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.

Tayshaun Prince made a driving left-handed shot with 24.3 seconds remaining, and the Detroit Pistons held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 86-85 on Friday night.

Detroit wasted a 12-point fourth-quarter lead and trailed by one after Jeff Teague’s layup with 36.6 seconds to play, but Prince answered and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson missed a contested shot from the left corner in the final seconds.

Josh Smith came up with the rebound for the Hawks and sank a fadeaway that was immediately waived off for coming after the buzzer. The call was upheld after a video review.

Greg Monroe scored 20 points and Jason Maxiell added 19 for Detroit. Smith led the Hawks with 21 and Johnson scored 18 in his first game back after missing four with left knee tendinitis.

In late January, the Pistons blew a six-point lead with less than 40 seconds remaining against the Hawks and lost in overtime.

They nearly wasted a terrific defensive performance in the second half Friday, but Prince was able to connect on his shot from about 7 feet in the final minute.

The Hawks made their first nine shots of the game and led 50-41 at halftime after Teague blocked Monroe under the basket to end the second quarter.

The Detroit big man quickly returned the favor in the third, stuffing the 6-foot-2 Teague when the Atlanta guard tried to drive to the basket. The Pistons held Atlanta to 12 points and only two field goals in the quarter and took a 67-62 lead into the fourth.

It was 75-63 after a perimeter shot by Jonas Jerebko, but the Hawks chipped away. Atlanta cut the lead to two on a 3-pointer by Smith, but Maxiell jumped high to dunk home a miss by Prince with one hand, making it 84-80.

Maxiell went 9 of 11 from the field and added 12 rebounds. Monroe was 10 of 14.

With the Pistons clinging to an 84-83 lead, Prince missed. Monroe came up with the ball but quickly lost it, and Teague went the other way for a layup, forcing Detroit to score one more basket for the win.

Prince scored 17 points and Rodney Stuckey had 11 for the Pistons. Jerebko added 10.

Marvin Williams scored 16 points for Atlanta.

NOTES: Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva was active but did not play. He’s been out since Jan. 4 because of a right ankle problem. … Atlanta was playing the third game of a six-game road trip. … The Pistons shot 56 percent from the field, but turned the ball over 20 times.

Stats that stand out from the New Orleans Hornets 94-72 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Sunday night in New Orleans Arena.

1. 1.000. Three-point shooting percentage by Hawks’ guard Jeff Teague, four of four.

2. 500. Career starts reached by Hornets center Emeka Okafor.

3. 24. Point differential, the largest Hornets’ loss this season.

4. 12. Atlanta 3-point field goals made, a season high by a Hornets opponent.

5. 8. Assists by Hornets backup point guard Greivis Vasquez, tying a career high.

+/- rating for every Hornet player

Johnson +7

Ayon +7

Summers +4

Vasquez 0

Henry -5

Aminu -7

Belinelli -12

Smith -17

Okafor -19

Landry -20

Ariza -23

Jack -25

FIRST QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hawks 27, Hornets 11

Hornets points in the paint: 0.

Hawks points in the paint: eight.

Hornets second chance points: two.

Hawks second-chance points: three.

Hornets fast-break points: 0.

Hawks fast-break points: three.

Hornets biggest lead: 0.

Hawks biggest lead: 21.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: Jarrett Jack, five.

Hawks leading scorer: Jeff Teague, 11.

SECOND QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 24, Hawks 19

Hornets points in the paint: 14.

Hawks points in the paint: eight.

Hornets second chance points: five.

Hawks second chance points: five.

Hornets fast-break points: six.

Hawks fast-break points: 0.

Hornets biggest lead: 0.

Hawks biggest lead: 19.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: Emeka Okafor, nine.

Hawks leading scorer: Willie Green, six.

THIRD QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hawks 30, Hornets 17

Hornets points in the paint: six.

Hawks points in the paint: 10.

Hornets second chance points: four.

Hawks second chance points: eight.

Hornets fast-break points: two.

Hawks fast-break points: six.

Hornets biggest lead: 0.

Hawks biggest lead: 24.

Times tied: 0.

Hornets leading scorer: Jack, five.

Hawks leading scorer: Teague, nine.

FOURTH QUARTER BREAKDOWN

Quarter score: Hornets 20, Hawks 18

Hornets points in the paint: 12.

Hawks points in the paint: six.

Hornets second chance points: four.

Hawks second chance points: five.

Hornets fast-break points: two.

Hawks fast-break points: 0.

Hornets biggest lead: 0.

Hawks biggest lead: 29.

Hornets leading scorer: Greivis Vasquez, six.

Hawks leading scorer: Green, seven.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jeff Teague tied a career high with 24 points despite playing on a sore left ankle, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the New Orleans Hornets, 94-72, on Sunday night.

Willie Green added 16 points and Marvin Williams 14 for Atlanta, which won for the fourth time in five games and handed the struggling Hornets their most lopsided loss of the season.

The Hawks broke the game open with a 23-4 run during the last half of the third quarter, while New Orleans was in the midst of missing 12 straight shots.

