Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 95, Trail Blazers 87
Vivlamore reporting from Portland.
The Hawks stole a victory – literally – from the Trail Blazers.
The Hawks jumped to an early double-digit lead thanks to seven first-quarter steals. However, they lost a 15-point lead and had to come from behind for a 95-87 victory Monday night at the Rose Garden.
Al Horford scored six straight points, all assisted by Josh Smith, in the final four minutes after the big lead had turned into a two-point deficit. The Trail Blazers used a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter to take an 82-80 lead with 5:40 remaining, their first advantage of the night.
Horford hit a 19-foot jumper, a dunk and a post-up move with the Blazers’ only answer a three-point play from LaMarcus Aldridge. Horford’s last basket broke an 87-87 tie with 2:08 remaining.
After a Jeff Teague layup, Smith drew an offensive foul on Aldridge and Kyle Korver and Teague each sunk a pair of free throws to seal in the victory.
“It was a matter of the fourth quarter and it was time for us to win the game,” Horford said of the baskets drawn up after timeouts.
Only one night early, the Hawks came apart in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Clippers. Monday, they stood their ground.
“That was a gutsy win by our guys,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “We fell into a similar situation last night in L.A. where we played well for three quarter and in the fourth quarter we collapsed. Tonight, we weathered the storm. We knew they would make a run. As I told the guys at halftime, it’s going to be a matter of whether we accept the challenge or we fold the tent like we did last night. Tonight, we accepted the challenge.”
The Hawks (3-3) improved have split the start of this four-game West Coast road trip. They have games with the Warriors and Kings remaining.
Smith, who along with Lou Williams was questionable right up to game time with a stomach illness, had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Horford had 15 points and 10 rebounds. Korver finished with 16 points, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range, Teague had 13 and Williams 11 to round out the double-digit scorers.
“Coach hit the nail on the head at halftime,” Horford said. “He said they are going to make a run at you. You have to keep your composure. You can’t let that affect you. We were doing well until they made a run and took the lead and that’s when we remembered the Clippers game and I felt like tonight we grew as a team.”
J.J. Hickson had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Trail Blazers (2-5). Nicolas Batum also scored 19 points.
The Hawks’ first-quarter steals were one off the franchise record for steals in a quarter of eight set March 6, 1992 against the Pacers. The Hawks finished with a season-high 14 steals.
The Blazers missed their first four shots and the Hawks turned three steals into points as they took a 9-0 lead. The lead grew to as many as 15 in the second quarter. The Hawks fought back several Blazer runs before finally losing their lead late in the game.
“We were playing passing lanes,” Smith said. “They were a little lazy with the ball in that first half and we took advantage of it.”
The Hawks led by as many as 13 in the first quarter. Only 8:44 into the game, Drew had already gone 10 deep on his roster. All 10 entered the scoring column by the second quarter. Drew said going to his bench was part of his strategy in the second of back-to-back road games.
Both Smith and Williams said they were fine after the game, although Drew said he could see them dragging during the game. The Hawks were to have an off day Tuesday before playing the Warriors Wednesday.
“I feel OK,” Smith said. “I’m still not where I need to be at. I fought through it. I didn’t want it to take over mentally. My wind wasn’t there like I wanted it to be but we got it done. I thank my mom for sending a prayer out over the phone.”
Guard Devin Harris left in the second quarter with a left hamstring strain and did not return.
The Trail Blazers’ streak of consecutive sellouts ended at 195 games.
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88 comments Add your comment
Melvin
November 13th, 2012
11:07 am
OB,
Yes, I Iobbied for Hickson but I don’t want to see Marvin in a Hawks uniform again. I dont care what his contract is. Let that ship stay out to sea. Heck, I would take the Afro (JChill) back before Marvin.
Hickson over Josh is just foolish. He’s a good energy player that would have excel off the Hawks bench.
Just Joe
November 13th, 2012
11:08 am
By comparison, Denver gets 90 shots up on avg per game.
Melvin
November 13th, 2012
11:10 am
I sure hope Memphis and LAL underachieve this year. Maybe we could lure Dwight here and persuade Memphis to give us Gay….
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 13th, 2012
11:11 am
Childress over Marvin? Disagree
Childress will be out of the league before Marvin – guaranteed
vava74
November 13th, 2012
11:14 am
Hickson at 4 million is a good player.
However, I doubt that he is looking to sign long term for that if he has a good season.
For 4 million you could sign Ivan for sure, I am not at all convinced that day in day out Hickson can be as effective as Ivan.
The only problem for Ivan so far is that we have a coach who does not have a clue…
Tolliver? Please…
Big Daddy
November 13th, 2012
11:14 am
Great game for the Hawks. They have beat some quality teams with a lineup that I thought was suspect at the beginning of the year. GO HAWKS!!!!
hot.trod.87
November 13th, 2012
11:17 am
We can’t have our team losing a lead w/ a 39% FG shooter (Josh) on the bench playing a 57% FG shooter (Al) and a 53% shooter (Teague)…. You still questioning why Josh will be here and is the man
Ken Strickland
November 13th, 2012
11:23 am
Right after we got AMorrow in the JJ trade I looked up his scouting report and stats. It basically said he’s an outstanding long range shooter, and is very underated defensively. After seeing him in limited action, it looks like that scouting report was right on the money. He seems to have a decent midrange gm as well, and I’ve seen him penetrate to the basket a few times.
He and Ivan should be much higher in the rotation and should get more mins. In fact, I believe our starting lineup should be
PG JTeague
SG AMorrow
SF KKorver
PF JSmith
C AHorford
While that wouldn’t be our biggest or best DEF lineup, it would be our most balanced, and might give us our best combination of OFF and DEF. Korver and Morrow would certainly stretch the DEF and open lanes for Josh, Al, and Ivan to operate down low. It would also make it a lot easier for Teague, Lou and Devin to get inside the lane and dish or finish.
Drew has to stop this musical chairs approach and establish a fixed lineup and allow them to develop chemistry and cohesiveness. This will not only define everyones role, but help cut down on turnovers and increase OFF and DEF efficiency.
hot.trod.87
November 13th, 2012
11:30 am
Zaza needs to stop getting blocked at the rim… Horford still gets abused on defense. Can’t play one on one. Teague is doing better, but he must still defend against the pick and rolls. Al is within 15 feet of the basket and he will pass it to the player furthest away from the basket. Reminds me of Joe when he had a shot. This explains why Josh takes so many shots that Al doesn’t want to take.
Just Joe
November 13th, 2012
11:50 am
My only issue with Morrow is that he stands around a lot on offense. Why don’t we have him moving off the ball like Korver? Watch him next game.
vava74
November 13th, 2012
11:54 am
Just Joe,
That is why Korver is ahead in the pecking order.
Like it or not, Korver knows the play-book and executes it and that is essential for the floor spacing which will create shots and easy buckets for others.
Nonetheless, I am all for giving more burn to Morrow. It’s inexcusable not to use him against the Clips because “it was not on the game plan”.
Good grief…
I MUS WRITE
November 13th, 2012
12:02 pm
Enter your comments here
cp
November 13th, 2012
12:17 pm
I really like how much Teague has improved as a playmaker. Dude should have had over 10 dimes last night. He also did a good job defensively on Lillard. I like Lillard and think he will turn out to be a stud but he tends to get in the air too much without knowing what he wants to do. And he isn’t very good defensively. I like Lou but I wish he would drive more. Dude is throwing up a bunch of bad tough shots. Either way good win last night. I still wish we would have kept James. We really need another rebounder.
JROLL1
November 13th, 2012
12:29 pm
Every game that Anthony Morrow gets a dnp/cd, Larry Drew has “outcoached” himself!!!! There is no way “AMO” should not be playing EVERY GAME COACH!!!!!
smittyderf
November 13th, 2012
12:48 pm
its a really simple equation so far this year, similar to the last few years but without Joe’s pts. skewing the stats. Phenomenal Athlete Josh has only one or two turnovers and 3 pt. shots, hawks win. The ESPN mag guy even said they might be 2nd in the East if he will keep his offense in or near the lane
O'Brien
November 13th, 2012
12:49 pm
AJ,
if they had a ton of TOs while NOT trying to mimic the Jamaican track team, then that is a problem..
