Hawks top Clippers for fifth consecutive win
Jeff Teague scored 19 points and dished out 11 assists and an inspired but short-handed bench sparked the Hawks to their fifth consecutive win, a 104-93 victory over the Clippers on Saturday night at Philips Arena.
The Hawks (8-4) outscored the Clippers 34-19 in the third quarter, and their bench, missing two key players, outscored the Clippers’ 20-0 in the first half. It was the Clippers’ (8-5) third consecutive loss and ended their four-game trip.
“It was a really gutsy win for our ball club,” coach Larry Drew said. “I thought the bench did a phenomenal job, not a good job, a phenomenal job in getting us going.”
Lou Williams, one of those bench players, sparked the team in the second with nine points. He finished with 18 of the reserves’ 31 points.
“I was just playing aggressive,” he said. “That’s what I bring to the table, just to be aggressive and try to create as many plays as I can.”
Zaza Pachulia, who started, had his first double-double this season, with 19 points and 12 rebounds, as five Hawks scored at least 10 points. The Hawks will play host to Charlotte on Wednesday and will try to extend their win streak to six.
The Hawks were without guard Devin Harris, whose status is described as day-to-day because of an injured big toe on his left foot. He has averaged 6.2 points per game. They also watched DeShawn Stevenson closely, as Drew said the team normally does when playing the second of back-to-back games. They ended up not needing Stevenson, who has averaged 6.1 points per game.
They were also without Josh Smith for most of the first half after he picked up two fouls in the first 5:18. He and coach Drew had a short but terse exchange as he was subbed out, but the bench carried the team in the second quarter as the Hawks outscored the Clippers 30-17 to take a 51-41 lead into the half. Drew downplayed the severity of their conversation, pointing out that Smith responded in the second half to score all 17 of his points.
“Like I say, when we find our stride we are going to be a pretty good team,” Smith said. “We are starting to gel and everybody’s starting to figure out. We look pretty good.”
The Hawks opened a 27-point lead before the Clippers cut it to 10 behind the sharpshooting of former Hawk Jamal Crawford, with less than seven minutes remaining.
Kyle Korver made a 3-pointer in the corner to stop the run as the Clippers’ comeback ran out of steam.
Drew said the key for the Hawks was to defend the Clippers’ pick-and-roll and match their rugged style, something they failed to do in the second half of their only previous meeting this season, an 89-76 win for L.A.
Drew also said he didn’t want the Hawks to fall in love with jumpers, something they had mostly avoided during the win streak. That didn’t happen early against the Clippers. Only eight of the Hawks’ 21 points came in the free-throw lane in the first quarter, but they trailed by only three, despite the Clippers looking much fresher.
Teague and Williams began attacking more in the second quarter, helping the Hawks roll off a 16-0 run to take a 35-24 lead with less than eight minutes remaining in the half. Pachulia scored five points in the run and Teague added four.
“We were timid in the first quarter,” Teague said. “But Lou came in and made plays and we fed off him.”
– Doug Roberson, AJC
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179 comments Add your comment
sameba
November 25th, 2012
10:14 pm
Mozgov is only one who is -10. Now compare with Koufos who is +34.
sameba
November 25th, 2012
10:15 pm
Sorry, I am mistaken, he was actually -12. So please do not spoil this blog again with his name again…
keith
November 25th, 2012
10:23 pm
I said it yesterday. Mozkov is a scrub. period. No ifs, ands, or buts. i would not want this scrub on my team.
sameba
November 25th, 2012
10:27 pm
JaeEvolution:
You said very good words about him going back to russia, where he belongs…
Buddy Grizzard
November 25th, 2012
10:27 pm
You have to think about what Mozgov’s role would be in Atlanta. It would allow Horford to do less work defensively. And if Mozgov was playing with Atlanta’s starters, they would probably not get outscored in the 8 minutes in which Mozgov got the team 7 extra possessions.
sameba
November 25th, 2012
10:34 pm
With any starters he would not get so many rebounds, if any. And would be fouled out during 1st quarter. There are other, better centers you can have for much less…
JaeEvolution
November 25th, 2012
11:13 pm
I don’t care for defending Mozgov to people who have already written him off without seeing him more than one game…
But for your comment, “There are other, better centers you can have for much less…”
Name a few, I’m waiting.