Emeka Okafor scored 13 points for New Orleans, which was as close as 53-48 on Jarrett Jack’s free throws with 5:44 to go in the third before Atlanta took over.

Jack finished with 10 points in the Hornets’ 16th loss in 18 games.

The Hornets, who have lost 10 times by single digits, have been competitive in most of their games and hoped they were turning the corner after a lopsided victory over Orlando on Friday night, which snapped a nine-game skid. Instead, they responded with one of their worst games of the season, shooting only 37.5 percent (27 of 72).

The Hornets shot 5-of-19 in the first quarter and 5-of-20 in the third. They went from 7:06 of the third quarter to 9:35 of the fourth without hitting a field goal (0 for 12) and turned the ball over six times during that stretch.

The Hawks shot 44 percent (36 of 82) and went 12-of-23 on 3-pointers, with Teague hitting all four he attempted. Williams was 3-of-4 from long range. Atlanta also

outrebounded New Orleans, 42-36.

Joe Johnson and Ivan Johnson each scored nine points for the Hawks.

Teague left Atlanta’s previous game at Detroit on Friday with a sprained left ankle, but he returned to the starting lineup Sunday and had an immediate effect on the game.

Atlanta raced to a 12-2 lead with Williams and Teague each hitting 3s and Teague adding a 16-foot jumper. Teague then hit back-to-back 3s on his way to 11 first-quarter points ,and the Hawks took a 21-point lead barely nine minutes into the game when Kirk Hinrich’s layup made it 27-6.

The Hornets clawed back into the game with an 11-0 run in the second quarter during which Okafor scored five points and capped the surge with a three-point play on an inside basket to make it 33-26.

Williams’ second 3 of the game interrupted the spurt before Okafor scored inside and Gustavo Ayon hit a reverse layup to cut it to 36-30. Atlanta then built its lead back to double digits, closing out the half with a 6-1 mini-run capped by Johnson’s driving floater from the lane to make it 46-35.

 

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Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com

Instead of giving his sore left ankle more rest, Jeff Teague decided to play and the point guard turned in one of the best games of his career.

Teague tied a career high with 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks won for the fourth time in five games, 94-72 over the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night.

“I didn’t really feel too much pain when I got out there,” Teague said. “I might feel a little bit tomorrow or something, but we just played as a team. We were moving the ball well, guys were getting open shots and just knocking them down.”

Willie Green added 16 points and Marvin Williams 14 for Atlanta, which can close its road trip with a 4-1 record by winning in Toronto on Tuesday night.

“It’s just a road mentality,” Teague said. “It’s tough to beat somebody at their home, so you come in and you have to be fully focused and ready, and we’re doing that.”

The Hawks broke the game open with a 23-4 run during the last half of the third quarter, while New Orleans was in the midst of missing 12 straight shots. Green’s 32-foot 3-pointer to end the period made it 76-52, and Atlanta’s lead got as large as 29 in the fourth quarter as the Hawks handed the Hornets their most lopsided loss this season.

“I don’t think we let them key in on anything. We switched it up with the play calling and things like that,” Teague said. “When you’re moving the ball and making shots like that, it’s hard for anybody to play defense.”

Emeka Okafor scored 13 points for New Orleans, which was as close as 53-48 on Jarrett Jack’s free throws with 5:44 to go in the third before Atlanta took over.

Jack finished with 10 points in the Hornets’ 16th loss in 18 games.

The Hornets, who have lost 10 times by single digits, have been competitive in most of their games and had hoped they were turning the corner after a lopsided victory over Orlando on Friday night, which snapped a nine-game skid. Instead, they responded with one of their worst games of the season, shooting only 37.5 percent (27 of 72).

“Frustrating. Embarrassing. It’s not what the fans deserve. It’s not what the coaches deserve,” Hornets forward Jason Smith said. “We came out sluggish. We didn’t play hard. We didn’t play defense.”

The Hornets shot 5 of 19 in the first quarter and 5 of 20 in the third. They went from 7:06 of the third quarter to 9:35 of the fourth without hitting a field goal (0 for 12) and turned the ball over six times during that stretch.

“It’s certainly one of those games you have to flush the toilet on and get ready for the next one, but I was really disappointed in our effort, especially at home with a day in between games,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “We don’t have enough talent to go out there and play one-on-one basketball. We certainly don’t have enough talent to go out there and not play with effort. That was the frustrating part.”

The Hawks shot 44 percent (36 of 82) and went 12 of 23 on 3-pointers, with Teague hitting all four he attempted. Marvin Williams was 3 of 4 from long range. Atlanta also outrebounded New Orleans 42-36.

Joe Johnson and Ivan Johnson each scored nine points for the Hawks.

Teague left Atlanta’s previous game at Detroit on Friday with a sprained left ankle, but he returned to the starting lineup Sunday and had an immediate effect on the game.

Atlanta raced to a 12-2 lead with Marvin Williams and Teague each hitting 3s and Teague adding a 16-foot jumper. Teague then hit back-to-back 3s on his way to 11 first-quarter points and the Hawks took a 21-point lead barely 9 minutes into the game when Kirk Hinrich’s layup made it 27-6.

