Hawks-76ers Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Jan 19 2012 9:58PM

While the Atlanta Hawks have won each game since Al Horford's demoralizing injury, their schedule hasn't been particularly intimidating.

They'll likely receive a much stiffer test with a trip to Philadelphia.

In a meeting of division leaders, the Hawks look to win their fifth straight Friday night against a 76ers team trying to bounce back from its first home loss.

Since Horford tore his left pectoral muscle in a 96-84 loss in Indiana last Wednesday, an injury that will keep him out for most - if not the rest - of the season, Atlanta (11-4) has rallied to win four consecutive games.

It's a little hard to gauge Atlanta's status without its All-Star center, however, because all four games were at home and three were against teams with sub-.500 records. The Hawks' lone victory over a winning team came Wednesday, 92-89 over struggling Portland.

Joe Johnson had 24 points and came up with a big steal with just over a minute left to send the Trail Blazers to a fourth defeat in five games.

Johnson's play has been one of the biggest reasons Atlanta is undefeated since Horford went down. He is averaging 24.8 points and 5.5 assists in the last four games after averaging 16.7 and 3.4 in the first 11.

"Everybody really made a conscious effort to step their play up," Johnson said. "There's an understanding that without Al, we're missing a big piece of what we do here. Everybody has really focused in a lot more and really stepped their game up."

Josh Smith has also made giant strides during the winning streak, averaging 20.8 points on 54.9 percent shooting and 11.8 rebounds. He averaged 15.8 points, shot 49.0 percent and grabbed 8.5 boards per game to start the season.

"I didn't know how we were going to fare without (Horford) because he does so much for this ballclub," Smith said. "I think we were able to answer the bell."

While the Southeast Division-leading Hawks are brimming with confidence, a win in Philadelphia would likely give a better idea of whether they are for real.

Atlanta split four games with the Sixers last season, with Horford's play affecting the outcomes. He combined for 35 points and 25 rebounds in the victories but sat out one loss with a bruised back and finished with eight points on 4-of-12 shooting and nine boards in the other.

The Atlantic Division-leading 76ers (10-4) are coming off Wednesday's 108-104 overtime loss to Denver, their first setback in seven games at the Wells Fargo Center. Andre Iguodala, who finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter but made 1 of 2 free throws with four seconds remaining.

It was a tough loss for Philadelphia, which squandered a 14-point lead to fall for just the second time in 11 games.

"We have to keep that mindset the entire game," said Elton Brand, averaging 10.3 points. "We can't become satisfied with a 14-point lead. We got to keep mashing and get up 20."

Brand is one of seven players with scoring averages in double digits for Philadelphia, which can attribute some of its success to its unselfish play. Reserve Louis Williams is averaging a team-best 15.7 points and starting point guard Jrue Holiday is scoring 14.9 per game.

The Sixers are also winning behind a stingy defense that is allowing an average of 87.4 points, second-best in the league. Prior to struggling against the high-powered Nuggets, Philadelphia had allowed an average of 82.4 points in its previous 10 games.

Iguodala rallies 76ers in 3rd for win over Hawks

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Jan 21 2012 1:22AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) Jrue Holiday-to-Andre Iguodala was exactly the sort of high-flying connection the Philadelphia 76ers needed Friday night.

Holiday had 16 points and 11 assists, and Iguodala scored 11 points to lead the 76ers to a 90-76 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

"We can play against tough teams," Iguodala said.

Play and win.

Thaddeus Young scored 20 points and Elton Brand grabbed 16 rebounds to help the 76ers win for the 10th time in 12 games and improve to 7-1 at home.

The Sixers left a dismal first half in the dust with a sensational third quarter. Jodie Meeks hit a pair of 3-pointers and Iguodala rocked nearly 18,000 fans with a pair of thunderous dunks during a 14-0 run.

In a game between teams that started the night as division leaders, the Hawks were in control until the Sixers found their way.

Coach Doug Collins wrote a halftime note for his team on the board: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,"

"I thought our guys went fast in the first half, and alone," Collins said. "I thought we went far in the second half, and together."

Holiday had five of his 11 assists in the third and the Sixers pulled ahead by 18 in the fourth.

Former Sixer Willie Green scored 14 points and Jeff Teague had 12 for the Hawks, who snapped a four-game winning streak. Atlanta had been perfect since All-Star center Al Horford tore his left pectoral muscle, an injury that required surgery and could keep him out for the rest of the season.

Hawks coach Larry Drew could be heard yelling at his team in the locker room after the game.

"It got tough for us and we quit," Drew said. "That's what happened. I was more disappointed than frustrated."

Even Horford couldn't have done much to stop the Sixers' mix of fastbreak dunks and 3-pointers in the third. Coming off their first home loss of the season, and a game Saturday at Miami, the Sixers knew they had to have this one to keep the early-season good vibes going.

"You win this game. You don't lose two in a row at home," Collins said.

Iguodala ignited the run when he scooped up a loose ball of an Atlanta turnover and turned it into a driving slam that cut it to 51-50. Meeks, who had 12 points, buried consecutive 3s to the delight of a loud and large crowd. Years of .500 or worse basketball had sucked the life out of the Wells Fargo Center. Sure enough, thanks to a fast start and slashed ticket prices, the arena is suddenly the place to be on a Friday night - or any night.