Against the Clippers, it was a problem. Lazy passes, guys standing around, trying to force the pass etc.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 13th, 2012
1:20 pm
“What happened to all the Teague haters? Vacation?”
Haha. Teague didn’t even play particularly well yesterday and he still ended up with a pretty solid stat line and held Damian Lillard to his worst game of the season so far. He is having a really solid season so far.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 13th, 2012
1:21 pm
“My only issue with Morrow is that he stands around a lot on offense. Why don’t we have him moving off the ball like Korver? ”
I think that has something to do with the players themselves. Korver’s entire game in his NBA career has been moving without the ball. Morrow hasn’t really been that type of player in his career.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 13th, 2012
1:22 pm
“There is no uptempo in this years offense. 81 shot attempts per game. Last year? 81 shot attempts per game.”
Co-sign. They are 22nd in pace this season. Too many post ups, not enough pick and roll and transition.
The Truth
November 13th, 2012
1:24 pm
Kudos to the Hawks on a gutsy win but only because they made the molehill victory into a mountain; Not to trivialize the win (because a win is a win), but this very young Portland Team with the new HC is clearly in a rebuilding mode. Their defense lapses, inconsistent offense, and TOs were enormous. With 20 TOs and very low team FG%, usually is a recipe for a loss. Their star player (Aldridge) is playing respectable but appears to have conceded a lottery season already.
LD (at least in the game) has yielded to external pressure and finally gave Morrow some minutes. Morrow didn’t seem that aggressive or motivated to play hard perhaps because the way his coach has demoted him for no reason. If the “cold shoulder” continue between LD and Morrow, we may never see Morrow’s full potential this season.
I’m sure Ivan is frustrated on both fronts; being in LD’s dog as the 30 sec player and no love from the refs.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 13th, 2012
1:25 pm
“I’d take Hickson over Josh any day of the week.”
LMAO
Fun fact: until yesterday, when the Hawks allowed Hickson to have a career game, Hickson was at 42% shooting for the season.
Najeh Davenpoop
November 13th, 2012
1:29 pm
“I admire the fact that the Hawks will fight back, but it is disturbing that they go through these offensive droughts. We are too talented for that to happen. Could it be the LD effect?”
I think (hope?) it is because Lou Williams is off to a career-worst start so far. Seems like a lot of those droughts have come when the 2nd unit has been on the floor. When (if?) he heats up, I would think those offensive droughts would be fewer and farther between. With that said though, this team was prone to droughts like that the last couple of years, too. Part of it just comes from not having a #1 option on the roster.
Buddy Grizzard
November 13th, 2012
1:29 pm
“Not pitching it all in the gutter for a lottery shot, but finding out who will fit in the future and using the cap space to go out and get guys who will make an impact.”
Yes, and Devin Harris obviously does not fit into the future plans for this team. So why is LD trying to give him as many minutes as Teague?
“His assist numbers are quite good, considering the reduced number of minutes on the floor”
It’s funny because LD acknowledged that it is his job to get Josh to play at an All-Star level. So far this season, Josh is shooting 5-for-34 outside the paint (15%). Meanwhile, Teague IS playing at an All-Star level, but LD limits his minutes and gives them to a washed up scrub. Sound familiar?
Buddy Grizzard
November 13th, 2012
1:33 pm
“When (if?) he heats up, I would think those offensive droughts would be fewer and farther between.”
With Lou running point last night, the Hawks extended a 7-point lead at the end of the third to an 8-point lead when Teague checked back in early in the fourth. During the previous two losses, Lou and Devin shared the back court during the stint spanning end of 3rd/start of 4th and the team collapsed dramatically both games.
True, Lou scored every basket while that unit was on the floor last night. So, not a pure point guard performance. But LD had him in there with Zaza and Ivan, two rebounders who can set picks to get Lou open.
Mookie Blaylock
November 13th, 2012
1:38 pm
“I’d take Hickson over Josh any day of the week.”
LMAO
Fun fact: until yesterday, when the Hawks allowed Hickson to have a career game, Hickson was at 42% shooting for the season.
………………….
