Atlanta Hawks: Hawks 126, Pistons 119 2OT (updated)
Vivlamore reporting.
A 22-point fourth-quarter lead was not big enough.
The Hawks needed nine points in double overtime from Jeff Teague for a 126-119 victory over the Pistons Wednesday night at Philips Arena. The Hawks nearly gift-wrapped and gave away a game they dominated for three and a half quarters.
The Pistons erased the huge Hawks’ lead as the final comeback points coming on Austin Daye’s 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation. Al Horford hit the first of two free throws to tie the score at 101-101 with 1.8 seconds left and force overtime.
The Pistons got five points from Will Bynum in the first overtime but the Hawks answered with a 3-pointer by Lou Williams and a basket by Horford.
“It wasn’t as much as what they were doing as what we were doing,” coach Larry Drew said. “We got a little complacent. We started playing the lead. We stopped executing. Defensively, as good as we were in the first half, we were just as bad in the second half. We had defensive breakdowns. We had too many lapses. We were leaving 3-point shooters. Our coverages weren’t as sharp as they were in the first half. Once (the lead got cut) to 10, I could see our guys looking at the scoreboard.”
Teague gave the Hawks the lead for good, 113-112, on a 3-pointer with 2:46 remaining in the second overtime. He added a steal and two free throws after a clear-path foul, a layup and two more free throws. The Hawks also got five points from Kyle Korver, including a big 3-pointer, and four points from Williams in the second overtime.
Teague said he was eager to make amends for a fourth-quarter defensive lapse on the Pistons’ Will Bynum.
“I was just trying to be aggressive,” Teague said. “I felt like I was the reason the lead was cut, that play when Bynum made that play at half-court, stole the ball and got the and-one layup (with 8:22 remaining that cut the Hawks’ lead to 89-74). That switched the momentum. I know we were up by 15 (points) but I thought that really got them going. When I got an opportunity to get back on the floor I just wanted to make the most of it.
The Hawks jumped to their commanding lead thanks to Josh Smith.
First-quarter score: Smith 14, Pistons 12.
The Hawks star forward outscored the entire Pistons team in the opening period. Add the rest of Smith’s teammates and the Hawks held a 15-point advantage after just 12 minutes. It was not enough.
Smith finished with 31 points, the most by a Hawks player this season and seven off his career-high (38 at Milwaukee, Nov. 17, 2007). It was Smith’s first 30-point game, and 18th of his career, since he scored 34 at Philadelphia on March 31. Smith added 10 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
“I was being aggressive,” Smith said. “I was just trying to get the energy up of our players. I started off early with it.”
The Hawks (17-9) won their second straight and kept a firm hold on third place in the Eastern Conference. It was their third straight win over the Pistons and ninth straight at Philips Arena.
The Hawks also got double-figure scoring from Horford (22), Williams (18), Teague (17) and Anthony Morrow (16). Morrow scored seven of his points in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons (9-22) had a two-game win streak snapped and have won only three road games all season. The Pistons have losing streaks of eight (to start the season) and six games.
The Pistons were led by Bynum with 31 points. He was part of 85 bench-points from the Pistons. Bynum made 4-of-6 3-pointers after entering the game with three from long range all season.
The Hawks were nearly done in by their free-throw shooting. After making the first nine, the Hawks made just six of their next 14. They did ice the game by making all eight free throws in double overtime.
“It hasn’t caught up to us yet where we’ve lost the game but if we don’t start making our free throws, particularly in crunch-time situations, we can be in that situation very easily,” Drew said.
Smith finished with 21 first-half points, five rebounds, an assist and a block. Smith shot 9 for 12, including a making a 3-point attempt. The point total was the most in a half by a Hawk player this season.
The Hawks built the early lead with first-quarter runs of 9-1 and 13-0. During the later run, which increased the Hawks’ lead to 16 points at 26-10, the Pistons went a full five minutes without scoring. They missed eight straight shots during the ice-cold stretch.
The Pistons closed to within four points at halftime, 50-45, as they doubled their shooting percentage from 25 to 50 percent.
