The Atlanta Hawks are doing all they can to bring an NBA championship home this season. With April marking the final month of the NBA season, a strong showing is necessary for ideal NBA Playoff positioning. Look for Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Jeff Teague to come up big in their final push.

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

April 2012

Wed 4, Charlotte Bobcats at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Fri 6, Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SSO-ATL, NBATV)

Sat 7, Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Bobcats, 8 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Wed 11, Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics, 8 p.m. (SSO-ATL, ESPN)

Fri 13, Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Sun 15, Toronto Raptors at Atlanta Hawks, 6 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Mon 16, Atlanta Hawks at Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Wed 18, Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Fri 20, Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m. (SSO-ATL, ESPN)

Sun 22, New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks, 1 p.m. (SSO-ATL, ESPN)

Tue 24, Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

Thu 26, Dallas Mavericks at Atlanta Hawks, 8 p.m. (SSO-ATL)

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.

DETROIT –

The Detroit Pistons downed the Los Angeles Kings in overtime on Tuesday in front of a packed Palace of Auburn Hills crowd.

Guard Rodney Stuckey shined with 34 points for the Pistons on route to their 88-85 win. They forced Kobe Bryant to go 8-26 from the field and 2-9 on three point attempts.

Detroit (13-26) hopes to ride the momentum from that thrilling victory into Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks (23-16) just dropped a tough game to the Miami Heat, 89-86. Despite a solid 46.1 shooting percentage, Atlanta had problems holding on to the ball with 22 turnovers. LeBron James scored 31 points to help the Heat win a second-straight.

The Pistons are 5-5 in their past 10 games and seven of their past 10 at the Palace. They are five wins out of a playoff spot, with three teams sitting between them and 8th-place New York.

Atlanta has won the past three games with Detroit.

Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.

The Toronto Raptors face the Pistons on Saturday in their third consecutive game in Auburn Hills.

About the Hawks: The Hawks defeated the Toronto Raptors 93-84 Monday in Atlanta as Johnson had a solid all-around game, finishing with a season-high 27 points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. … It was the Hawks’ third consecutive win and sixth in seven games, though the last three wins have come against teams with a combined 12-30 record. … Smith, who had 28 points and a season-high 15 rebounds in the victory over the Raptors, is averaging 22.3 points and shooting 60.3 percent from the field over the last seven games. … The Hawks are allowing an average of just 20.2 points in the first quarter this season and have held eight opponents to less than 20 points in the opening quarter. … Teague leads the NBA in steals with 31 and 22 have come in last eight games. The Hawks are 7-2 when he records two or more steals in a game. … All-Star center Al Horford tore his pectoral muscle Jan. 11 at Indiana and is expected to miss three to four months. … Atlanta’s opening night roster featured an average age of 29 years, 77 days, the second-oldest team in the NBA behind the Dallas Mavericks (30 years, 106 days).

About the Blazers: Portland ended a three-game losing streak Monday, defeating the New Orleans Hornets 84-77 in New Orleans. Aldridge scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, when the Blazers opened with a 17-4 run. … Felton had a season-high 12 assists, but also committed eight turnovers against the Hornets. Over the last four games, he’s made just 15 of 48 field goals (31.3 percent), including 2 of 16 three-pointers. He’s shooting 34.7 percent this season, the lowest among starting NBA guards. … Since learning Friday that negotiations on a contract extension hit a roadblock, Batum has rediscovered his game, totaling 48 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 58 percent from the field in two games. … Reserve guard Jamal Crawford played the last two seasons with the Hawks and averaged a team-high 21.5 points per game against the Blazers last season. … The Blazers rank 17th in the league in shooting (43.9 percent) and 19th in three-point shooting (32.0 percent). … The Blazers are 6-2 when they score 100 or more points and 2-3 when they allow at least 100 points. … The Blazers have held two opponents (Lakers, Hornets) without a three-point field goal this season and are allowing opponents to shoot just 27.8 percent from long range — the second-best mark in the NBA. … The Blazers, who will play their fourth game of a six-game trip against the Hawks, are 2-4 on the road this season.

Series history: The Blazers have lost five in a row to the Hawks, including their last three appearances in Atlanta. The five-game winning streak is the longest current streak of any Blazers opponent. Three of the last five games between the teams in Atlanta have been decided in overtime. The all-time series is tied 49-49 but the Hawks hold a 32-17 edge in Atlanta. Aldridge averaged 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds last season against Atlanta.

Injuries: Center Greg Oden (left knee) will not play and center Marcus Camby (sprained let ankle) is questionable for the Blazers. Guard Kirk Hinrich (left shoulder) and forward/center Al Horford (torn pectoral muscle) are out for the Hawks.

— Joe Freeman; follow him on Twitter

ATLANTA (AP) — 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.

ATLANTA – Josh Smith believes the Atlanta Hawks can keep winning even though centre 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 centre 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 offence — 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.

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.

ATLANTA (AP)—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.

ATLANTA Josh Smith believes the Atlanta Hawks can keep winning even though centre 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 centre 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 uptempo offence — 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 eight 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.

The Associated Press

Read More: Joe Johnson (G – ATL), Josh Smith (F – ATL), Jose Calderon (G – TOR), Amir Johnson (C – TOR), Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors

After starting slowly, the Atlanta Hawks recovered to take a 26-18 first quarter lead over the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors jumped out to an early 11-5 lead before the Hawks went on a run to close the quarter.

Josh Smith hit consecutive field goal attempts in the first quarter for a fast 12 points. Joe Johnson has been really aggressive early with eight points, two assists and two steals. The Hawks hit 50 percent of its shots and got to the free throw line eight times in the quarter where they hit seven.

Jose Calderon leads the Raptors with six points and four assists. Amir Johnson had three points and two rebounds before two personal fouls sent him to the bench. Toronto turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head over to Peachtree Hoops and Raptors fans should check out Raptors HQ. For more news and analysis on the NBA head over to SB Nation’s NBA page.