tuesday.

Byron Mullens had 20 points and 14 rebounds and Kemba Walker, starting in place of the injured D.J. Augustin, scored 10 points and added seven assists as the Bobcats shot 40.3 percent.

Augustin came off the bench and had 18 points and seven assists. He hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to cut Charlotte’s deficit to 88-87, but after Toronto scored, the Bobcats turned the ball over when Mullens’ 3-point attempt was an air ball and went out of bounds.

Mullens was making his second straight start as coach Paul Silas tries to play his younger players more down the stretch. The third-year pro, who is averaging 9.2 points, had 20 points and nine rebounds in a 110-107 overtime loss to Detroit on Saturday.

“He just continues to amaze me,” Silas said. “Twenty points and 14 rebounds, I don’t think anybody would have guessed he could have done that.”

Charlotte, playing the third of a four-game trip, has lost five straight on the road and is 3-24 away from home.

Elton Brand took over when the host Philadelphia 76ers needed him most.

Brand scored 13 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the 76ers to a 95-90 comeback win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Andre Iguodala scored 18, and Brand had 10 rebounds to go with his 10-for-12 shooting.

Coming off a 21-point loss to lowly Washington on Friday that knocked them out of first place in the Atlantic Division and down to No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers earned a hard-fought win against a team ahead of them in the standings.

“I was having nightmares of 3-13,” coach Doug Collins said, referring to the team’s awful start last year. “I told the guys I want to believe that’s

not who we are, and they showed me tonight that’s not who they are.”

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 34 points.

Spurs 112, Pacers 103: Tim Duncan had 23 points and 11 rebounds and host San Antonio remained the hottest team in the NBA, beating Indiana for its seventh consecutive win. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili added 18 points apiece. The Spurs are 8-1 since making a rare plunge into midseason moves by adding forwards Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw, giving what Duncan calls the deepest San Antonio bench of his career.

Lakers 88, Hornets 85: As long as there’s time left on the clock, Kobe Bryant can still work wonders even when he’s having a horrible game. Bryant burnished his reputation

as one of the NBA’s greatest closers, hitting a 3-pointer with 20 seconds left after missing his first 15 shots, to help host Los Angeles hold off last-place New Orleans.

“There’s always time to redeem himself,” Jarrett Jack of the Hornets said. “Nobody’s even going to talk about those first three quarters. They’re going to talk about that last shot he made to put his team over the top.”

Clippers 105, Jazz 96: Chris Paul scored 26 points, Blake Griffin added 24

and host Los Angeles beat Utah to win its fifth in a row for the first time since 2006. Randy Foye added 17 points and DeAndre Jordan had 10 rebounds for the surging Clippers, who have won six straight at home and are a game behind the first-place Lakers in the Pacific Division.

Grizzlies 99, Bucks 95: O.J. Mayo scored a season-high 24 points, and Rudy Gay had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead visiting Memphis to a win over Milwaukee.

Marc Gasol added 13 points and 14 rebounds for Memphis, which is in the midst of playing seven games in nine days. The Grizzlies opened the stretch with a 98-89 loss at Houston on Friday.

Knicks 91, Cavaliers 75: J.R. Smith scored 20 points, Carmelo

Anthony had 19, and host New York shook off more bad injury news before beating Cleveland. Already without Amare Stoudemire, the Knicks announced before the game that Jeremy Lin would have surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and could miss six weeks.

But the Knicks showed they still may have enough. Tyson Chandler had 14 points and 12 rebounds for eighth-place New York, which bounced back from a loss in Atlanta on Friday to win for the ninth time in 11 games. The Knicks have won seven in a row at home.

PHILADELPHIA — Elton Brand took over when the Philadelphia 76ers needed him most.

Brand scored 13 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead the 76ers to a 95-90 comeback win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.

Andre Iguodala scored 18, and Brand had 10 rebounds to go with his 10-for-12 shooting.

Coming off a 21-point loss to lowly Washington on Friday that knocked them out of first place in the Atlantic Division and down to No. 7 in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers earned a hard-fought win against a team ahead of them in the standings.

“I was having nightmares of 3-13,” coach Doug Collins said, referring to the team’s awful start last year. “I told the guys I want to believe that’s not who we are, and they showed me tonight that’s not who they are.”

Brand made sure the Sixers halted their free-fall.

“It’s how you respond to a loss like that,” Brand said. “A lot of things could’ve been in jeopardy if we didn’t win this at home. We had to have this win.”

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 34 points, and Joe Johnson had 15. The Hawks have lost three of four after winning four straight. They were swept in the season series against Philadelphia, losing once at home and twice on the road.