Melvin
November 25th, 2012
11:30 pm
From Hoopsworld…..
Damion James Disappointed In Debut: Bakersfield Jam forward Damion James is one of the top-ranked prospects in the D-League this season. He was a first-round pick just two years ago and was recently one of the final cuts of the Atlanta Hawks. Most expect James’ stint in the D-League to be short, but he struggled in his first two games and fell drastically short of the expectations he has set for himself.
“Not like I should at all,” James said when assessing his play to HOOPSWORLD. “Not like I should at all, man. I’m disappointed in myself, but it’s not about me, it’s about this team. I have to do better for this team to win. I just have to pick it up to a whole other level. I can take it to a whole other level. I don’t know why I just wasn’t on today. I played okay yesterday and we got the win. I didn’t play good today and we lost and I’m not a happy camper about that.
“Literally rebounding, defense, open shots, penetration, turnovers, assists, I have to do better in everything. I can do all those things and I have to do those things to help this team win and be that guy they can rely on every night. Even if my shot isn’t falling, [I have] to bring offense rebounds, defensive rebounds and defense.”
James averaged 15 points and eight rebounds during the opening weekend. While that’s respectable, it’s the 31 percent shooting from the field, 14 percent from distance and six total turnovers that serve as the source of his frustration.
“Sometimes you just have to leave it in God’s hands,” James said. “I just have to do what I do every day and, if I do that, I’ll be right back where I need to be. These two games weren’t my best performances, but one thing I’ve learned is that there’s always another day. I have to go back at it tomorrow. We’ll get back to Bakersfield, get ready to take off and do a great job.”
One thing that James made clear was that his struggles were on him and not an indication that the fit on the Jam isn’t right.
“It’s a great fit,” James said. “I have a great coach. He allows each and every one of us to play to our strengths. I have to take advantage of that as well. I have to get to the basket more and rebound more. There are a lot of things I have to do better. I’m in a great position. The coach loves me, I love the coach, he loves this team. We have a pretty good team as well. We just have to bring it every day.
“I got a great cast, great supporting cast. Those guys are great. It’s just tough after a loss. You just gotta pick it up, man. There’s no other way to say it. I just have to pick it up, do what I have to do to help this team. Today, I didn’t do that. I’m disappointed in myself, it’s hard for me to stay focused right now. I just have to go home, pray about it and bring it next game.”
James and the Jam will have a chance to bounce back on Dec. 3 and 4 when they host Santa Cruz and Los Angeles.
sameba
November 26th, 2012
12:46 am
I don’t care for defending Mozgov to people who have already written him off without seeing him more than one game…
But for your comment, “There are other, better centers you can have for much less…”
Name a few, I’m waiting.
—————————————————————————————-
First, I saw him many times, not just in one game as you write. Second, I already wrote that I would take e.g. Benson over him any day of the week. And there is a Curry over there who can play for a vet minimum. Anyways, I believe Hawks are not interested in a backup center with a two year contract, rather they want someone who plays on a highest possible level…
sameba
November 26th, 2012
12:48 am
Yes, also there is Fesenko out there, who can also play for a vet. minimum until Hawks can find a legit Center.
vava74
November 26th, 2012
2:31 am
Fesenko has motivational problems. Not a hard worker, frequently passive on the floor.
Is he big? Heck yes. Is he serviceable? Ummm…
Mozgov has similar problems. But he played well for his home country under David Blatt, LD’s new teacher.
I think that, just like Zaza is producing well with our “Euro-ball” type of offence (lots of passes and shooters moving in the perimeter, producing space in the lane) he could deserve a look.
The guy has been rotting at the end of the bench with the exception of two blow out games. It’s only natural that he struggles with fouls when he gets significant day light.
Bigs have a tendency of being slower getting into rhythm.
vava74
November 26th, 2012
2:45 am
On Damion James:
His first regular season game was pretty good. His second pretty bad. For the moment it’s meaningless.