However, the Hawks pushed the lead back to 19 points, 81-62, at the end of the third quarter. The lead grew to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Pistons cut into the lead with six 3-pointers in the final quarter, setting up the late-game dramatics.
“I’m just glad we won,” Horford said. “I know it didn’t go the way we wanted but I’m just glad we got this win.”
- Chris Vivlamore
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145 comments Add your comment
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
12:28 pm
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:15 pm
^^^^^4th Qtr breakdown= 0-9 with Multiple air-balls…
Desperation it became.
****************
Patience Jr Slim. Patience.
I’m getting to the 4th quarter in about 20 minutes.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:34 pm
Yes Sir!^^^^^^^^
hahahahahaha
falCans
December 27th, 2012
12:37 pm
@ NoerthCyde… Now you KNOW LD sets put Smoove on the perimeter. Its clear when the play calls for Smoove in a post. We need more set plays called for Smoove on the post. Im not debating whether or not Smove likes to play on the perimeter Im sayin it ultimately falls o LD not putting Smoove in the best position to maximize production…… or is he??
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
12:42 pm
Wish LD would put ZaZa in as a starter for now with DH injured. We are just so small from 5-2 with are starting line. Lack rebounding and defense. Ivan only got 10 mins last night…..C’mon Man!
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
12:42 pm
LW played 48 minutes,JT played 36 . In the 4th quarter LW played most of the quarter at pg. without the overtime JT would have only played 26 minutes. JT had a plus 16 for the game. Again it is LD’s decision to play LW at pg & leave JT on the bench.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:47 pm
Teague should have played at least 45-50mins..
Would not have taken two OT’s….
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
12:49 pm
The hawks need JT to play big min,even when he is not shooting much,he team plays so much better with him as the PG but I guess LD doesn’t see that or he thinks that JT is old & his body will not stand up to it sort of how he played mcgrady ha ha.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:49 pm
Ivan should have played at least 25-30 mins.
Would not have taken two OT’s.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:52 pm
MEMO TO LARRY:
YOUR PT. GUARD AT 6′2″ IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST MEN ON YOUR TEAM AS WELL AS YOUNGEST. DON’T LET HIS SIZE FOOL YOU..
KNOW YOUR PERSONNEL!!!!!!!!
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
12:53 pm
Josh needs to watch Melo’s interview leading up to Lakers game, and how he has turned it up a notch in all phases of his game. “Hustle” is contagious, Hawks need more hustle players……..hence why I like Big Ivan.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
12:54 pm
U guys are a trip!! To be honest, I dont care how many OT’s we would have needed..im just happy that we were able to pull this win out! Just because we lost a pretty decent lead doesnt mean we are garbage for letting it happen. Heck, Miami gave up a pretty good lead to the lowly Bobcats as well, BUT they were STILL able to pull out the WIN!! Im so very proud of my Hawks for being in 3rd place NO MATTER WHAT OUR SCHEDULE LOOKS LIKES!! Vava74 is soooo very negative, it aint even funny!! I dont even feel like finding his comments about how the Hawks BASICALLY doesnt deserve the wins that we have….the lame excuses he has for OKC and MEM is just flat out silly!! Im confused that he would even say he would be more intrigued if we win against the Heat, Boston, NY, and Nets AFTER giving the excuses he gave for OKC, Clippers, MEM, and the Pacers..I mean really? So what, if we DO beat them, WHAT excuses are u gonna give Boston?? What, Rondo got ejected, thats the reason we won..or the reason we beat the Heat cause Wade twisted an ankle and left the game???? Or what if we beat New—YORK?? Is it cause it was toward the end of the season and they wanted to rest Melo???????????????????? For real???? WOW!! Vava74, u are definitely a trip!!
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
12:54 pm
Or maybe he don’t like JT,ha ha. He LD said for the first time in his life good things about JT after the last game & then treats him like a scrub in the next game,well I guess that is just being LD ha ha.,sort of like he treats Ivan ha ha.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
12:55 pm
JOSH DOES NOT NEED TO WATCH MELO..IT WILL SCREW HIM UP EVEN WORSE..