“We haven’t been able to put any consistency together in any game against these guys,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “It’s almost like they are waiting for us to self-destruct. We seem to implode against this team.”

The 76ers pulled within a half-game of Boston in the Atlantic. They had been in first place — either alone or tied — since Dec. 28, but fell behind after losing six of nine. They’re seeking their first division title since Allen Iverson led them to the NBA Finals in 2001.

Brand, the team’s oldest starter, was the difference. He dominated after the Hawks took a 68-62 in the fourth quarter. Brand scored eight points during an 11-4 run that put Philadelphia up 73-72. He had two three-point plays in that stretch. He hit another short jumper to extend the lead to 77-73, then had two key assists after getting double-teamed inside. Brand fed Jrue Holiday for a 3-pointer that made it 80-75, then found Iguodala open for another 3 to increase the lead to 83-77.

“Elton wasn’t going to be denied,” Collins said.

Brand grabbed an offensive rebound, got fouled driving to the basket and made a free throw. He got another offensive rebound off his miss on the second attempt, and Philadelphia led the rest of the way.

After the Hawks got within 88-86 on Marvin Williams’ 3, Brand nailed a 14-footer to give the Sixers a four-point cushion with 1:30 left.

“He looked like he was 23, 24 out there,” Evan Turner said of the 33-year-old Brand. “He hit big shots.”

The Sixers are 9-14 after a 20-9 start. They haven’t had a winning record since the 2004-05 season.

“We showed our fight,” Iguodala said. “People had their doubts, but we believe in ourselves.”

Atlanta is one game up on Philadelphia for the sixth spot in the East.

Down 39-34 in the second quarter, the Sixers finished with a 9-2 run to take a 43-41 lead into halftime. Iguodala hit a 3-pointer to start it off and ended the run with a turnaround jumper.

• Notes: The Sixers won the season series 3-0. … Hawks F Jerry Stackhouse missed the game because of a family emergency. … Hawks F Tracy McGrady didn’t make the trip because of an illness. … The Sixers have held opponents under 100 points in 21 of the past 22 games. … The Hawks are 20-5 when Smith scores 20 or more points. … Earlier in the day, the Flyers lost 4-3 to Ottawa in a shootout in a day-night, two-sport doubleheader at the Wells Fargo Center. … The Sixers have won three straight at home.

The New York Knicks take on the Atlanta Hawks in an important Friday night (March 30) game. The team is on a nice three game winning streak, showing guts and grit that I had worried would go away with all the injuries.

Thus far, the Knicks have overcome the loss of Bill Walker, a new injury to Jared Jeffries, Amare Stoudemire dealing with new back issues and Jeremy Lin going through leg problems. The team hasn’t folded though, beating the Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic over the past week. I think the win over Orlando in itself proves that Carmelo Anthony can really lead this team if he stays committed to the mission.

Now the Knicks have to take on a tough Hawks team that is actually suffering its own problems. The Hawks lost center Al Horford for the season and have limped through the season ever since that loss. The up-and-down progression for the team includes two straight losses this week to the Bucks and Chicago Bulls. It gives them extra incentive to play New York hard on Friday night, which could make this a very competitive contest.

The Knicks and Hawks last played on February 22, when New York ran away with a nice 99-82 win. I thought the team put forward a very balanced attack, with eight different players scoring at least 7 points each and that it is exactly what the Knicks need against the Hawks. Stoudemire only went for 7 points in that game, so if the roster can find that scoring from someone else, I think that the Knicks actually stand a really good shot at running the winning streak to four games.

It is questionable whether Lin is going to play against the Hawks, but hopefully he is ready to take the court again. It may come all the way down to game time for him to make that final decision, but the Knicks could certainly use him as an additional weapon on offense. I think that if Lin plays, the Knicks will easily win this game with the depth that the bench possesses right now. Without him it might become a struggle, but one that Steve Novak and J.R. Smith could use to their advantage.

At 26-25 on the season, the Knicks are now just two and a half games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for first place in the Atlantic division. Catching up to the 76ers would certainly prove sweet, especially because it would make the Knicks one of the top four seeds in the 2012 Eastern Conference Playoffs. I think that would give the team a very favorable chance to make at least the second round. Hopefully the Knicks play as well against the Hawks as they did against the Magic and that the team continues to show that it’s got the talent to compete with the best this postseason.

More From YCN:

Knicks Crush Blazers

Tyson Chandler Holds Franchise Record

Knicks Stomp Lakers

Lin Saves Knicks

Amare Stoudemire Trade Rumors

Sources:

NBA Standings

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

AUBURN HILLS — The foul the Detroit Pistons could have given in the final seconds of the fourth quarter went unwhistled Friday night, and whether through miscommunication or inability to jump out on Joe Johnson’s long bomb to force overtime, it cost them a game.