First game’s stats:
D. James F min28:39 FG6-15 3PT0-2 FT6-8 ± -15 Oreb1 Dreb6 REB7 Ast3 PF1 Stl 2 TO3 Blk 2 BA1 Pts 18
JaeEvolution
November 26th, 2012
2:45 am
All of the players listed are stop-gap Center’s who have little to no upside and are out of the league for a reason, I’ll stick with Horford, Zaza and even Petro before looking at them.
“Until Hawks can find a legit Center.”
Here is the list of Center’s that should be the beginning and end of our options next summer. Howard, Bynum, Jefferson, Kaman, Pekovic (RFA), Dalembert, Mozgov (RFA).
Howard, Bynum and Jefferson will be retained for the max by their respective teams. Pekovic will be matched at all costs in Minny. That leaves Dalembert, Kaman, and Mozgov left. Kaman has played well this season and will be a good compliment to Dirk and OJ moving forward so I’m sure Cuban talks him into re-signing. Dalembert has been average in Milwaukee, if he can be had for a discount then perhaps. What makes Mozgov a near perfect option is because Ferry could PP the contract just like Asik in Chi and they’d almost surely have to let him go. He’d be easy on our cap early on and a large trade chip if things don’t work out, but I’m almost positive he’d contribute very good numbers.
Mookie Blaylock
November 26th, 2012
6:02 am
The only way Josh “Jack Taylor” Smith’s ppg numbers would have gone up is if he took a billion more shots a game. I have no clue how game after game, people can watch this guy make a fool of himself attempting to cross people over + beat them off the dribble with his band handles, airball/brick poorly timed jump shots, and still believe he’s a real all star or about to lead ANY TEAM anywhere.
Mookie Blaylock
November 26th, 2012
6:03 am
bad* handles
Move Josh for multiple, more fundamentally sound pieces.
vava74
November 26th, 2012
7:22 am
JaeEvolution
I think that the Jazz will move Jefferson by the trade deadline since I don’t think he is in their long term plans with Favors and Kanter showing promise.
You should check the link I posted yesterday which talks about Jefferson amongst other players as a chucker whose defensive liability is well known in UTA.
The article points out to a lot of pluses, but $$ and unbalanced talent will probably lead Utah to a trade.
Jason S
November 26th, 2012
7:30 am
JaeEvolution
November 26th, 2012
2:45 am
“Here is the list of Center’s that should be the beginning and end of our options next summer. Howard, Bynum, Jefferson, Kaman, Pekovic (RFA), Dalembert, Mozgov (RFA).”
***
If I am not mistaken, Hickson will also be a free agent. I know he has traditionally played PF, but he has been starting at C with some success with the Trailblazers. I would be partial to taking Hickson over Mozgov and probably Dalembert (assuming that there isn’t a big differential in cost between Hickson and Mozgov or Hickson and Dalembert).
W.R. Terrell
November 26th, 2012
7:59 am
The win against the Clippers was a good one. The two fouls on the “Smoove” and he having to leave in the first half may have been the most critical changing point in the game. There was a team chemistry that evolved. I think we should have beaten the Clippers the first game but “I am a superstar” helped blow that one, granted, the “Smoove” hit a big 3 pointer in a moment of need and that will come back to hunt but the HAWKS are finding out they play pretty good without “I am a superstar” Smoove person.
I am looking forward to the Bobcats and Cavaliers and hope there’s no let down. These HAWKS are enjoyable and entertaining. Zsa, Zsa, Al, Kyle, Lou, Devin, Ivan, Stevenson and JT really want to win, it’s not about highlight reels and who has the most points or who’s the SUPERSTAR with this particular group, GO HAWKS!
W.R. Terrell
November 26th, 2012
7:59 am
The win against the Clippers was a good one. The two fouls on the “Smoove” and he having to leave in the first half may have been the most critical changing point in the game. There was a team chemistry that evolved. I think we should have beaten the Clippers the first game but “I am a superstar” helped blow that one, granted, the “Smoove” hit a big 3 pointer in a moment of need and that will come back to hunt but the HAWKS are finding out they play pretty good without “I am a superstar” Smoove person.
I am looking forward to the Bobcats and Cavaliers and hope there’s no let down. These HAWKS are enjoyable and entertaining. Zsa, Zsa, Al, Kyle, Lou, Devin, Ivan, Stevenson and JT really want to win, it’s not about highlight reels and who has the most points or who’s the SUPERSTAR with this particular group, GO HAWKS!
