The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Sekou Smith) reports: Hawks forward Marvin Williams will not undergo surgery on his injured lower back and could play again this season. Williams said he will undergo weeks of intensive rehabilitation after being examined by specialists at Duke University Wednesday. He wants to return before the Hawks wrap up the regular season April 15.
Category: Atlanta Hawks Blog
Atlanta Hawks blog
Hawks end Utah’s 12-game winning streak, 100-93
The AP reports: Deron Williams knew the Jazz wouldn’t go unbeaten through the end of the regular season. Even so, Utah’s star point guard wished his team had given itself a better chance against the Hawks to extend its winning streak to 13 games… Joe Johnson scored 31 points and Josh Smith had 22 points and 12 rebounds to help the Atlanta Hawks end Utah’s 12-game winning streak with a 100-93 victory Wednesday night… Flip Murray scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Hawks. Smith ended the scoring with a pair of free throws with 24.3 seconds remaining.
Johnson scores 30, Hawks beat Hornets 89-79
The AP reports: Joe Johnson showed he’s willing to step up if the Atlanta Hawks will be without Marvin Williams for a significant period of time. Johnson scored 30 points and the Hawks beat New Orleans 89-79 on Monday night, ending the Hornets’ season-best seven-game winning streak… Josh Smith had 13 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta, while Flip Murray had 14 points and Bibby added 10… Chris Paul had 24 points and 10 assists and David West also had a double-double with 16 points and 20 rebounds for New Orleans. Rasual Butler added 18 points for the Hornets.
Josh Smith and Mike Woodson have issues
There were rumors in the past that Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith and coach Mike Woodson have a bit of a problem. Nothing crazy, but things flare up every now and then. That’s become clear recently, especially Friday in Charlotte.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Sekou Smith) reports:
And Hawks coach Mike Woodson benched starting power forward Josh Smith after halftime, the result of a heated disagreement between the two in the locker room during the break. Smith refused to comment after the game, and Woodson said it was a “coach’s decision” and that Smith’s status for tonight’s game against Detroit would be determined later. “That was coach’s call,” Hawks captain Joe Johnson said. “This is coach’s team. Whoever he wants to play plays, and if he doesn’t want you to play, you don’t play.” … “Josh played well in the first half,” Mo Evans said. “It didn’t have nothing to do with his basketball playing abilities. It’s the off-the-court, internal stuff that causes all the drama.”
Bobcats beat Hawks 98-91 for 5th straight win
The AP reports: The Charlotte Bobcats are playing their best basketball of their brief history. The Atlanta Hawks are floundering, bickering and perhaps on the verge of collapse. Two teams going in vastly different directions were on display Friday night, with the Bobcats getting 21 points from Gerald Wallace and using a near-perfect first quarter to build a big lead and beat the dysfunctional Hawks 98-91 for their franchise record-tying fifth straight victory… Emeka Okafor added 17 points and 11 rebounds, Raymond Felton had 17 points and 10 assists, and Boris Diaw had 13 points and 13 assists as the fifth-year Bobcats matched their longest win streak set late last season—when they were long out of the postseason picture… Al Horford scored 15 points for the Hawks, who fell behind 36-21 after the first quarter, and saw their lead over Miami for in the race for home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs sliced to a half-game.
Hughes, Gallinari lead Knicks over Hawks 109-105
The AP reports: Larry Hughes scored 23 points to continue his turnaround from a rocky start with his new team, and the Knicks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 109-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night… Al Harrington had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Danilo Gallinari scored a career-high 17 points for New York, which got March off to a good start after a 3-10 February that damaged its hopes of making the playoffs in D’Antoni’s first season. Wilson Chandler finished with 18 points, and David Lee had 13 points and 14 rebounds for his 24th straight double-double… Al Horford had 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Hawks, who are trying to hold off Miami and Detroit for fourth place in the East but lost for the fifth time in seven games. Joe Johnson scored 18 points, Marvin Williams 17 and Josh Smith 16 as Atlanta’s lead over the Heat dropped to 1 1/2 games for home-court advantage in the first round.
Hawks overcome flight delays, beat Wizards 98-89
The AP reports: Marvin Williams scored 28 points, Horford added 16, and Joe Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Hawks completed a 4-0 season sweep of the Wizards. Atlanta was in need of a slump-busting win, having lost five of seven after Sunday night’s 88-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a game decided on a free throw by LeBron James with 1.6 seconds left… Antawn Jamison scored 23 points for the Wizards, whose talent level took another plunge when Caron Butler was scratched with tightness in his left hamstring. Washington fell to 0-13 against the Southeast Division, just three games away from becoming the first NBA team to go winless within its division.
Key LeBron free throws, Cavs beat Hawks 88-87
The AP reports: LeBron James scored 26 points, including the winning free throw with 1.6 seconds left, and the Cleveland Cavaliers won for the seventh time in eight games, 88-87 over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night… Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points… Mo Williams had 20 points for the Cleveland, while Zydrunas Ilgauskas had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Hawks had five players in double figures, including Murray and Marvin Williams with 14 apiece.
Horford double-double, Hawks beat Heat 91-83
The AP reports: Al Horford had 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds and Joe Johnson scored 24 points Friday night in helping the Atlanta Hawks to a 91-83 win over the Miami Heat… The Hawks, who had lost three straight and four of five on a recent West Coast trip, also got 14 points from Josh Smith, 13 from Marvin Williams and 12 from Flip Murray. Michael Beasley led Miami with 23 points, 16 in the fourth period, and 21 from Dwyane Wade, who also had 10 assists.
Nuggets end skid, beat Hawks 110-109
The AP reports: For the fourth straight game, the Denver Nuggets trudged off the court, scowls on their faces, dejection in their gait—only this time they won. “I was angry,” explained Chauncey Billups, who scored a season-best 33 points for Denver, which escaped with a 110-109 win over the depleted Atlanta Hawks when Flip Murray’s 14-footer bounced off the rim at the buzzer Wednesday night… The Hawks were without starters Mike Bibby (flu) and Josh Smith (family matter). Bibby was replaced by Murray, who scored 15 points, at point guard, and forward Zaza Pachulia (nine points) took Smith’s place in the lineup. Marvin Williams led Atlanta with a season-best 31 points, Johnson had 26 and Horford 21 points and 11 boards.