Atlanta Hawks: Rockets 109, Hawks 102 (updated)
Vivlamore reporting from Philips Arena.
Welcome to the Hawks’ new style of basketball.
Oh yes, this is going to be interesting.
The Hawks couldn’t contain James Harden. They were killed on the boards. They trailed by as many as 16 points.
Yet, they barely lost.
Harden finished with a game-high 45 points, including seven straight when the Rockets erased a two-point Hawks’ fourth-quarter lead, en route to a 109-102 victory Friday night at Philips Arena. There is still much work to do for the Hawks and a revamped roster.
“We have some things that we really have to focus in and work on,” coach Larry Drew said. “There were area in this game where we weren’t very good, very polished, particularly on the boards. We didn’t do a good job on the boards.” And it wasn’t just our big guys. It was our perimeters not being in position to chase down long rebounds.”
After losing the late lead thanks to Harden, who finished with 18 fourth-quarter points, the Hawks had a chance to tie the game late. Trailing by three points, 97-94, DeShawn Stevenson and Jeff Teague passed on potential game-tying 3-pointers. Teague instead passed to Josh Smith, who missed from long range. Chandler Parsons hit a 3-pointer off the miss as the Rockets went up by six and sealed the win from the free-throw line.
“I saw Harden running at me and it was just a basketball play to make an extra pass,” Teague said. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in Josh. I see him work every day on shooting drills after practice. I’ve got all the faith in him. If I didn’t have faith in him, what kind of teammate would I be? I saw him wide open and thought he could knock it down. He happened to miss it but it’s part of the game.”
Since being acquired by the Rockets earlier this week, days ahead of their season opener, Harden’s has scored 82 points in two victories. Jeremy Lin added 21 points and Marcus Morris added 17 in the win Friday.
The Rockets (2-0) held a 58-36 rebounding advantage. They pulled down 23 offensive rebounds and many led to points in the paint. Center Omer Asik had 19, including seven in the first six minutes of the game.
“Giving up 17 offensive rebounds in the first half and 23 for the game, you are not going to give yourself a good chance to win. You have to be able to get in there and gang rebound. … We have to find a body, box them out and limit them to one opportunity.”
Lou Williams led the Hawks (0-1) with 22 points. Smith added 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Hawks also got double-digit scoring from Al Horford (14), Teague (14), Zaza Pachulia (13) and Stevenson (12).
The Hawks made their late run by going to a bigger lineup with Pachulia at center, Horford at power forward and Smith a small forward. Drew also elected to go with the hot hand as Williams played all of the fourth quarter when he had 13 points.
“We have to play how we played at the end of the third and into the fourth quarter,” Williams said. “We have to play like that for four quarters. We have to put four quarters of good basketball together in order for us to be successful.”
The Hawks had trouble with their offensive and defensive assignments. They often conferred with Drew during the course of the game to clear up where they were supposed to be on specific sets.
“It’s still a process,” Smith said. “We are still getting acclimated to the new guys coming in with our defensive principles and getting a feel for where they have to be. It’s still a work in progress.”
The Rockets led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter, 68-52, but the Hawks worked to close the gap. They entered the final quarter trailing by seven points, 81-74. With 7:10 remaining the lead was gone. Smith converted in close for an 88-87 lead capping a 14-6 quarter-opening run. Williams and Smith each had six points in the stretch.
The Rockets took a 53-44 halftime lead. Their lead was 14 points, 49-35, with 1:50 remaining in the second quarter when Harden drained a 3-pointer and was fouled by Stevenson. The Hawks closed the gap to nine points by ending the half on a 9-4 run, punctuated by Stevenson’s 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Rockets held a decisive rebounding advantage – 20-8 after the first quarter and 34-20 at the half.
“We made a run and they handled it,” Horford said. “They took it and got their composure back so you have to give them credit. I don’t think we played well enough to win the game tonight.”
The Hawks travel to Oklahoma City to take on the defending Western Conference champion Thunder Sunday.
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310 comments Add your comment
cp
November 2nd, 2012
10:37 pm
I hope Ferry has a plan to get a starting caliber sf in here
Tremaine
November 2nd, 2012
10:38 pm
@Rod from College Park- Marvin didn’t draft himself at number 2 when we needed a pt guard. The guy was a bench player in college and will be nothing more than a role player.
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:39 pm
The Hawks bench kept it from becoming a massacre..
Rob
November 2nd, 2012
10:39 pm
Gonna be fun watching Josh launch threes all game once it sets in that the Hawks aren’t a playoff team this year. Then he’ll start crying about all star votes and trade demands like every year.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 2nd, 2012
10:40 pm
The minutes distribution for the game doesn’t really look as bad as LD’s substitution patterns looked during the game. If he takes the 16 minutes Tolliver played and gives them to Ivan, he’s pretty close to nailing it. Neither Korver nor Stevenson are going to play every game like they did today — Korver will have some good games, Stevenson will have some bad games, and neither will be all that consistent. Morrow should eat into their minutes to at least some extent when they are not playing well.
