Trail Blazers-Hawks Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 17 2012 7:01PM

While the Atlanta Hawks are counting on a team effort to help fill the void left by injured center Al Horford, it's safe to say Joe Johnson and Josh Smith feel more than comfortable leading the way.

Seeking a season-best fourth consecutive victory, the Hawks look to extend their winning streak over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers to six games Wednesday night in Jamal Crawford's return to Atlanta.

Atlanta (10-4) lost Horford for at least three months after he tore his left pectoral muscle in last Wednesday's 96-84 loss at Indiana. The Hawks, though, haven't missed a beat without their two-time All-Star thanks in large part to Johnson and Smith.

The Hawks have since outscored opponents by an average of 13.7 points over a three-game run while the duo has thrived. Johnson is averaging 25.0 points in the last three games - 8.3 more than he posted in his first 11 - while Smith is averaging 22.0 on 57.4 percent shooting and 12.0 rebounds.

"(Smith is) just playing. He's not worrying about anything," point guard Jeff Teague told the NBA's official website. "I think that's carrying over to everybody. He has me playing like that. It's going throughout the team."

Johnson and Smith continued their tremendous play Monday, combining for 55 points as Atlanta improved to 6-1 at home with a 93-84 win over Toronto.

"We have veteran guys who have been there and done that before. All we need is to just keep flying under the radar," Smith said.

"We've played against some good teams here and some not-so-good teams, so we've just got to be able to be disciplined no matter who we're playing against."

Teague has also come up big, averaging 16.3 points and 7.6 assists during the three-game run.

"It's going to take team efforts every night," said Teague, who scored a career high-tying 24 points during a 91-82 home win over the Blazers on March 12. "We've played well the last few games, but coming in here, Portland is a really good team. They'll play hard. We'll just have to stay together."

The Hawks have taken five straight from the Blazers (8-5) while Johnson's scored 24.4 points per game. His average of 21.1 points versus Portland is his second highest against any opponent.

After dropping the first two legs of their six-game road trip, the Blazers snapped a season-worst three-game skid with Monday's 84-77 win at New Orleans. LaMarcus Aldridge, leading Portland with 22.7 points per game, scored 16 of his game-high 22 in the second half.

"That was a good wake-up call by him," forward Nicolas Batum said of Aldridge. "He took over the game and that's why he's our go-to guy."

In addition to trying to slow down Aldridge, the Hawks could have a hard time containing Batum. The 6-foot-8 forward has gone 8 of 12 from 3-point range in averaging 24.0 points in his last two games.

Crawford, who averaged 16.1 points off the bench for Atlanta over the previous two seasons before signing with Portland following the lockout, has in contrast been pretty quiet of late. He's shooting 22.6 percent in scoring a combined 21 points in his last three games.

Portland sits near the top of the NBA with 104.7 points per game at home but is scoring just 90.0 as the visiting team. The Blazers are shooting 41.3 percent on the road to rank in the bottom third of the league.

Joe Johnson leads Hawks to 4th straight win

By PAUL NEWBERRY
Posted Jan 19 2012 12:21AM

ATLANTA (AP) Joe Johnson bounced back from a sluggish start to turn in his usual game at the offensive end.

Then he came up with a huge defensive play that carried the Atlanta Hawks to another victory.

Johnson scored 24 points and surprised Portland by stealing the ball with just over a minute remaining, leading the Hawks to their fourth straight win since losing All-Star center Al Horford, 92-89 over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night.

The Hawks, taking over first place in the Southeast Division from Orlando, closed the third period on a 14-0 run, but the Trail Blazers responded with a 13-0 spurt starting the fourth to tie the game. It was tight the rest of the way. In the end, Atlanta pulled out another gutsy win, having won its last three by a total of 14 points.

"I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter," Jeff Teague said.

Atlanta was up 84-80 when a wild sequence went the home team's way. Jamal Crawford missed on a drive, but Wesley Matthews picked off an outlet pass to apparently give the Blazers another chance. Not so fast. Johnson hustled up behind Matthews to steal it back, then lobbed to Teague for a dunk with 1:25 remaining.

"I don't know if he thought I wasn't going to try to get back into the play, but his awareness of me coming from behind - well, he didn't have any," Johnson said. "I just snuck up and was able to tap it. I didn't want to tap it forward where they could still get it. I kind of wanted to hit it where I could get it. I did. And I had Jeff Teague running down the wing. I know he can fly, so I just threw it up there and he went and got it."

Crawford, who led the Blazers with 22 points in his return to Atlanta, hit a last-gasp 3-pointer but the Hawks held on.

"Right now, it seems like we're playing harder when we get down instead of playing that way from the beginning of the game," Crawford said. "That makes it tougher on us to come back and pull out games."

Atlanta hasn't folded since Horford went down last week with a torn pectoral muscle, which will keep him out for most, if not the rest, of the regular season. He underwent surgery Tuesday and managed to get off a tweet congratulating his teammates: "Another solid win. Let's keep getting better. Go Hawks!"

Johnson missed his first five shots and was still scoreless with less than three minutes to go in the first half. Then, suddenly, he ripped off three straight jumpers - including a pair of 3s - and knocked down a couple of free throws. The 10-point outburst sparked a 12-4 spurt that pushed the Hawks to a double-digit lead.

Atlanta led 51-42 at the break.

"That's all it takes. Just see a couple go in the basket," Johnson said, breaking into a slight smile.

Portland seized the momentum coming out of the locker room, surging into the lead for the first time since late in the opening quarter. Gerald Wallace made a short hook with 4:07 to play in the third, putting the Blazers up 62-61. They didn't score again in the quarter, the Hawks racing to a 75-62 lead.

