Jazz at Atlanta Hawks: Game thread

• All Hawks except Jannero Pargo and Al Horford are available. Raja Bell (adductor) is a game-time decision for the Jazz.
• In case you didn’t notice, Joe Johnson has been good since he sat out those six games with knee tendinitis. He says he first started to think something was wrong at the beginning of February: “Some games it was OK, some games not. I could feel myself laboring.”
• You can see that this timeline matches up with his production so, generally, he’s been good when he’s been feeling good. “Getting your legs back under you, there is not a better feeling,” Joe said.
• Joe on lately barking more often at officials: “It’s tough at times. I try to stay away off them because we’ve got so many other guys on the team who are talking to them. But there comes a point in time where I have to say something.”
• Larry Drew:“That’s not typical Joe. He’s usually quiet, doesn’t say much to officials. He’s getting a little more fire. I love seeing that. If there is one guy you want to see get fired up, it’s Joe Johnson. He seems to really be into the game. When he gets more fired up, he’s more aggressive. Some guys go the other way.”
• Drew on Jeff Teague: “He’s stepping his game up. Teague goes through patches where he disappears but when he turns it up, he turns it up.”
• Drew on the Jazz, who have won six straight: “They’ve got a lot of good pieces and it looks like those pieces are starting to come together. They are athletic, strong, they really play an aggressive style. You have to be mentally ready. Playing our third game in three nights against a team like Utah should be a huge challenge.”
• The Biggest Game in the History of the Universe is going down Saturday, and I don’t mean Hawks-Sixers.

Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat