The AP reports: Mike Bibby scored 21 points and buried Los Angeles with his improbable 3, leading the Atlanta Hawks to an 86-76 victory in which they took advantage of an ailing Bryant and dropped the Lakers farther behind Cleveland in the race for the NBA’s best overall record… The Lakers secured the top seed in the Western Conference with a five-game winning streak, but Bryant had just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting. He missed the morning meal and film session because of an upset stomach, then had his second straight subpar game… Pau Gasol was the only other Los Angeles player in double figures, leading with 21 points, as the Lakers made just 35 percent (28 of 80) from the field… Zaza Pachulia had 11 points and 13 rebounds, leading a strong effort by the thin Hawks bench.
Category: Atlanta Hawks Blog
Atlanta Hawks blog
Davis has 19 points as Celtics beat Hawks 99-93
The AP reports: With Kevin Garnett watching, Glen Davis helped keep the Boston Celtics hustling and winning. Davis, who moved into the starting lineup as Garnett was held out with a sore knee, had 19 points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds to lead the Celtics past the Atlanta Hawks 99-93 on Friday night. Ray Allen led Boston with 22 points and Paul Pierce had 21, but Davis was the key while filling in for Garnett. Boston coach Doc Rivers said his team won with “mental toughness.”
NBA rule change on too many players on court
The NBA Board of Governors voted to approve a playing rules change in regards to “too many players on the court”, which will take effect beginning Friday, March 27.
Under the playing rules change, when a “too many players on the court” violation is called, a technical foul will be assessed against the offending team and the non-offending team will have the option of either accepting or nullifying the game action that occurred during the violation.
Option 1 — Accept Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to ACCEPT all play that occurred during the violation, including any points scored, with no adjustment of the game clock.
Option 2 — Nullify Game Action
The non-offending team can opt to NULLIFY all play that occurred during the violation, other than any acts of unsportsmanlike conduct or flagrant fouls or any points scored from free throws as a result of such actions.
Under this option, following the technical foul, the game clock would be reset to the time when the ball was put into play with too many players on the court and, depending on how the ball was originally put into play, play would resume in accordance with the following:
1) If the original play commenced with a throw-in, then the ball would be returned to the original throw-in spot and play commenced with a throw-in.
2) If the original play commenced with a missed free-throw attempt where the ball remained in play, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at center court between any two players who were on the floor at the time play was suspended due to the violation.
3) If the original play commenced with a jump ball, then play would be commenced with a jump ball held at the original jump-ball spot between the same two players who participated in the original jump ball.
Parker has 42, Spurs beat Hawks 102-92
The AP reports: Tony Parker spent the past month scoring big to compensate for the absence of Manu Ginobili. With Ginobili back, Parker picked up his scoring even more to help the San Antonio Spurs win without Tim Duncan. Parker scored 42 points and the Spurs ended Atlanta’s eight-game home winning streak with a 102-92 victory on Wednesday night… Joe Johnson had 30 points, including Atlanta’s first 11 points of the fourth quarter, but he had too little help as the Hawks suffered their first loss at Philips Arena since March 1… Ginobili had two points in 13 minutes as he returned in a limited role after missing 19 games with a right ankle injury. Roger Mason had 18 points and Michael Finley added 13 for the Spurs.
Murray scores 30 as Hawks top Timberwolves
The AP reports: Flip Murray scored a season-best 30 points, and Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson each added 20 as the Atlanta Hawks won their season-high eighth straight home game, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-97 on Monday night. It was Atlanta’s eighth win in nine games and the Hawks are 28-7 at Philips Arena. It was the fifth straight loss for the Timberwolves… Al Horford added 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks. Bibby, who hit on nine of his first 10 shots, finished nine-of-13. He also had nine assists. Randy Foye led Minnesota with 19 points, while Kevin Love added 17.
Cavs win 8th straight, beat Hawks 102-96
The AP reports: LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 24-point lead early in the second period in winning their eighth straight game, 102-96 over the Hawks. “That’s what we wanted to do,” said James, who scored 22 points as the Cavaliers upped their home record to 32-1. “We wanted to first protect home court like we’ve been able to do. We had a lot of energy.” … Mo Williams led the Cavaliers (56-13) with 24 points. He was 8-for-14 from the field, including 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, and made all five of his foul shots… Joe Johnson led Atlanta with 24 points, while Flip Murray added 22. Maurice Evans scored 15. The Hawks have lost three straight road games and are 14-22 away from home.
Murray shines off bench, Hawks beat Mavs 95-87
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 24 points, and reserve Flip Murray had 19 in the Atlanta Hawks’ seventh straight victory, 95-87 over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night… Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 points and 12 rebounds, but he and Terry combined to go just 2-for-10 in the fourth quarter. The Mavs finished 6-for-31 on 3-point attempts, including a combined 0-for-8 in the final period from Terry and Jason Kidd… Dallas was without two starters, swingman Josh Howard, who has a sore left ankle, and forward Erick Dampier, who has a swollen left knee and missed his first game of the season.
Hawks streak at 6 after 119-97 win over Kings
The AP reports: Al Horford had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Josh Smith finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Atlanta’s sixth straight victory, 119-97 over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night… Kevin Martin scored 31 for Sacramento, which fell to 0-27 against teams from the East and extended its losing streak to four. The Kings have dropped four straight and 13 of 14 away from California, where they are 4-30 this season… Joe Johnson finished with 20 points for the Hawks, ending his four-game stretch of 30 or more after missing his first eight attempts from the field and finishing 8-for-21.
Johnson scores 35, Hawks beat Blazers 98-80
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 35 points, Josh Smith had 19 points and eight rebounds, and the Hawks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 98-80 on Sunday for their fifth consecutive victory… Brandon Roy finished with 29 points for the Blazers, who have lost two of three. Portland dropped a half-game behind Denver for the Northwest Division lead and fell out of a three-way tie with the Nuggets and New Orleans Hornets for fourth place in the Western Conference… LaMarcus Aldridge had 13 of his 19 points in the third for Portland, which had won three straight and 12 of 13 against Atlanta.
Johnson scores 30 as Hawks beat Pacers 101-87
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 30 points for the third straight game, and Al Horford finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds in the Hawks’ fourth straight victory, 101-87 over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. Improving to 24-7 at home, Atlanta increased its lead over fifth-place Miami to two games in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks’ 38 wins are one more than their total from last season, when they advanced to the playoffs for the first time in nine years… T.J. Ford, who scored Indiana’s last 14 points, finished with 29. Troy Murphy pulled down 14 rebounds—all defensive—for the Pacers, who have lost two straight and three of four.