COMPARISON= APPLES AND BOXCARS….
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
12:58 pm
Lou is not a PG. at all. I know Devin isnt playing, but as soon as Teague comes out and Lou plays point, ball movement stops, and the D knows where the shots are coming from. Dont get me wrong, Lou is our Hired Gun and shooting is what he does, but i think LD has to stop taking Teague out so soon.
cp
December 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
Cousins is a knuckle head but I think the losing is really frustrating him. I think he would act a lot better if he was on a winning team. I would take a chance on hm but what would the Hawks have to give up?
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
3RD QUARTER
- 10:26 . . . Josh receives a pass from Teague on the left side, and the Hawks clear it out for him to go ISO vs Maxiell. For some strange reason, Maxiell overplays Josh’s right side. Josh makes an aggressive attacking dribble with his left hand and goes in for the dunk. He froze Jason in his tracks.
- 9:10 . . . Teague does a probing dribble toward the FT line, but stops and hands the ball off to Josh. Josh immediately attacks Maxiell again, going aggressive to the rim and making a tough lay-up with Jason all over him. Josh has 25 points now, on what has to be his best offensive game of his career.
- 6:40 . . . Lou and Josh run a pick and roll at the top of the key. As Lou aggressively drives down the right side of the lane, Josh does a “pop” and goes to the right side of the FT line. Lou finds an open Josh from about 20 feet, but Josh misses the jumper. He shot it short.
- 5:43 . . . A long rebound off of a 3 point miss falls to Lou Williams. He, along with Josh, push the ball down the Pistons throats. Lou holds the ball to the very last minute, before delivering an easy pass to Josh for the dunk. Yet another transition type of score for Josh in this game.
- 5:07 . . . After dribbling down the left side and acting like he was going to the rim, Teague decides to pull the ball out back behind the 3 point line to set up a play. At that moment, he sees Josh drifting into the lane. Teague delivers a good bounce pass to Josh, who immediately shoots a lefty hook that goes in. 29 points for Josh now. Standing ovation for Josh for this performance so far in this game. But unfortunately, this will be the last FG that he makes in this game.
- 4:27 . . . On almost the same identical play, Teague finds a cutting Josh in the lane as Teague was pulling the ball out. This time, the Pistons foul him. Josh makes 1 of 2 at the line. 30 points for Mr. Smith
- 2:47 . . . Teague attempts to throw a lob to Josh, who made a good spin move to roll to the basket. Teague’s pass was a little off, and Josh couldn’t control it enough to make the lay-up.
*******************
Josh’s dream game ends now. And the nightmare begins. Too bad too, because this game could’ve gone down as one of his best performances ever.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
1:01 pm
SCOTTIE SHIELDS UP AT MAXIMUM STRENGTH: WEAPONS FULLY ARMED!!!
AYE CAPTAIN!!!!!!!!!!
Irishmafia116
December 27th, 2012
1:02 pm
Last night a perfect example on why Smith will never be an ALL Star-knucklhead plays all night, awful shot selection, failure to deliver in the clutch, lack of hustle and defense. Coaches and fans look at this and wonder “what is he thinking”. therein lies the problem -lack of capacity to think at all! IQ =scoring avg
cp
December 27th, 2012
1:02 pm
@Swingman. Many of us have been complaining about that much of the year but I doubt LD stops playing Lou at the point. He is making the same mistake with Lou that he did with Jamal. Neither are pg’s but guys who can get you buckets. When you ask them to initiate the offense the ball movement stops and the offense looks terrible. It happened again last night with Lou in the 4th. I know he doesnt have many options since Devin is hurt but he was doing the same thing when Devin was healthy.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
1:03 pm
” But unfortunately, this will be the last FG that he makes in this game. ”
DAY YUM
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:05 pm
I agree with MsDee’s post. You play whatever your schedule says you play. It’s been plenty of years in which I believed the league purposely gave us a very difficult schedule to start the season to take us out of the mix. So if they want to give us an easy schedule to start the year, fine by me.