Green called Teague’s performance on the sore ankle “very impressive.”

“We’ve been constantly on him about just being aggressive and tonight he did that,” Green said. “He set the tone for us. He does a good job of getting guys involved and sometimes he has to be aggressive. We just want him to be able to do all of that and that’s a lot to ask, but he’s just getting better.”

The Hornets clawed back into the game with an 11-0 run in the second quarter during which Okafor scored five points and capped the surge with a three-point play on an inside basket to make it 33-26.

Williams’ second 3 of the game interrupted the spurt before Okafor scored inside and Gustavo Ayon hit a reverse layup to cut it to 36-30. Atlanta then built its lead back to double digits, closing out the half with a 6-1 mini-run capped by Johnson’s driving floater from the lane to make it 46-35.

Notes: Greivis Vasquez tied a career high with eight assists. … During New Orleans’ 11-0 run in the second quarter, Green hit a jumper at the shot-clock buzzer that was initially ruled good and overturned on replay. … The Hornets’ 21-point deficit in the first quarter was at that point the largest deficit for New Orleans this season until it got worse in the second half. … New Orleans and Atlanta meet only once in this lockout-shortened season. … The Hornets’ worst loss coming in was by 16 points at Sacramento.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 29, 2012

NEW ORLEANS — Instead of giving his sore left ankle more rest, Jeff Teague decided to play and the point guard turned in one of the best games of his career.

Teague tied a career high with 24 points and the Atlanta Hawks won for the fourth time in five games, 94-72 over the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday night.

“I didn’t really feel too much pain when I got out there,” Teague said. “I might feel a little bit tomorrow or something, but we just played as a team. We were moving the ball well, guys were getting open shots and just knocking them down.”

Willie Green added 16 points and Marvin Williams 14 for Atlanta, which can close its road trip with a 4-1 record by winning in Toronto on Tuesday night.

“It’s just a road mentality,” Teague said. “It’s tough to beat somebody at their home, so you come in and you have to be fully focused and ready, and we’re doing that.”

The Hawks broke the game open with a 23-4 run during the last half of the third quarter, while New Orleans was in the midst of missing 12 straight shots. Green’s 32-foot 3-pointer to end the period made it 76-52, and Atlanta’s lead got as large as 29 in the fourth quarter as the Hawks handed the Hornets their most lopsided loss this season.

“I don’t think we let them key in on anything. We switched it up with the play calling and things like that,” Teague said. “When you’re moving the ball and making shots like that, it’s hard for anybody to play defense.”

Emeka Okafor scored 13 points for New Orleans, which was as close as 53-48 on Jarrett Jack’s free throws with 5:44 to go in the third before Atlanta took over.

Jack finished with 10 points in the Hornets’ 16th loss in 18 games.

The Hornets, who have lost 10 times by single digits, have been competitive in most of their games and had hoped they were turning the corner after a lopsided victory over Orlando on Friday night, which snapped a nine-game skid. Instead, they responded with one of their worst games of the season, shooting only 37.5 percent (27 of 72).

“Frustrating. Embarrassing. It’s not what the fans deserve. It’s not what the coaches deserve,” Hornets forward Jason Smith said. “We came out sluggish. We didn’t play hard. We didn’t play defense.”

The Hornets shot 5 of 19 in the first quarter and 5 of 20 in the third. They went from 7:06 of the third quarter to 9:35 of the fourth without hitting a field goal (0 for 12) and turned the ball over six times during that stretch.

“It’s certainly one of those games you have to flush the toilet on and get ready for the next one, but I was really disappointed in our effort, especially at home with a day in between games,” Hornets coach Monty Williams said. “We don’t have enough talent to go out there and play one-on-one basketball. We certainly don’t have enough talent to go out there and not play with effort. That was the frustrating part.”

The Hawks shot 44 percent (36 of 82) and went 12 of 23 on 3-pointers, with Teague hitting all four he attempted. Marvin Williams was 3 of 4 from long range. Atlanta also outrebounded New Orleans 42-36.

Joe Johnson and Ivan Johnson each scored nine points for the Hawks.

Teague left Atlanta’s previous game at Detroit on Friday with a sprained left ankle, but he returned to the starting lineup Sunday and had an immediate effect on the game.

Atlanta raced to a 12-2 lead with Marvin Williams and Teague each hitting 3s and Teague adding a 16-foot jumper. Teague then hit back-to-back 3s on his way to 11 first-quarter points and the Hawks took a 21-point lead barely 9 minutes into the game when Kirk Hinrich’s layup made it 27-6.

Green called Teague’s performance on the sore ankle “very impressive.”

“We’ve been constantly on him about just being aggressive and tonight he did that,” Green said. “He set the tone for us. He does a good job of getting guys involved and sometimes he has to be aggressive. We just want him to be able to do all of that and that’s a lot to ask, but he’s just getting better.”

The Hornets clawed back into the game with an 11-0 run in the second quarter during which Okafor scored five points and capped the surge with a three-point play on an inside basket to make it 33-26.