Which is still higher than Josh’s 39%
Buddy Grizzard
November 13th, 2012
1:41 pm
“Maybe we could lure Dwight here…”
Kurt Rambis had some pretty bitter comments after they offered the coaching position to Phil Jackson, then pulled the offer and signed D’Antoni. Rambis of course was in line to be one of Jackson’s assistants if he was hired.
So, self-interested though Rambis’ comments were, something he said still rang very true. He said it was a big risk for the Lakers to sign D’Antoni, who has never won a championship, because Dwight is a free agent at season’s end. If things go bad for the Lakers this year, Dwight could walk and that franchise could be crippled for years to come.
For what it’s worth, Dwight seemed in awe of the possibility of playing for Jackson.
Mookie Blaylock
November 13th, 2012
1:44 pm
Josh Smith = 39% FG
5-for-34 from outside of the paint = 15%
All-Star numbers
Coastdog
November 13th, 2012
1:49 pm
Go Hocks!
Astro Joe
November 13th, 2012
1:50 pm
Howard would still have to leave around $20M on the table to walk away from the lakers next summer. Or, he could always do the diva thing and demand a trade in about 8-10 weeks.
Buddy Grizzard
November 13th, 2012
1:59 pm
“Hawks are 17th in the league in 3-pt % at 34%, while being 5th in attempts.”
Just Joe, do you think the Hawks might climb the ranks in 3-point % if LD played Morrow, one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history, instead of letting him ride the bench?
2 FOR JOHN DREW
November 13th, 2012
2:03 pm
FTPB – @ Reggie 9:13pm 11/12/12 Hey Reggie, I saw that too, what you were talking about …… LD & Asst coach Lester Conner were fuming over a play or a non-call of a play ….. When Josh rushed over to them & like a mother hen caressed them both by grabbing them by their heads w/ his huge hands & w/ in a couple of seconds defused the anger of the 2 coaches simultaneously …. And I remember thinking …. Why can’t they calm him down when he’s having his little moments
Buddy Grizzard
November 13th, 2012
2:03 pm
LeBron James left money on the table… the precedent is there. I don’t think the Lakers are going to win another championship with Kobe. He’s old and his game is deteriorating, but he still ball hogs like he was in his prime. Nash has always been a defensive liability but now the Lakers are playing 4-on-5 on the defensive end with Nash on the court… WHEN HE’S HEALTHY.
The Lakers tried this before with Gary Payton and Karl Malone in their last productive seasons and it didn’t work. If they flame out in the playoffs, do you think Dwight is going to believe they have a better opportunity next year with Kobe, Pau and Nash all a year older?
Grandmaster JeJe (GM)
November 13th, 2012
2:19 pm
Is it possible to get an article on Kenny Atkinson? Who does he work with in practices? He helped Lin in NY
Astro Joe
November 13th, 2012
2:31 pm
Buddy, Lebron did NOT leave $20M on the table. He signed under the previous CBA. He still got a 5 year deal (he may have left $5M on the table but he more than made up for that in endorsements because he was joining what many considered a sure-thing championship team). New CBA rules only allow a UFA to sign for 4 years with a different team, including any S&T. There will be some exceptions, obviously, but I wouldn’t hold my breathe that he would leave $20M and one of the best franchises in team sports for the Hawks.
Different CBA rules. They will help us retain Josh but will impact our ability to grab a premier UFA from another team.
JSL
November 13th, 2012
2:57 pm
I know you’re trying to get the game story on the website as quickly as possible, but you could at least go back and clean it up later.
Grandad
November 13th, 2012
3:31 pm
Rod f C P -&- Slim the jr
I would rather have this player over that;
I would rather have that player over this;
well,
I would rather have LeBron over Toliver,
so there !
terrell
November 13th, 2012
3:34 pm
Seems weird not seeing Marvin fall about 50 times a game. lol
Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 95, Trail Blazers 87 + More Atlanta Hawks News | US News Page - trending news stories at your fingertipsUS News Page – trending news stories at your fingertips
November 13th, 2012
7:25 pm
[...] Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 95, Trail Blazers 87 Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 95, Trail Blazers 87. 1:53 am November 13, 2012, by Chris Vivlamore. Vivlamore reporting from Portland. The Hawks stole a victory – literally – from the Trail Blazers. The Hawks leaped to an early double-digit lead thanks to 7 … Read more on Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]