W.R. Terrell
November 26th, 2012
7:59 am
The win against the Clippers was a good one. The two fouls on the “Smoove” and he having to leave in the first half may have been the most critical changing point in the game. There was a team chemistry that evolved. I think we should have beaten the Clippers the first game but “I am a superstar” helped blow that one, granted, the “Smoove” hit a big 3 pointer in a moment of need and that will come back to hunt but the HAWKS are finding out they play pretty good without “I am a superstar” Smoove person.
I am looking forward to the Bobcats and Cavaliers and hope there’s no let down. These HAWKS are enjoyable and entertaining. Zsa, Zsa, Al, Kyle, Lou, Devin, Ivan, Stevenson and JT really want to win, it’s not about highlight reels and who has the most points or who’s the SUPERSTAR with this particular group, GO HAWKS!
ag
November 26th, 2012
8:01 am
keith
November 25th, 2012
4:38 pm
Help Wanted:
Help Wanted: Basketball Player-Shot Blocker-Post Presence-Must be able to block 2-3 shots per game. Must average 10-15 rebounds per game. Points are not a priority, 15 or higher preffered. Must be a defensive presence. Weak or soft basketball players need not apply. See AtlantaHawks.com for further details.
So Keith is looking for a center who will average 15/15 and block 2-3 shots……
1 There is no center who averages 15 rebounds. Anderson Varejao does average 14.1 rebounds and averages 14.0 ppg. Yet he averages .03 block per game – better yet he blocks a shot only by mistake.
2. Howard gives you 10.6, but also gives you 18 ppg and 2.7 blocks. I am sure the Hawks want him, but does he want the Hawks?
3 Brooks Lopez averages 19 ppg and 2.5 blocks, but only grabs 6.2 rebounds. He also just signed a long term contract to stay a Net. (Why didn’t Orlando trade for this guy?)
4. Marcin Gortat, who is upset with the Sunds, averages 11.9 ppg and 9.1 rpg. He also blocks 2.43 shots. He may available, but do we want him?
5. Larry Sanders does block 2.27 per game, but only averages 8.1 ppg and 7 rebounds.
Like I have blogged before, the golden era of centers are over. There is no David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, or Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s walking through the door. Unless you create a guy on play station, your want ad will never be filled.
Buddy Grizzard
November 26th, 2012
8:24 am
“There is no guile to Dwane Casey, no disingenuous side at all. He is supremely confident in himself and his decisions. He does what he thinks is best, and he doesn’t really concern himself with what people think. Those are important characteristics for any professional coach. He cannot bend to the will of anyone but himself, and Casey is never going to give you anything but an honest answer to a legitimate question.”
http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/article/1292820–toronto-raptors-lose-to-san-antonio-spurs-in-double-overtime
Buddy Grizzard
November 26th, 2012
8:27 am
“Name a few I’m waiting.”
Me too… already went through the free agent list and didn’t find any pending free agent centers who might sign for bargain contracts.
Buddy Grizzard
November 26th, 2012
8:30 am
Good eye Melvin, google news not doing me any favors on Damion updates.
Buddy Grizzard
November 26th, 2012
8:39 am
“He’d be easy on our cap early on”
On a poison pill contract, the team offering the contract doesn’t have to make the balloon payment at the end. Houston will pay Lin and Asik the average of their total contract each year. Only a team that matches a poison pill has to pay the salary year by year as its written in the offer.
Rim Rocker
November 26th, 2012
8:55 am
We need Joe Johnson back. Should have traded Josh Smith & kept JJ. Josh is most inconsistent player in NBA.
Rim Rocker
November 26th, 2012
9:06 am
Louis Williams should be a starter.
Sam
November 26th, 2012
9:18 am
By the way, that was not the real “Sam” on the first page… I know no one would ever trade for Petro willingly.
Melvin
November 26th, 2012
10:48 am
Astro,
When Teague was being interviewed on NBATV, he said he told his brother to “treat practice like it was a game”. I said to myself, I knew you were somewhere smiling if you saw his interview…