Maybe the early season wins will give the Hawks confidence later on in the year to consistently beat the better teams.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:07 pm
@mgm
“It’s hard to really get into this team or any basketball team if your in city that you know won’t win in the playoffs. Every year the NBA has 4 maybe 5 legitimate contenders for the title (sometimes less) and the rest are just playing games. This Hawks team has no shot in the playoffs. When the playoffs start, game slows down, defense and smart play kick in, especially in the 4th qtr, and this team has no go to guy. Josh, cmon man, he is a in the flow of the game scorer and a huge liability at the ft line. Al, not a superstar at all. Good and effective but his scoring is not his best attribute. The point guard still alludes this team. The one position they’ve needed to solidify for years and still haven’t done it. Games are entertaining but who are we kidding. This team is no where near a contender. Just another regular season fun fest.”
AND? No one said this team, THIS SEASON was built to be champions!! BUT for us to be 3rd place with basically a WHOLE NEW CREW, I give my props!! Also, we FINALLY have a GM who have put us in a great position next season to build a championship level team together. With Dwight getting more and more frustrated with the amount of touches he is getting with the Lakers, I wouldnt be surprise if he does bounce next season. Also, the Hawks are missing Devin, who was finally getting his groove back and Korver. Yep, Korver. I know he is a very proud father, but ever since he went out with back spasm and with the birth of his child, he hasnt been the same. So, with those 2 key guys missing, we are still able to pull these close games out. Could Drew do better with Ivan min? Morrow min? Of course, but there is just nothing us fans can do about that cause Drew still find ways to be in 3rd place so far this season!!
vava74
December 27th, 2012
1:09 pm
Avery Johnson got canned!!!
ATMAN
December 27th, 2012
1:09 pm
Slim, Josh needs to listen to Melo’s inward look at getting better. No Josh doesn’t need to try and duplicate Melo’s offense, but wanting to be a shut down defender, hustle and diving for loose balls, rebounding……….Josh does need to do and the team will respond as they see this. I don’t mean to be hard on Josh, but you just don’t want to see talent like his not reach its full potential.
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:10 pm
Hasn’t any one on the blog though that JUSTMAYBE JT inconsistent performances have something to do with what LD is telling him ,it seems sometimes he is not at all looking to score but to keep our so called great players happy & then seems very aggressive. We have seen him step up scoring points one game & then hardly shooting next game. Even when he plays real good one game ,the next game he will be the first one benched & often get inconsistent minutes,like DH or LW is playing great pg,oh I forget LD needs to rest him for something,HA HA.
KevinM
December 27th, 2012
1:12 pm
“cp
December 27th, 2012
12:59 pm
Cousins is a knuckle head but I think the losing is really frustrating him. I think he would act a lot better if he was on a winning team. I would take a chance on hm but what would the Hawks have to give up?”
You have to see what it would take for Sac to move him. They have him as their franchise guy, but it’s not working for them. He needs an Adelman or a McHale type of coach to get him to quit being a distraction.
It might take JT & Horford to get Cousins, but I would have to consider that option. Cousins is potential top talent. He needs a coach that guides him though. You think Smart is trying to bully him, a la Bobby Knight?
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:12 pm
BREAKING NEWS: Oh wow . . . the Nets just fired Avery Johnson. Deron must be happy now. So who do they bring in? PJ Carleismo is the intereim coach. Wow . . can’t believe he got fired this early
Damn JJ . . you got Avery fired with that performance last night.
vava74
December 27th, 2012
1:12 pm
By the way, it seems a pretty stupid move by the Nets…
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:13 pm
Oh and we are not JUST IN 3rd place behind the 2 best teams in the east, WE ARE ONLY 3 GAMES BEHIND!! GO HAWKS!!
