The AP reports: Mike Bibby scored 30 points and the Atlanta Hawks held on after nearly blowing two huge leads, beating the Chicago Bulls 106-103 to strengthen their hold on the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. Ben Gordon, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the final period, had a chance to force overtime but his final shot rimmed out as the horn sounded… Joe Johnson scored 19 points for the Hawks, including a towering shot from the baseline over two defenders to make it 101-98 with 1:32 remaining… All five Atlanta starters scored in double figures, with Marvin Williams and Joe Smith both contributing double-doubles. Williams had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith went for 12 and 10. Luol Deng scored 19 points to lead the Bulls, who got points from all 11 players who saw minutes but were beaten on the boards.
Category: Atlanta Hawks Blog
Atlanta Hawks blog
Andrew Bogut has procedure to fix broken nose
Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut underwent a successful procedure this afternoon to reduce a displaced nasal fracture (broken nose), Director of Player Personnel Dave Babcock announced today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Paul Lowenstein, M.D., at Elmbrook Hospital in Brookfield, WI.
Bogut sustained the injury in the fourth period of Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta. He left the game to receive treatment and did not return to action.
Bogut will be required to wear a protective mask for the remainder of the season, but will not play tonight against the Orlando Magic. After tonight, he will be listed as day-to-day.
In 68 games this season (all starts), Bogut has averaged 13.9 points, a team-high 9.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 1.76 blocked shots. Among Eastern Conference centers, Bogut ranks second in scoring, second in double-doubles (32), third in blocked shots and fifth in rebounds.
Mar. 26: Hawks 115, Bucks 96
The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-96 on Wednesday night to maintain the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta also escaped a major scare when X-rays of Bibby’s left thumb came back negative… Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but the 7-foot center left the game after Marvin Williams accidentally hit him in the face midway through the fourth… Michael Redd finished with 20 points for Milwaukee, which has lost seven straight on the road.
Mar. 25: Bulls 103, Hawks 94
The AP reports: Drew Gooden scored a season-high 31 points and matched a season best with 16 rebounds Tuesday night as the Chicago Bulls held on in the fourth quarter for a 103-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls, one of several teams chasing the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by 12 after three quarters before Atlanta rallied within two with just more than six minutes left. Ben Gordon’s 3-pointer with 1:27 to go gave the Bulls a 97-90 lead, and he added two free throws with 28 seconds left. Gordon finished with 16 points. Josh Childress scored 22, including eight in the final quarter, to lead Atlanta. Mike Bibby added 18.
Hawks sign Jeremy Richardson for rest of season
The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Jeremy Richardson for the remainder of the season, effective March 9, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Billy Knight. Richardson, signed earlier to two 10-day contracts with Atlanta, has appeared in nine games with the Hawks, averaging 3.0 ppg (.478 FG%, .556 3FG%) in 6.6 mpg. Richardson has also seen action earlier this season with Memphis (three contests) and San Antonio (five games).
Al Horford, Luis Scola win Rookies of Month
The Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford and the Houston Rockets’ Luis Scola today were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.
Among rookies, Horford is ranked first in rebounds with 10.6 rpg and double-doubles with 16. He set career highs of 20 rebounds on Feb. 6, vs. Lakers, and 20 points on Feb. 29, vs. New York. In addition, Horford recorded seven double-doubles, including three straight to finish the month. He also became the first Hawk to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Alan Henderson did it on Nov. 26, 2002.
While helping lead his team to a 13-0 record for the month, Scola led all rookies in field goal percentage with .629 percent. He is ranked 15th overall in the NBA this season in field goal percentage with .530. In addition, Scola was ranked third among West rookies in scoring with 11.7 ppg and recorded a career-high five steals vs. Memphis on Fe. 29, 2008, setting the most by a Rockets player in a game this season.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were the Los Angeles Clipper’s Al Thornton, Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young, Seattle’s Kevin Durant and Toronto’s Jamario Moon.