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:40 pm
Who’s the backup Head Coach?
Astro Joe
November 2nd, 2012
10:41 pm
Well, if Teague doesn’t want to shoot in late tight games and Josh shouldn’t shoot beyond 15 feet in late tight games, the head coach may want to consider playing pick and pop with them. Because once the defense takes away the drive, you’re left with little more than a heave from one of those guys.
cp
November 2nd, 2012
10:44 pm
LD still sticks with guys who aren’t producing and leaving guys who are on the bench way too long. I wonder if he makes it through the whole season
Hawks Fan
November 2nd, 2012
10:45 pm
No Ivan or Devin Harris? Please fire LD and take Korver with you.
Wink
November 2nd, 2012
10:45 pm
1 of 82….0 & 1
Season…to be continued
LD, redundant
9 new players…same result
Josh@year end…out of here!
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:45 pm
Tolliver should be glued to the bench with his HC..
Just a real dirty low down shame that IVAN got a DNP- Genius decision..
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:48 pm
Grandad predicts 30 games for Larry.
I say less if they start out 2-9 or 1-8..Blah, Blah,Blah
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:50 pm
AJ, Teague does not trust his jumper and rightfully so. It’s not so good..
GoHawks
November 2nd, 2012
10:52 pm
No problem Hawks, It is a long season
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:54 pm
66, 17, and 9! Houston’s back court! Whew…….
LD had no answers!
Blue Steel
November 2nd, 2012
10:55 pm
All NBA had 5 rebounds. His counter part? 20rbs
cp
November 2nd, 2012
10:55 pm
If all these shooters we have are not going to play then we need to put a package together and get a sf in here ASAP
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:56 pm
Danny had no answers…
Blue Steel
November 2nd, 2012
10:56 pm
Teague is not intelligent enough to run the back court and Al Hurts us in the front court… translation?
same as the last 4 years. early exit from the playoffs.
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
10:57 pm
I would consider shopping Al…Josh too…
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:00 pm
It’s very disappointing that AllStar Al would not bang with Asik in the 1st quarter at least!!!!!!!!!!!!! Asik set the table by dominating the offensive glass…
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:02 pm
OKC could be up by 20 midway thru the 2nd quarter on Sunday..
Rod from College Park
November 2nd, 2012
11:04 pm
“It’s very disappointing that AllStar Al would not bang with Asik in the 1st quarter at least!!!!!!!!!!!!! Asik set the table by dominating the offensive glass…”
Remember he does not want to bang with centers because they are to big. He wants to play power foward. LOL
Fats G
November 2nd, 2012
11:12 pm
Still 80 games left youse guys……………Wish the commish would cut em to 40 and call it a season. The attention span ain’t there anymore …………………..Wish em well but I cant see watching no stinkin 80 games of this.
cp
November 2nd, 2012
11:13 pm
I thought LD went out of the country to pick up some tips from that coach?
Archibald Leach
November 2nd, 2012
11:14 pm
Wow the Rockets had 23 offensive rebounds. btw, where was Devin Harris the 2nd half?
zeyfromtheay
November 2nd, 2012
11:14 pm
AL HORFORD WAS SO LAZY!!! He didn’t help on defense AT ALL!! OR go for rebounds. I blame a majority of paint points on him. And apparently he has no post moves. He’s scored off of dunks.
ROTATION ROTATION ROTATION.
WHAT in the world was up with the rotation?!?
Where was Ivan? We needed hustling! We needed rebounding!! Korver starts? SHEESH!!
We got out coached and out hustled. This is a unique team that should be able to do almost as well as the Hawks in the last 4 years. Being a unique team though, without the right coaching, IT WON’T WORK.
There were some bright spots, and plenty of experimenting to do still. Larry Drew is NOT the man for the job, and if Danny Ferry FIRES LD, I will suck his big toe and the little one too so it doesn’t feel left out.
GO HAWKS!! Feels good to be mad at my Hawks again. What a loooong summer!! Woohoo!!!!
JimboWeiss
November 2nd, 2012
11:17 pm
Can anyone tell me the name of the song the Hawks used for their intro tonite? It was the electronic part at the beginning that I’m specifically curious about. It sounded familiar, but I can’t place it. Thank you to anyone who can answer this for me.
Stop Ignoring Reality
November 2nd, 2012
11:17 pm
Guess Joe wasn’t the problem huh….
Honestly, I missed him tonight. Games always felt “safe” for the most part with Joe out there.
tjhook
November 2nd, 2012
11:18 pm
If real recognizes real, frauds know other frauds. Larry Drew the ‘coach’ meets Anthony Tolliver the ‘impact player’. Loser Dude is putting in work to lead this team to a miserable season. Get rid of an affordable rebounder/defender so we can lose because there was not enough defense and rebounding. Please Danny Ferry – I am compelled to ask you to bring Damien James back to the squad.
sam'l
November 2nd, 2012
11:21 pm
didn’t see the game but I read everyone’s comments……..
despite all the horrible things I read, the Hawks were actually up by 2 in the fourth quarter.