Williams’ second 3 of the game interrupted the spurt before Okafor scored inside and Gustavo Ayon hit a reverse layup to cut it to 36-30. Atlanta then built its lead back to double digits, closing out the half with a 6-1 mini-run capped by Johnson’s driving floater from the lane to make it 46-35.

Notes

Greivis Vasquez tied a career high with eight assists. … During New Orleans’ 11-0 run in the second quarter, Green hit a jumper at the shot-clock buzzer that was initially ruled good and overturned on replay. … The Hornets’ 21-point deficit in the first quarter was at that point the largest deficit for New Orleans this season until it got worse in the second half. … New Orleans and Atlanta meet only once in this lockout-shortened season. … The Hornets’ worst loss coming in was by 16 points at Sacramento.

Read More: Jannero Pargo (G – ATL), Kirk Hinrich (G – ATL), Jeff Teague (G – ATL), Larry Drew (A – ATL), Greg Monroe (C – DET), Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague is listed as day-to-day with an injured ankle that he suffered during the third quarter of Atlanta’s 107-101 overtime win over the Pistons on Friday night. Teague took part in practice on Saturday but will likely be a game-time decision for the game against the Hornets on Sunday.

“He was out here getting some shots up,” Drew said. “He’s moving around on it pretty good. They are still treating it. It will be a day-to-day decision.”

Teague suffered the injury when he landed on the foot of the Pistons’ Greg Monroe on a drive to the basket. He limped to the bench and later to the locker room where he had the ankle taped. He briefly returned to the bench before finally giving Larry Drew the nod that he couldn’t return because the ankle had started to stiffen up.

Kirk Hinrich subbed in for Teague and played the remainder of the game in only his second game back from off season shoulder surgery. If Teague is unable to go on Sunday then Hinrich and Jannero Pargo are likely to man the point for the Hawks.

For more on Jeff Teague’s injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more news and analysis on the NBA head on over to SB Nation’s NBA Basketball page.

by Associated Press

kgw.com

Posted on January 19, 2012 at 5:47 AM

Updated
today at 9:47 AM

ATLANTA (AP) — Joe Johnson bounced back from a sluggish start to turn in his usual game at the offensive end. Then he came up with a huge defensive play that carried the Atlanta Hawks to another victory.

Johnson scored 24 points and surprised Portland by stealing the ball with just over a minute remaining, leading the Hawks to their fourth straight win since losing All-Star center Al Horford, 92-89 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

The Hawks, taking over first place in the Southeast Division from Orlando, closed the third period on a 14-0 run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 spurt starting the fourth to tie the game. It was tight the rest of the way. In the end, Atlanta pulled out another gutsy win, having won its last three by a total of 14 points.

“I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter,” Jeff Teague said.

Atlanta was up 84-80 when a wild sequence went the home team’s way. Jamal Crawford missed on a drive, but Wesley Matthews picked off an outlet pass to apparently give the Blazers another chance. Not so fast. Johnson hustled up behind Matthews to steal it back, then lobbed to Teague for a dunk with 1:25 remaining.

“I don’t know if he thought I wasn’t going to try to get back into the play, but his awareness of me coming from behind — well, he didn’t have any,” Johnson said. “I just snuck up and was able to tap it. I didn’t want to tap it forward where they could still get it. I kind of wanted to hit it where I could get it. I did. And I had Jeff Teague running down the wing. I know he can fly, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it.”

Crawford, who led the Blazers with 22 points in his return to Atlanta, hit a last-gasp 3-pointer but the Hawks held on. “Right now, it seems like we’re playing harder when we get down instead of playing that way from the beginning of the game,” Crawford said. “That makes it tougher on us to come back and pull out games.”

Atlanta hasn’t folded since Horford went down last week with a torn pectoral muscle, which will keep him out for most, if not the rest, of the regular season. He underwent surgery Tuesday and managed to get off a tweet congratulating his teammates: “Another solid win. Let’s keep getting better. Go Hawks!”

Johnson missed his first five shots and was still scoreless with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then, suddenly, he ripped off three straight jumpers — including a pair of 3s — and knocked down a couple of free throws. The 10-point outburst sparked a 12-4 spurt that pushed the Hawks to a double-digit lead. Atlanta led 51-42 at the break.

“That’s all it takes. Just see a couple go in the basket,” Johnson said, breaking into a slight smile.

Portland seized the momentum coming out of the locker room, surging into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter. Gerald Wallace made a short hook with 4:07 to play in the third, putting the Blazers up 62-61. They didn’t score again in the quarter, the Hawks racing to a 75-62 lead.

But the see-saw game suddenly turned Portland’s way again. Crawford led the comeback in a role that must’ve looked familiar to Atlanta fans who cheered him the last two years when he played for the Hawks, winning the Sixth Man Award in 2010. He’s filling the same role for the Blazers, but couldn’t hit quite enough of his 22 shots to beat his old team.

“I knew he was coming,” Atlanta’s Josh Smith said. “He’s an emotional player. He probably still wants to be here. It would be nice to still see him in a Hawks uniform, but this is a business.”

At one point, Crawford glanced over to watch Hawks coach Larry Drew calling a play, trying to get a defensive edge. The Blazers guard could’ve used more help from his teammates. LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, but only four of those came in the final quarter, helping send the Blazers to their fourth loss in the last five games after a 7-2 start.

“I couldn’t get my shot off,” Aldridge said. “I definitely didn’t play big down the stretch. We’ve got to figure this out before things get bad.”

The Hawks were more balanced. Smith had 17 points, plus 11 rebounds, while Teague chipped in with 13 points and Marvin Williams added 12. All five players off the Atlanta bench also made the scoresheet.

The Hawks have won six straight over the Trail Blazers, whose last win against Atlanta came on Feb. 20, 2009.

NOTES: Portland’s Nicolas Batum was taken to a hospital at halftime after being accidentally poked in his left eye by Tracy McGrady. Batum was back with the team afterward but seeing double.

He’ll be checked again in three days. … Trevor Bayne, last year’s surprise winner of the Daytona 500, attended his first NBA game. Asked his expectations for the season-opening NASCAR race, about a month away, he said, “We have to win it again, right? Expectations are high. We’ve got to live up to them.” … The Trail Blazers went without Marcus Camby, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle). Coach Nate McMillan said before the game that Camby would only play in an emergency. … Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn sat courtside at Philips Arena. The actors are in Atlanta filming the movie “Neighborhood Watch.”

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson bounced back from a sluggish start to turn in his usual game at the offensive end.Then he came up with a huge defensive play that carried the Atlanta Hawks to another victory.Johnson scored 24 points and surprised Portland by stealing the ball with just over a minute remaining, leading the Hawks to their fourth straight win since losing All-Star center Al Horford, 92-89 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.The Hawks, taking over first place in the Southeast Division from Orlando, closed the third period on a 14-0 run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 spurt starting the fourth to tie the game. It was tight the rest of the way. In the end, Atlanta pulled out another gutsy win, having won its last three by a total of 14 points.”I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter,” Jeff Teague said.Atlanta was up 84-80 when a wild sequence went the home team’s way. Jamal Crawford missed on a drive, but Wesley Matthews picked off an outlet pass to apparently give the Blazers another chance. Not so fast. Johnson hustled up behind Matthews to steal it back, then lobbed to Teague for a dunk with 1:25 remaining.”I don’t know if he thought I wasn’t going to try to get back into the play, but his awareness of me coming from behind – well, he didn’t have any,” Johnson said. “I just snuck up and was able to tap it. I didn’t want to tap it forward where they could still get it. I kind of wanted to hit it where I could get it. I did. And I had Jeff Teague running down the wing. I know he can fly, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it.”Crawford, who led the Blazers with 22 points in his return to Atlanta, hit a last-gasp 3-pointer but the Hawks held on.”Right now, it seems like we’re playing harder when we get down instead of playing that way from the beginning of the game,” Crawford said. “That makes it tougher on us to come back and pull out games.”Atlanta hasn’t folded since Horford went down last week with a torn pectoral muscle, which will keep him out for most, if not the rest, of the regular season. He underwent surgery Tuesday and managed to get off a tweet congratulating his teammates: “Another solid win. Let’s keep getting better. Go Hawks!”Johnson missed his first five shots and was still scoreless with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then, suddenly, he ripped off three straight jumpers – including a pair of 3s – and knocked down a couple of free throws. The 10-point outburst sparked a 12-4 spurt that pushed the Hawks to a double-digit lead.Atlanta led 51-42 at the break.”That’s all it takes. Just see a couple go in the basket,” Johnson said, breaking into a slight smile.Portland seized the momentum coming out of the locker room, surging into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter. Gerald Wallace made a short hook with 4:07 to play in the third, putting the Blazers up 62-61. They didn’t score again in the quarter, the Hawks racing to a 75-62 lead.But the see-saw game suddenly turned Portland’s way again. Crawford led the comeback in a role that must’ve looked familiar to Atlanta fans who cheered him the last two years when he played for the Hawks, winning the Sixth Man Award in 2010. He’s filling the same role for the Blazers, but couldn’t hit quite enough of his 22 shots to beat his old team.”I knew he was coming,” Atlanta’s Josh Smith said. “He’s an emotional player. He probably still wants to be here. It would be nice to still see him in a Hawks uniform, but this is a business.”At one point, Crawford glanced over to watch Hawks coach Larry Drew calling a play, trying to get a defensive edge. The Blazers guard could’ve used more help from his teammates. LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, but only four of those came in the final quarter, helping send the Blazers to their fourth loss in the last five games after a 7-2 start.”I couldn’t get my shot off,” Aldridge said. “I definitely didn’t play big down the stretch. We’ve got to figure this out before things get bad.”The Hawks were more balanced. Smith had 17 points, plus 11 rebounds, while Teague chipped in with 13 points and Marvin Williams added 12. All five players off the Atlanta bench also made the scoresheet.The Hawks have won six straight over the Trail Blazers, whose last win against Atlanta came on Feb. 20, 2009NOTES: Portland’s Nicolas Batum was taken to a hospital at halftime after being accidentally poked in his left eye by Tracy McGrady. Batum was back with the team afterward but seeing double. He’ll be checked again in three days. … Trevor Bayne, last year’s surprise winner of the Daytona 500, attended his first NBA game. Asked his expectations for the season-opening NASCAR race, about a month away, he said, “We have to win it again, right? Expectations are high. We’ve got to live up to them.” … The Trail Blazers went without Marcus Camby, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle). Coach Nate McMillan said before the game that Camby would only play in an emergency. … Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn sat courtside at Philips Arena. The actors are in Atlanta filming the movie “Neighborhood Watch.”