Johnson’s 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining in regulation forced overtime, and the Atlanta Hawks cruised from there in a 107-101 victory at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Pistons had a foul to give after the Hawks’ final fourth-quarter possession began with 12.9 seconds left but never used it.

“We had a foul to give,” Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. “Obviously, we wanted to foul. We didn’t foul. But look, we kicked the game, no doubt about it. It’s a game we obviously should’ve won. We didn’t.

“It’s very, very disappointing. It’s yet another good performance that gets wasted, not in the win column.”

Pistons guard Brandon Knight said the foul to give was discussed earlier, during a timeout with 33.5 seconds left.

“I know we talked about it a little bit, but I think we just decided to play it straight up, and he ended up hitting a good shot,” Knight said.

From the time the Pistons took an 8-7 lead until Johnson’s bomb, the Hawks never led and tied the game only twice.

But Rodney Stuckey’s turnover led to Johnson’s 3-pointer in his face moments later, tying the game 87-87 at the end of regulation. A wild shot by Knight on the Pistons’ final possession of regulation was off.

“You have an All-Star like Joe Johnson, that happens,” Pistons forward Jason Maxiell said.

Overtime started with a Zaza Pachulia dunk for the Hawks and a Maxiell missed layup — a mini-epidemic for the Pistons — and it only got worse for Detroit.

Pachulia had another dunk in overtime, followed by 3-pointers from Marvin Williams and Josh Smith, as the Hawks blew open a 99-89 lead.

Frank said the Pistons “were defeated once the game went into overtime” on Johnson’s shot.

“As a team,” Knight said, “I think it was a little bit demoralizing when he hit that shot. But that’s something that we can’t be doing in the future. We’ve got to keep plugging.”

With 39.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Pistons looked like they might be headed for victory when Austin Daye’s jumper gave them an 85-79 lead. But for the second consecutive game against a quality opponent, the Pistons couldn’t protect a late lead, just as happened in Wednesday’s loss to the Miami Heat.

Williams responded to Daye’s jumper with a 27-foot 3-pointer with 33.5 seconds left, the play that seemed to rankle Frank more than any.

“We hit the bucket with 39 seconds to go; they’re walking the ball up the court,” Frank said, emphasizing the last few words disdainfully, “and we don’t get matched up, and we give Marvin Williams the 3.”

The loss in the first game of a five-game, six-day stretch spoiled big efforts by Maxiell, who had 19 points and eight rebounds — including 12 in the second quarter, when he surpassed his previous season-high of 11 points — and Greg Monroe, who overcame some early struggles to finish around the basket to finish with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Pistons. Knight had 20 points, five rebounds and eight assists.

The Pistons jumped to a 46-35 halftime lead by scoring 15 points off of 13 Atlanta turnovers, which is what the Hawks averaged for a game entering Saturday, second-fewest in the NBA. The Hawks finished with 19 turnovers.

The Hawks rallied, largely behind Johnson, who had 28 of his 30 points after halftime. But after Atlanta drew even at 70-70, the Pistons scored eight consecutive points and had the game in their hands with less than 8 minutes left.

“The moment of truth, the last 6 minutes of the game, that’s when we have to make winning plays,” Frank said, “and we left them out there again.”

The Atlanta Hawks are doing all they can to bring an NBA championship to Atlanta this season. Don’t expect the likes of Joe Johnson and Josh Smith give up. With a strong February, the Hawks can further solidify their spot in the playoffs for the big postseason push.

Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks
Wikimedia Commons

Check with your service provider for channel listings in your area. With NBA League Pass, Hawks’ fans across the nation can catch every game and witness every play.

Note: All start times Eastern

February 2012

Thu 2, Memphis Grizzlies at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Sat 4, Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m. (SPSO)

Mon 6, Phoenix Suns at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Wed 8, Indiana Pacers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Fri 10, Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. (SPSO)

Sun 12, Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m. (SPSO, ESPN)

Tue 14, Atlanta Hawks at Los Angeles Lakers, 10:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Wed 15, Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns, 9 p.m. (SPSO)

Sat 18, Atlanta Hawks at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m. (SPSO, NBATV)

Mon 20, Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, 4 p.m. (SPSO, ESPN)

Wed 22, Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Thu 23, Orlando Magic at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Wed 29, Golden State Warriors at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SPSO)

Sources:

All data provided by NBA.com

Paul Rados is a Cleveland based freelance sportswriter and Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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