So, things might have been okay after all.
Even though Hardin has been playing like crazy, I remember last year’s playoffs where he couldn’t do anything when it really counted.. So, I dunno about this guy.
As I said before, the Hawks are going to have to play as hard as they can and be as smart as they can and Smith, Teague and Horford are gonna have to over-achieve and do what needs to be done……….otherwise this will be a very unhappy season.
……….
Rusty
November 2nd, 2012
11:21 pm
After last year I came to the conclusion that the biggest weakness on this team was Larry Drew after one game this season I am convinced that the biggest weakness on this team is still Larry Drew. This man is just ignorant.
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:21 pm
Meanwhile in Hollywierd, the Lakers are losing to the Clippers.. Guess they are playing for 0-13..
Is that BUS big enough for coach Larry Drew and coach Mike Brown?
Stop Ignoring Reality
November 2nd, 2012
11:22 pm
Wonder if we can trade Stevenson & Toliver to OKC for Jememy Lamb and a 2nd Rd pick. He’s just gonna collect splinters with Kevin Martin and Sefelosha ahead of him in their depth chart.
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:23 pm
[weird]
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 2nd, 2012
11:23 pm
Where the heck was Anthony Morrow?
This team has no wings at all (besides DeShawn Stevenson, who can’t guard anything anymore) and it will burn this team every single game.
Not one wing on this team. Anthony Tolliver looked pathetic out there.
Horford had what? 5 rebounds?
Josh – STOP TAKING JUMPSHOTS. ANOTHER YEAR, SAME CRAP
cp
November 2nd, 2012
11:26 pm
I doubt OKC would take that trade. They do need shooters though. Denver is another team that could use some shooters. We have shooters who probably wont see much pt and Denver has a lot of sf’s and a couple of big men. OKC has some young talent that probably wont play much this year either. If im Ferry those are the two teams I might call up and offer our shooters too.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 2nd, 2012
11:26 pm
LD acts like defense is the #1 priority and that’s what he cares about, but I see no proof of that.
This team’s lack of wings will make this a VERY long season.
Like, what was the point of the Marvin trade? He sucks, but at least he plays average defense.
We have DeShawn who can’t move at all, giving up multiple 4 point plays and playing no defense at all, despite his big shots
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:27 pm
Our ALLSTAR Center had 5 rebounds while the stiff had 20? Who’s the AllStar?
Harpie
November 2nd, 2012
11:28 pm
Why would anyone expect anything from this team as long as Larry Drew is “coaching” them? The guy doesn’t know what he’s doing; he only knows how to act like he knows what he’s doing. He’s an IDIOT!
tjhook
November 2nd, 2012
11:29 pm
Damien James= cost effective solution for Hawks’ rotation
cp
November 2nd, 2012
11:30 pm
JeJe I have learned that whatever LD says then he means the opposite
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:31 pm
Hey Sautee: Oh the Humanity…..
Where’s Buddy G tonight? Writing his novel about the origins of the game?
tjhook
November 2nd, 2012
11:32 pm
And as I mentioned on a blog yesterday, Drew is a highly paid AAU coach
Rod from College Park
November 2nd, 2012
11:35 pm
DeShawn is a 2 guard. He is only 6′4 or 6′5. He should not be depended on to guard big 2’s or 3’s.
pointguardslim
November 2nd, 2012
11:38 pm
Teague must not be afraid to take charge. He must stay aggressive for 48 mins.. He must show leadership capabilities or else he will lose his starting role and be relegated to the bench once again.
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 2nd, 2012
11:38 pm
THIS TEAM NEEDS WINGS. MARVIN MAY SUCK BUT HE WAS A WING. WE HAVE NO WINGS. ANTHONY TOLLIVER SHOULD NOT BE ON THIS ROSTER.
********************WE HAVE NO WINGS ON THIS ROSTER****************************************
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:41 pm
Larry cut the wrong guy last week..
Wait till Sunday on the road! Oh the Humanity…
DS
November 2nd, 2012
11:41 pm
Just came back from the game. A few things: I want to punch Larry Drew right on his face, he needs to go. There’s no reason Tolliver should get anything more than garbage minutes, let alone as a SF. Big Al needs to hit the gym and get in shape. Smoove and Teague were great. Stevenson can be that guy from Dallas again, he should start for his defense alone and if his 3s keep falling, that’s a no brainer. We really need a starting player at sf though I bet ferry is already regretting letting Damion go, but maybe we could try Ivan. Going back to Tolliver why the hell is he getting minutes that should be Ivan’s?? I hate Larry Drew…
Slimjr
November 2nd, 2012
11:43 pm
This [Princeton] offensive aint working in Atlanta and it certainly aint working in LaLa Land? Hmmmm