 

ATLANTA (AP)

Joe Johnson bounced back from a sluggish start to turn in his usual solid game at the offensive end.

Then he came up with a huge defensive play that carried the Atlanta Hawks to another victory.

Johnson scored 24 points and surprised Portland by stealing the ball with just over a minute remaining, leading the Hawks to their fourth straight win since losing All-Star center Al Horford, 92-89 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

The Hawks, taking over first place in the Southeast Division from Orlando, closed the third period on a 14-0 run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 spurt of their own starting the fourth to tie the game. It was tight the rest of the way. In the end, Atlanta pulled out another gutsy win, having now won its last three by a total of 14 points.

”I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said.

Atlanta was up 84-80 when a wild sequence went the home team’s way. Jamal Crawford missed on a drive, but Wesley Matthews picked off an outlet pass to apparently give the Blazers another chance. Not so fast. Johnson hustled up behind Matthews to steal it back, then lobbed to Teague for a dunk with 1:25 remaining.

”I don’t know if he thought I wasn’t going to try to get back into the play, but his awareness of me coming from behind. Well, he didn’t have any,” Johnson said. ”I just snuck up and was able to tap it. I didn’t want to tap it forward where they could still get it. I kind of wanted to hit it where I could get it. I did. And I had Jeff Teague running down the wing. I know he can fly, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it.”

Crawford, who led the Blazers with 22 points in his return to Atlanta, hit a last-gasp three-pointer, but the Hawks held on.

”Right now, it seems like we’re playing harder when we get down instead of playing that way from the beginning of the game,” Crawford said. ”That makes it tougher on us to come back and pull out games.”

Atlanta hasn’t folded since Horford went down last week with a torn pectoral muscle, which will keep him out for most, if not the rest, of the regular season. He underwent surgery Tuesday and managed a tweet congratulating his teammates: ”Another solid win. Let’s keep getting better. Go Hawks!”

Johnson missed his first five shots and was still scoreless with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then, suddenly, he ripped off three straight jumpers, including a pair of threes, and knocked down a couple of free throws. The 10-point outburst sparked a 12-4 spurt that pushed the Hawks to a double-digit lead.

”That’s all it takes. Just see a couple go in the basket,” Johnson said, breaking into a slight smile.

Portland seized the momentum coming out of the locker room, surging into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter. Gerald Wallace made a short hook with 4:07 to play in the third, putting the Blazers up 62-61. They didn’t score again in the quarter, with the Hawks racing to a 75-62 lead.

But the see-saw game suddenly turned Portland’s way again. Crawford led the comeback in a role that must’ve looked familiar to Atlanta fans who cheered him the last two years when he played for the Hawks, winning the Sixth Man Award in 2010. He’s now filling the same role for the Blazers, but couldn’t hit quite enough of his 22 shots to beat his old team.

”I knew he was coming,” Atlanta’s Josh Smith said. ”He’s an emotional player. He probably still wants to be here. It would be nice to still see him in a Hawks uniform, but this is a business.”

At one point, Crawford glanced over to watch Hawks coach Larry Drew calling a play, trying to get a defensive edge. The Blazers guard could’ve used more help from his teammates. LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, but only four of those came in the final quarter, helping send the Blazers to their fourth loss in the last five games after a 7-2 start.

”I couldn’t get my shot off,” Aldridge said. ”I definitely didn’t play big down the stretch. We’ve got to figure this out before things get bad.”

The Hawks were more balanced. Smith had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Teague chipped in with 13 points and Marvin Williams added 12. All five players off the Atlanta bench also made the scoresheet.

The Hawks have won six straight over the Trail Blazers, whose last win against Atlanta came on Feb. 20, 2009

NOTES: Portland’s Nicolas Batum was taken to a hospital at halftime after being accidentally poked in his left eye by Tracy McGrady. Batum was back with the team afterward, but seeing double. He’ll be checked again in three days. … Trevor Bayne, last year’s surprise winner of the Daytona 500, attended his first-ever NBA game. Asked his expectations for the season-opening NASCAR race next month, he said, ”We have to win it again, right? Expectations are high. We’ve got to live up to them.” … The Trail Blazers went without Marcus Camby, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle. Coach Nate McMillan said before the game that Camby would only play in an emergency. … Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn sat courtside at Philips Arena. The actors are in Atlanta filming the movie ”Neighborhood Watch.”

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 18, 2012

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson bounced back from a sluggish start to turn in his usual game at the offensive end.

Then he came up with a huge defensive play that carried the Atlanta Hawks to another victory.

Johnson scored 24 points and surprised Portland by stealing the ball with just over a minute remaining, leading the Hawks to their fourth straight win since losing All-Star center Al Horford, 92-89 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

The Hawks, taking over first place in the Southeast Division from Orlando, closed the third period on a 14-0 run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 spurt starting the fourth to tie the game. It was tight the rest of the way. In the end, Atlanta pulled out another gutsy win, having won its last three by a total of 14 points.

“I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter,” Jeff Teague said.

Atlanta was up 84-80 when a wild sequence went the home team’s way. Jamal Crawford missed on a drive, but Wesley Matthews picked off an outlet pass to apparently give the Blazers another chance. Not so fast. Johnson hustled up behind Matthews to steal it back, then lobbed to Teague for a dunk with 1:25 remaining.

“I don’t know if he thought I wasn’t going to try to get back into the play, but his awareness of me coming from behind — well, he didn’t have any,” Johnson said. “I just snuck up and was able to tap it. I didn’t want to tap it forward where they could still get it. I kind of wanted to hit it where I could get it. I did. And I had Jeff Teague running down the wing. I know he can fly, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it.”

Crawford, who led the Blazers with 22 points in his return to Atlanta, hit a last-gasp 3-pointer but the Hawks held on.

“Right now, it seems like we’re playing harder when we get down instead of playing that way from the beginning of the game,” Crawford said. “That makes it tougher on us to come back and pull out games.”

Atlanta hasn’t folded since Horford went down last week with a torn pectoral muscle, which will keep him out for most, if not the rest, of the regular season. He underwent surgery Tuesday and managed to get off a tweet congratulating his teammates: “Another solid win. Let’s keep getting better. Go Hawks!”

Johnson missed his first five shots and was still scoreless with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then, suddenly, he ripped off three straight jumpers — including a pair of 3s — and knocked down a couple of free throws. The 10-point outburst sparked a 12-4 spurt that pushed the Hawks to a double-digit lead.

Atlanta led 51-42 at the break.

“That’s all it takes. Just see a couple go in the basket,” Johnson said, breaking into a slight smile.

Portland seized the momentum coming out of the locker room, surging into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter. Gerald Wallace made a short hook with 4:07 to play in the third, putting the Blazers up 62-61. They didn’t score again in the quarter, the Hawks racing to a 75-62 lead.

But the see-saw game suddenly turned Portland’s way again. Crawford led the comeback in a role that must’ve looked familiar to Atlanta fans who cheered him the last two years when he played for the Hawks, winning the Sixth Man Award in 2010. He’s filling the same role for the Blazers, but couldn’t hit quite enough of his 22 shots to beat his old team.

“I knew he was coming,” Atlanta’s Josh Smith said. “He’s an emotional player. He probably still wants to be here. It would be nice to still see him in a Hawks uniform, but this is a business.”

At one point, Crawford glanced over to watch Hawks coach Larry Drew calling a play, trying to get a defensive edge. The Blazers guard could’ve used more help from his teammates. LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, but only four of those came in the final quarter, helping send the Blazers to their fourth loss in the last five games after a 7-2 start.

“I couldn’t get my shot off,” Aldridge said. “I definitely didn’t play big down the stretch. We’ve got to figure this out before things get bad.”

The Hawks were more balanced. Smith had 17 points, plus 11 rebounds, while Teague chipped in with 13 points and Marvin Williams added 12. All five players off the Atlanta bench also made the scoresheet.

The Hawks have won six straight over the Trail Blazers, whose last win against Atlanta came on Feb. 20, 2009

Notes

• Portland’s Nicolas Batum was taken to a hospital at halftime after being accidentally poked in his left eye by Tracy McGrady . Batum was back with the team afterward but seeing double. He’ll be checked again in three days.
• Trevor Bayne, last year’s surprise winner of the Daytona 500, attended his first NBA game. Asked his expectations for the season-opening NASCAR race, about a month away, he said, “We have to win it again, right? Expectations are high. We’ve got to live up to them.”
• The Trail Blazers went without Marcus Camby , who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle). Coach Nate McMillan said before the game that Camby would only play in an emergency.
• Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn sat courtside at Philips Arena. The actors are in Atlanta filming the movie Neighborhood Watch.

CBSSports.com wire reports
Jan. 16, 2012

ATLANTA — Josh Smith believes the Atlanta Hawks can keep winning even though center Al Horford will miss the next three to four months with an injury.

“We have veteran guys who have been there and done that before,” Smith said. “All we need is to just keep flying under the radar.”

Smith scored 28 points and pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds and Joe Johnson added 27 points to help the Atlanta Hawks win their third straight game, 93-84 over the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

The Hawks are 3-0 since Horford tore his left pectoral muscle last week, and Smith is hardly concerned that Atlanta has yet to beat a strong opponent during that stretch. Charlotte, Minnesota and Toronto are a combined 11-29.

“We’ve played against some good teams here and some not-so-good teams, so we’ve just got to be able to be disciplined no matter who we’re playing against,” Smith said. “We have to be able to get out to a good start. The bench guys came in [Saturday] night and gave us a lift and the starters did the same thing today and everyone else followed.”

Leandro Barbosa had 22 points off the bench for Toronto, which has lost five straight.

Toronto was without center Andrea Bargnani, the NBA’s ninth-leading scorer, for the third straight game because of a strained left calf. Reserve guard James Johnson didn’t play because of a sprained right ankle.

The Raptors twice cut the lead to one late in the third quarter when Barbosa hit a pair of free throws and a runner, but Atlanta went on an 18-9 run that Jeff Teague ended with a free throw to make it 81-71 with 7:55 remaining.

Toronto never got closer than five after Ed Davis scored inside over Smith to make it 85-80 with 2:12 left.

Smith responded on the next possession by jumping from the right baseline and tipping in Johnson’s missed runner to give the Hawks an 87-80 lead.

“It sounds like a broken record, but I thought our guys competed,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “We’re truly missing our players, but that’s no excuse. There’s only so much you can ask for from certain players. That’s not their role.”

Jose Calderon had 13 points and 11 assists and Amir Johnson added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who have lost seven of eight overall and dropped to 2-6 on the road.

The Hawks converted 17 Toronto turnovers into 22 points.

“I don’t want to make excuses, but we’re a young team and we have a new coach,” Calderon said. “Maybe we need some practice. Hopefully we can get on the same page. Sometimes we turn the ball over because we’re trying to do too much.”

Calderon likes that Casey wants the Raptors to run the floor with an up-tempo offense – an approach that could give Toronto a better chance to succeed when Bargnani and others return from injury.

“We just have to get used to this,” Calderon said. “We have to keep fighting. Everybody believes in what we’re doing, we just have to do it for 48 minutes. We’re competing. We’re not losing by 20 or 30 points.”

Teague, who gave Atlanta its biggest lead when his floating jumper made it 43-30 at the 3:55 mark of the second, is pleased that the Hawks are doing what comes natural and leaning on their two best scorers (Johnson and Smith) with Horford sidelined.

“It’s going to take team efforts every night,” Teague said. “We’ve played well the last few games, but coming in here [Wednesday], Portland is a really good team. They’ll play hard. We’ll just have to stay together.”

Atlanta improved to 10-4 overall, 6-1 at home.

Notes

The Hawks never trailed after Smith’s layup made it 13-11 at the 6:35 mark of the first. … Davis had 11 rebounds. … Johnson and Teague each had six assists. … Hawks G Tracy McGrady finished with no points and three assists in 8 minutes after missing the past three games with back spasms. … Atlanta has won five straight over the Raptors and seven in a row at home.

CHICAGO — Luol Deng’s layup with 3.7 seconds to play lifted the Chicago Bulls to a 76-74 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

Derrick Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Bulls from a 19-point deficit. Coming out of a timeout with the score tied in the final seconds, Deng cut along the baseline and took a feed from Joakim Noah to put Chicago ahead.

Atlanta’s Joe Johnson shot an airball at the buzzer, giving the Bulls the win.

Rose missed a runner with 21 seconds left, but Atlanta’s Jeff Teague missed two free throws. Rose then drove past Teague and scored over the Hawks’ Josh Smith with 9.9 seconds left to put the Bulls up 74-73.

Al Horford, who led the Hawks with 16 points, was fouled and split two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining.

ATLANTA (74)

Williams 5-10 4-7 14, Smith 6-13 3-6 15, Horford 7-14 2-4 16, Teague 2-8 3-6 7, J.Johnson 3-17 2-2 10, McGrady 1-4 0-0 2, Radmanovic 1-4 0-0 3, Pachulia 0-3 0-0 0, Pargo 1-3 0-0 3, Green 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 28-80 14-25 74.

CHICAGO (76)

Deng 7-15 6-8 21, Boozer 5-13 1-2 11, Noah 0-4 2-2 2, Rose 8-22 11-13 30, Brewer 2-8 0-0 4, Gibson 2-7 0-0 4, Korver 1-4 0-1 2, Asik 1-3 0-0 2, Lucas 0-1 0-0 0, Butler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-77 20-26 76.

Atlanta 23 15 18 18–74

Chicago 15 11 16 34–76

3-Point Goals–Atlanta 4-15 (J.Johnson 2-9, Pargo 1-1, Radmanovic 1-2, Teague 0-1, Smith 0-1, Horford 0-1), Chicago 4-17 (Rose 3-8, Deng 1-4, Brewer 0-1, Lucas 0-1, Korver 0-3). Fouled Out–None. Rebounds–Atlanta 62 (Smith 14), Chicago 58 (Boozer, Asik 9). Assists–Atlanta 19 (J.Johnson, Teague 4), Chicago 16 (Rose 7). Total Fouls–Atlanta 17, Chicago 21. Technicals–Atlanta defensive three second, Deng, Chicago defensive three second 2. A–22,166 (20,917).