Holiday ended the run on a highlight reel-worthy feed to Iguodala for an alley-oop that nearly brought down the rim.

Yes, this was the same team that looked disconnected and missed 12 of their first 17 shots.

"We settled down a little bit, got some stops and went on a little run," Iguodala said.

They turned up the defensive pressure in the third and would have held Atlanta to seven points had Green not sank a 27-footer at the buzzer. The Hawks scored only 29 points in the second half.

"They took the level of intensity up and we didn't respond," Green said.

The Sixers even played without center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles' strain). Hawes will also miss Saturday's game at Miami.

Philadelphia triggered its offense off the fastbreak and turnovers and buried the Hawks with easy buckets. Iguodala, who fans wanted traded after years of symbolizing a stagnant franchise, has been embraced this season for giving them the flashy dunks in combination with the flashy victories.

The Sixers had built their Atlantic Division lead by burying some of the NBA's worst teams. Even without Horford, the Sixers passed a nice test of beating a division leader.

"We felt we had to have this win against a really good Eastern Conference team," Brand said. "We want to say we're an elite team, so we had to win this game."

Notes: Iguodala became the fifth Sixer with 1,000 career steals. He's behind Maurice Cheeks, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving and Charles Barkley. ... The Sixers are off to their best start since they went 12-2 in 2000-01. ... The Hawks turned the ball over 15 times.

Notebook: Sixers 90, Hawks 76

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com
Posted Friday January 20, 2012 10:00PM

THE FACTS: Thaddeus Young scored 20 points, Jrue Holiday had 16 points and 11 assists, and the Philadelphia 76ers shook off a rusty first half for a 90-76 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Five Sixers scored in double figures and Elton Brand contributed a double-double of 10 points and 16 rebounds, nine off the offensive glass. The Sixers improved to 11-4 and 7-1 at home.

Willie Green scored 14 points off the bench for the Hawks. Jeff Teague also scored 12 points, but it wasn't enough. The Hawks (11-5) had their four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 4-4 on the road.

QUOTABLE: "If we want to say we're an elite team, we have to win this game."
-- Brand.

THE STAT: The Hawks scored 10 points in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth. If you're counting, that's 29 combined in the second half. Not good enough on the road.

TURNING POINT: Trailing 51-44 and looking rather listless, the Sixers responded with a 14-0 run. Jodie Meeks hit a pair of 3-pointers and Andre Iguodala slammed home an alley-oop pass from Holiday for a 58-51 advantage with 4:23 left in the third. The crowd got back into it and the Sixers used that momentum the rest of the game.

HOT: Young knocked down eight of his 11 shots for the Sixers. He was active all night and made some big shots in the second half.

NOT: Josh Smith misfired on 10 of his 15 shots and never established an inside presence.

QUOTABLE II: "It got tough for us and we quit. I was disappointed and frustrated."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Holiday (16 points, 11 assists, six rebounds, three steals) and Iguodala (11 points, six rebounds, six assists, two steals) both had strong all-around performances.

INSIDE THE ARENA: There was a large crowd of 17,724 for this game at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers had won six of seven at home entering Friday night and the enthusiastic crowd responded. Sixers owner Joshua Harris and CEO Adam Aron were in attendance.

QUOTABLE III: "I don't think anyone was concerned. Whether we're up or whether we're down, we have a lot of faith. The coaches have a lot of faith and we feel like we're going to come out strong. We believe in what we're doing and we have a lot of confidence in this locker room."
--Holiday, on responding after trailing by eight points at halftime.

GOOD MOVE: Sixers coach Doug Collins gave extended minutes to Brand, even with a game looming Saturday night at Miami. The Sixers struggled early, but Brand had good energy and came up with 16 huge rebounds in 37 minutes. Sometimes, a coach goes with his gut. It paid off.

BAD MOVE: Smith settled for way too many jump shots. He's an explosive player when driving to the basket. Staying on the perimeter isn't his strength.

ROOKIE WATCH: With Spencer Hawes sitting out with a low back strain, forward Nikola Vucevic earned his second consecutive start. Vucevic had eight points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Hawks forward Ivan Johnson scored two points while guard Donald Sloan was scoreless in three minutes.

NOTABLE: Iguodala picked up his 1,000th career steal, becoming just the fifth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat. ... The Sixers haven't lost consecutive games this season. ... The Hawks were outrebounded 51-32. ... Atlanta only attempted eight free throws. ... The Sixers had just 12 turnovers, marking their fifth straight game with 12 or less. They are 10-1 this season with 12 or fewer turnovers.

NEXT: For the Hawks, Saturday vs. Cleveland, Monday @ Milwaukee, Wednesday @ San Antonio. For the Sixers, Saturday @ Miami, Monday vs. Washington, Wednesday vs. New Jersey.

• Hawks: Hinrich, Horford
• 76ers: --

• Hawks: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 1
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #28 Tommy Nunez Jr., #38 Michael Smith, #13 Monty McCutchen
• Attendance: 17724
• Duration: 1:55