doc
December 27th, 2012
1:14 pm
duluth good points
this goes back to when i said players were trashing lin unneedlessly and it struck of reasons other than lin’s basketball talents. i was surprised at two players in particular being so out spoken. i have never heard one speak down to anyone’s contract as they did lin’s. it struck of petty jealousy or racist overtones and said do. najeh begged to differ and said his point if he was to make 8 mil then he needs to perfom like it. i asked him what 8 mil looked like and he gave conley ’s name as a reference point. lin measures up extremely well to that standard but najeh still wants to add, well if he does this or this then ok. it us as if i said lbj isnt the king unless he wins it again and again to really prove he is a winner.
of course it doesnt work that way in sports as players are not paid based solely on performance. to the contrary it has nothing to do with it. again most guys say glad he got his. with lin it wasnt that at all though as i pointed out and you did as well without lin in the mix last year the knicks might not have gotten into the playoffs and they might never have hired woody and only elected to blow it up. that was also discussed as possible. they might owe lin a lot.
meanwhile houston continues to roll with him as part of the rotation. not bad for the guy.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:14 pm
I knew Avery Johnson wasnt gonna last..his voice alone would cause u to lose a game!!
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
1:16 pm
@MsDee,
I cant argue with 3rd place, especially when i chalked this up as a rebuilding year before the season. A lot of ppl are complaining on here, but a lot ppl see this team assembled actually can win games. But overall, i do have to say i’m pleasantly surprised with the way this team has learned to play together so quickly. SALUTE.
RaJaH
December 27th, 2012
1:17 pm
Guess I need to catch up on The Association on NBA TV.
MsDee
December 27th, 2012
1:20 pm
Gery Woelfel: I’m hearing Avery Johnson and Deron Williams aren’t seeing eye to eye. I’ll bet Jerry Sloan will be shocked to hear that. Twitter @GeryWoelfel
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:20 pm
Trade al & JT for Cousins, who then would play PG,Harris who seems to be like KH a little bit over the hill & always seems to be injured or maybe LW who some think is a PG.
ag
December 27th, 2012
1:21 pm
Irishmafia116 – Josh had a great game. Although he missed his last eight shots, I would say all were good shots. He even took a clutch 3 to ice the game – HE WAS WIDE OPEN!!!!. He shot the money ball and missed. He had the courage to shoot that shot. After he missed that shot, he may have missed only one more during the two overtime periods, and that was a post up that went in and out. He focused on rebounding and assist during the OT’s.
The real problem tonight was Korver. He was off, but LD kept him in the game. Morrow finished with 16 and was 6-10. Korver did finally hit a big shot.
Slimjr
December 27th, 2012
1:21 pm
Cousins is more skilled offensively than any of the Hawks Bigs..Maybe he just needs a change of zip codes? hmmmmm
Lin is the real deal!! Enjoy watching him play basketball.. Fundamentally sound with an excellent jumper and passing skills too boot from Harvard University. Jealousy is the operating emotion surrounding him is my take too doc..Why? hmmmmmm
Rusty
December 27th, 2012
1:26 pm
Lin has a knack of easily getting to the hoop & a great ability to making his teammates better. He is really a baby in this league hasn’t really played a full season.his upside is yet to come.
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:30 pm
(( sigh )) 4TH QUARTER
- 6:18 . . . Deshawn passes the ball to Smith, who has his heels on the 3 point line. Instead of catching the ball and attacking Charlie V ( like he was doing Jason Maxiell ), he immediately takes a long 22 footer with about 9 seconds on the shot clock. Even though Horford grabs the offensive rebound, this would represent Josh’s first real bad shot of the game.
- 5:23 . . . The Hawks run a post up for Josh when Horford dumps the ball down to him. He tries to take Charlie V off the dribble and shoots a hook shot in the lane, but the shot doesn’t fall.
- 1:48 . . . After getting an offensive rebound off of a missed 3 by Korver, Josh goes up strong, misses the shot, but draws the foul. He goes 1 – 2 from the FT line, but the lead is now down to 8.