But the see-saw game suddenly turned Portland's way again. Crawford led the comeback in a role that must've looked familiar to Atlanta fans who cheered him the last two years when he played for the Hawks, winning the Sixth Man Award in 2010. He's filling the same role for the Blazers, but couldn't hit quite enough of his 22 shots to beat his old team.

"I knew he was coming," Atlanta's Josh Smith said. "He's an emotional player. He probably still wants to be here. It would be nice to still see him in a Hawks uniform, but this is a business."

At one point, Crawford glanced over to watch Hawks coach Larry Drew calling a play, trying to get a defensive edge. The Blazers guard could've used more help from his teammates. LaMarcus Aldridge added 20 points, but only four of those came in the final quarter, helping send the Blazers to their fourth loss in the last five games after a 7-2 start.

"I couldn't get my shot off," Aldridge said. "I definitely didn't play big down the stretch. We've got to figure this out before things get bad."

The Hawks were more balanced. Smith had 17 points, plus 11 rebounds, while Teague chipped in with 13 points and Marvin Williams added 12. All five players off the Atlanta bench also made the scoresheet.

The Hawks have won six straight over the Trail Blazers, whose last win against Atlanta came on Feb. 20, 2009

NOTES: Portland's Nicolas Batum was taken to a hospital at halftime after being accidentally poked in his left eye by Tracy McGrady. Batum was back with the team afterward but seeing double. He'll be checked again in three days. ... Trevor Bayne, last year's surprise winner of the Daytona 500, attended his first NBA game. Asked his expectations for the season-opening NASCAR race, about a month away, he said, "We have to win it again, right? Expectations are high. We've got to live up to them." ... The Trail Blazers went without Marcus Camby, who missed his third straight game with a sprained left ankle). Coach Nate McMillan said before the game that Camby would only play in an emergency. ... Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn sat courtside at Philips Arena. The actors are in Atlanta filming the movie "Neighborhood Watch."

Notebook: Hawks 92, Trail Blazers 89

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday January 19, 2012 1:50AM

THE FACTS: Jamal Crawford traded teams and the former Hawk led the visiting Blazers with 22 points Wednesday night, but Joe Johnson scored 24 to lead Atlanta to a 92-89 win over Portland yet again.

The Hawks have won four straight games since losing All-Star center Al Horford to a torn pectoral muscle, and they've beaten the Blazers six straight times. Portland last beat Atlanta on Feb. 20, 2009.

It looked like Atlanta was going to run away with what had been a competitive game when Josh Smith scored six straight points for the Hawks to start a 14-0 run to end the third quarter. That gave Atlanta a 75-62 lead. Portland countered with a 13-0 run to start the fourth quarter, and Crawford's 3-pointer with 6:15 left in the game gave the Blazers a 78-77 lead. He scored nine points in that 16-2 run. Johnson hit a 15-foot jumper moments later, though, and the Hawks (11-4) never again lost the lead. Smith had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocked shots.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, but missed two free throws with 1:02 left. Portland (8-6) has lost four of its last five games, and is 2-5 on the road.

QUOTABLE: "I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter. We're going out there and getting it done."
-- Hawks point guard Jeff Teague, who scored 13 points and is averaging 15.5 points and seven assists since Horford was injured.

THE STAT: The Blazers turned the ball over just nine times and took 21 more shots, but the Hawks made the visitors pay dearly for their terrible transition defense. Atlanta outscored Portland 22-10 in fast-break points.

TURNING POINT: The Blazers trailed 84-80 with about 1:34 left when Wes Matthews intercepted a long, ill-advised pass by Josh Smith and took off. Joe Johnson snuck up behind Matthews near mid-court, however, plucked the ball away, and then threw an alley-oop to Teague for an 86-80 lead with 1:25 left. Portland was unable to overcome that and Aldridge's two missed free throws 23 seconds later sealed it.

QUOTABLE II: "We kept calling timeouts so we could get the best possible lineup on the floor for every situation. We're not playing as well as we can right now on both ends."
-- Blazers coach Nate McMillan

HOT: Joe Johnson shot 8-for-13 after an 0-for-6 start. He's averaged 24.8 points and 5.5 assists since Horford's injury. ... Crawford was just 2-for-9 through three quarters before going 6-for-13 for 14 points in the fourth period. ... Josh Smith has averaged 20.8 points and 11.8 rebounds in the four games since Horford went out. ... Atlanta reserves Tracy McGrady, Zaza Pachulia, Jannero Pargo, Willie Green and Ivan Johnson were a combined 10-for-12 for 23 points in the first half, which the Hawks led 51-42. ... Marvin Williams had all eight of his rebounds in the first half for the Hawks. ...

NOT: Portland's Matthews was 2-for-13. That makes him 6-for-31 over the past three games. He did have five steals Wednesday. ... Jason Collins started at center for the second consecutive game for Atlanta, and for the second straight game he went scoreless with one rebound.

NOTABLE: Blazers reserve forward Nicolas Batum did not return after being poked in the eye in the second quarter. McMillan said his prognosis was unknown.

IN THE ARENA: Actors Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, in Atlanta to film a movie, were in the crowd. ... Trevor Bayne, who last February became the youngest Daytona 500 winner at age 20, was at the game. Earlier in the day, he shot some hoops with Hawks legend/announcer Dominique Wilkins.

UP NEXT: For the Blazers, Friday @ Toronto, Saturday @ Detroit, Monday vs. Sacramento. For the Hawks, Friday @ Philadelphia, Saturday vs. Cleveland, Monday @ Milwaukee.

• Trail Blazers: Johnson, Oden
• Hawks: Hinrich, Horford

• Trail Blazers: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 12
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #40 Leon Wood, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 13729
• Duration: 2:25