Hawks sign Jeremy Richardson to a second 10-day contract
The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard/forward Jeremy Richardson to a second 10-day contract, effective February 28, 2008, according to Hawks Executive Vice President/General Manager Billy Knight.
Richardson has appeared in 6 games with the Hawks, averaging 4.2 ppg in 8.0 mpg (.500 FG%, .556 3FG%).
CBA: Atlanta Krunk home games cancelled
The Continental Basketball Association today announced that due to unsafe playing conditions, the remaining home contests of the Atlanta Krunk have been cancelled. The Morris Brown College Arena has been determined to fail to meet the arena standards set forth by the CBA.
“We gave the present ownership group one last shot at trying to bring the arena up to standards that are the bare minimum to stage a CBA game and they were unsuccessful,” stated CBA Deputy Commissioner Dennis Truax. “The arena as it stands now is unacceptable and is unsafe for our players, coaches, referees, and fans. It is in the best interest of the CBA to move ahead and try to find a suitable arena for next season now in Atlanta.”
The Krunk will play their remaining games on the road this season. They will travel to Pikeville to take on East Kentucky on March 2. They will then play the remaining road games of the defunct Great Falls franchise on March 5 in Yakima and March 7 and 8 in Minot.
Hawks sign Jeremy Richardson to 10-day contract
The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard Jeremy Richardson to a 10-day contract, according to Hawks’ Executive Vice President/General Manager Billy Knight.
The 6-foot-7 Richardson has seen a combined eight games of action (one starting assignment) this season with the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, tallying 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal (3-13 FGs, 2-7 3FGs, 2-2 FTs).
Richardson has also played 12 games with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League, averaging 25.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.2 spg (.445 FG%, .385 3FG%, .853 FT%). On February 16, he was named Most Valuable Player of the 2008 D-League All-Star Game in New Orleans, after scoring a game-high 22 points. By signing with Atlanta he becomes the 102nd all-time GATORADE Call-Up in the D-League history.
Richardson played in five games for the Hawks last year after signing two 10-day contracts, averaging 1.6 ppg and 0.4 rpg (3-6 FGs, 2-3 3FGs). He also played in one game for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07. In 14 career NBA games, he has recorded 18 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals (6-19 FGs, 4-10 3FGs, 2-2 FTs).
A First Team All-Gulf South Conference honoree following both his junior and senior seasons at Delta State University, Richardson left school ranking 14th on the all-time scoring list. He started all 31 games as a senior (in 2005-06), and averaged 17.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg (.492 FG%, .404 3FG%, .810 FT%), after posting 15.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg in his junior campaign.
Jeremy Terrell Richardson was born February 11, 1983 in Allentown, PA, and attended Zachary High School in Zachary, LA. He will wear uniform number 32. The Hawks roster now stands at 13 players.
Joe Johnson talks about being an All-star Hawk
Atlanta Hawks star Joe Johnson speaks at All-Star Weekend:
Q: What does it mean for the Hawks to have you here representing the team at the All-Star Game?
Joe Johnson: I think it means a lot, you know, not only to me, but to our organization as well, considering that it’s been such a down past few years for us. It gives us a bright spot, and with Al Horford playing in the Rookie game, that’s a plus — but I think we’ve just got to keep going strong and stay positive and continue in the right direction. I think we’re getting better and better.
Q: Do you find yourself taking a more vocal role as the season winds down and you’re fighting for a playoff spot?
Joe Johnson: I try to just tell guys that we don’t want to get down late April or mid-April and have to win every game trying to fight for a playoff spot when we can take care of our responsibilities now, and then when the time comes, we’ll already be set. It’s tough. You look at our record right now and it’s not great, but we’re still in the playoff race. That’s a good thing. We’ve just got to stay positive and focus in these last thirty-something games of the season.
Q: Is it different for you because you have experienced it before?
Joe Johnson: Yeah, we’ve got a lot of guys who haven’t experienced the playoff atmosphere and I really want them to… it’s such a great feeling, it’s unbelievable. For those guys who haven’t had that experience, I always try to embed it and give them visuals about it.