- 0:57 . . Teague and Horford run pick and roll at the top of the key. As Teague looked to possibly go down the right side of the lane, he has three options. 1) keep the ball and try to score himself . . 2) Pass the ball to Horford, who stayed at the FT line. 3) Pass the ball to Josh, who is behind the 3 point line. Teague chooses option 3 and passes to Josh with 6 seconds on the shot clock. Charlie V immediately fouls Josh who goes to the FT line. Clank 1 . . . Clank 2 . . . and the lead stays a 4.
- 0:23 . . With the Hawks only up by 2, the Hawks go 1 – 4, and clear everything out for Teague. Horford fakes the pick and drifts back into the lane. Teague takes his man off the dribble and goes toward the lane. Charlie V fronts Zaza, which leaves Josh wide open for a 3 in the corner.
Teague sees Josh open and throws him the ball with 5 seconds left on the shot clock. Josh shoots . . . airball.
*****************************
Teague has said in the past that he has confidence that Josh can make that shot in critical situations. So he DID make the correct play and got it to the open man. Now whether it was the best scoring play, that’s up for discussion. it’s just sad to see things unravel offensively for Josh in that quarter. And it would continue in the OT.
doc
December 27th, 2012
1:33 pm
well as i have said before it is about to get ugly in brooklyn.
all the smiles are now gone.
northcyde
December 27th, 2012
1:33 pm
Chris Broussard said that the Nets locker room was divided. Guys like JJ, Stackhouse, and Gerald Wallace ( arguably their best player so far this year ), had Avery’s back. Other guys didn’t ( probably guys like Marshon Brooks, Kris Humphries, and possibly Deron ).
I think the one change the Nets could do, is give Marshon more playing time. He can’t play defense worth a damn, but he does represent an offensive threat that could help them when things get stagnant for that team.
I don’t know if PJ is the answer at coach though. They better talk to Phil Jackson or somebody.
High-sider
December 27th, 2012
1:42 pm
northcyde is giving a play-by-play breakdown of Josh Smith’s plays/points from last night’s game vs. the Pistons and Hawk(s)Fan says I have a problem with “excess”? Wow!
I ain’t mad at cha, northcyde; go on wit’ cha bad self. [sic]
Duluth Joe
December 27th, 2012
1:43 pm
Rusty, I agree, it is not time to give up on Teague. Can’t include him in a trade. He is our only young point guard, still more to learn, only his second year really playing. He will make mistakes, but he still has room to grow.
I agree with CP and Steve W. Try a trade. Either Josh or Al for Cousins. I would offer Al, as I believe Josh is more dynamic on both ends, and he is the hometown star. That balances the team.
Cousins is a head case. But his issues are SO FAR limited to the basketball court. As long as he has no problem outside the team (with the law), he can be managed. His youth is getting best of him.
Is it risky? Absolutely. But in the same way that Denver took a risk on JaVale by trading a known solid player in Nene. This is a worthwhile risk. I also think Larry Drew is the right coach for him. While we can complain about coaches, Drew treats men like men, doesn’t talk about locker room issues in public, and has for most parts, had a good relationship with Josh who is not always the easiest one to deal with.
Swingman912
December 27th, 2012
1:44 pm
The divide with the Nets came when they made the trade for Joe. Two ball dominating players like Joe and Deron arent mixing well at all. Deron is used to running the show. Give him the ball and he initiates the offense, which has been centered around him during his time with the Nets…Enter Joe Johnson who (we ALL as Hawks fans know) stops ball movement once it touches his hands, and though he is a decent 1 on 1 offensive player, he kills shot clocks dribbling. Combine that with a system that gives players freedom on offense to run a few screens and just take the best shot, there is no chemistry. Deron isnt the Alpha Dog so he’s upset. Joe is just Joe. Brook Lopez maybe thier most consistent scorer, but his touches are limited by his other teamates. And then Marshon Brooks, who probably should be starter, but he dominates the ball as well, and plays little D…
Duluth Joe
December 27th, 2012
1:44 pm
Doc, Thank-you for this history. I agree with you about Lin.
I find Najeh insightful and precise, Disagree with him on this case