Grizzlies-Hawks Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Feb 01 2012 2:29PM

The Atlanta Hawks are returning from an impressive road trip, and playing back home might only increase their confidence.

The Hawks go for their fourth straight win overall and seventh in a row at home Thursday night when they meet the Memphis Grizzlies.

Atlanta closed an impressive January with a 4-1 road swing - its best five-game trip since December 1968. The Hawks (16-6) won the final three games, including the last two by an average of 22.5 points after shooting 51.3 percent in a 100-77 win at Toronto on Tuesday.

Joe Johnson scored 30 points in a little over 30 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter. His 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting in the first half lifted Atlanta to a 56-37 lead at the break.

"That's the type of player he is," said Tracy McGrady, who added 15 points. "Once he gets that feeling, he can run off 10 or 12 points in a hurry."

It was Johnson's second 30-point performance in three games. The Hawks are 11-0 when he scores more than 20.

Johnson has keyed Atlanta winning nine of 11 overall and has been particularly good at home in that span, averaging 24.8 points with 26 assists and six turnovers.

The Hawks are opening a four-game homestand, having not played at Philips Arena since Jan. 21 against Cleveland.

"It's been the longest road trip I personally have ever been on," forward Marvin Williams said. "It was tough, but we took care of business out here."

Atlanta is 8-1 at home, its only defeat coming in triple-overtime against Miami on Jan. 5. Since then, the Hawks have won six in a row at home, holding opponents to 88.8 points per game while averaging 103.2.

They should feel good about their chances of extending that streak Thursday. The Grizzlies have lost four in a row and nine of 10 in this series, including five straight in Atlanta. Johnson scored 26 in each of his last two home games versus Memphis.

The Grizzlies (11-10) are hoping they've turned things around after snapping a four-game losing streak with a 100-97 overtime win over Denver on Tuesday.

The team held a players-only meeting following an 83-73 loss to San Antonio the previous night after trailing by as many as 22 points. Memphis responded Tuesday by rally from 12 down in the fourth quarter, with O.J. Mayo scoring 15 of his 18 points in the game's final 12 minutes.

Leading scorer Rudy Gay bounced back after being held to one point and missing all seven field-goal attempts against the Spurs. He finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds against the Nuggets for his third double-double of the season.

"It was important for us to just come out and give effort," coach Lionel Hollins said. "We just kept battling back until we got a win. That's what we have to do."

Hollins' team, though, continues to struggle offensively. Memphis failed to score more than 91 points in regulation for the sixth straight game and is shooting 39.1 percent from the field during that span.

The Grizzlies are the Western Conference's lowest-scoring road team at 85.8 per game and has lost three straight away from home. They're opening a tough three-game trip which includes visits to Oklahoma City on Friday and Boston on Sunday.

Gay scores 21, Grizzlies blow out Hawks 96-77

By PAUL NEWBERRY
Posted Feb 02 2012 10:49PM

ATLANTA (AP) Memphis had not won a game in Atlanta in more than six years.

The Grizzlies took care of that skid in a big way. Rudy Gay scored 21 points, four other teammates were in double figures and Memphis blew out the listless Hawks 96-77 Thursday night.

"It was outstanding defense from the start," said coach Lionel Hollins, whose team came up with 13 steals. "We started executing and our defense just took over from that."

Memphis snapped a five-game losing streak at Philips Arena, winning for the first time since an 85-84 triumph on Nov. 12, 2005.

"We haven't won here in so long," Gay said. "We know we can beat teams, but the reality is there's still a long way to go."

Memphis pulled away late in the first half, closing on an 18-7 run that gave the Grizzlies a 10-point lead at the break. They totally blew it open in the third quarter after Atlanta missed its first seven shots and turned it over three times.

The Hawks were coming off a 4-1 road trip that left them tied with Miami for the Southeast Division lead. But they looked exhausted in their return to Atlanta, putting up ugly jumpers, playing pedestrian defense and struggling just to hang on to the ball.

While fatigue could've been a factor after a grueling road trip in the compressed, post-lockout schedule, that didn't totally explain why the Hawks were so sloppy with the ball.

"When you have this kind of season, it happens," center Zaza Pachulia said. "But that's not an excuse. We're a good team. Good teams have to find a way to regroup."

Gay and the Grizzlies ran the court with abandon and slammed down several thunderous dunks. The sparse crowd at Philips Arena began booing in the third quarter, then mostly headed for home early in the fourth as Memphis stretched the lead as high as 30 points.

Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo scored 18 apiece for Memphis, while Mike Conley had 15. Marc Gasol turned in a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Dante Cunningham chipped in with 10 rebounds off the bench.

Josh Smith led the Hawks with 11 points, playing only 19 minutes.

Both teams cleared their benches in the final minutes and the only thing the Hawks could take solace in was avoiding their worst loss of the season, which remains a 22-point defeat at San Antonio.

The Hawks got an omen of things to come when backup center Jason Collins tumbled to the court chasing a loose ball late in the first quarter. His left arm was pinned under Cunningham, leaving the 7-footer writhing on the court with a sprained elbow that finished him off for the night. The Hawks were already shorthanded in the middle with Al Horford recovering from surgery for a torn pectoral muscle that will keep him out for most, if not all, of the regular season.

Collins isn't much of a factor statistically. Still, his big body was missed when Gasol and the Grizzlies started going inside.

"We knew after Collins went out that they were a little small in the front court, so we wanted to try to get some penetration and get it to our big fella, Marc," Conley said. "We felt like we had an advantage there and we tried to use it all night."

The Hawks never found an answer for Memphis' inside game. The Grizzlies finished with 58 points in the lane, matching the most allowed by Atlanta this season.

"We just didn't have the size to match up with Gasol," Willie Green said. "We put (Pachulia) on him, and he did a good job, but it takes a team effort. We'll see how the injury is and try to move forward as a team. But it's definitely a tough loss if he's out."

Atlanta was up 36-35 with 5 minutes left in the opening half. That's when the game turned Memphis' way.

Mayo knocked down a jumper, Gasol hit a turnaround hook and Allen laid it in off a nifty pass from Gay. After Jeff Teague missed a jumper, Gay broke ahead of the pack, took a pass from Conley and jammed it down. Then Mayo stole the ball from Joe Johnson, feeding Allen for another layup.

The Hawks got a bit of a spark when Marvin Williams swished a 3-pointer, but Allen matched it with a 3 of his own just ahead of the buzzer, sending the Grizzlies sprinting to the locker room up 53-43.

Atlanta never got closer.

Johnson was smothered by the Grizzlies and finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Ivan Johnson, also with 10, was the only other Hawks player in double figures.

Notes: X-rays on Collins showed there was nothing broken, but the team isn't sure how long he'll be out. ... The Hawks also surrendered 58 points in the lane in a Jan. 5 loss to Miami, but that game went to triple-overtime. ... Gay had three steals and became Memphis' career leader in that category. ... Memphis outrebounded the Hawks 49-36.

Notebook: Grizzlies 96, Hawks 77

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday February 2, 2012 10:44PM

THE FACTS: Atlanta coach Larry Drew warned his team about complacency before the Hawks played the Grizzlies Thursday night. It didn't take. Memphis not only beat Atlanta for the first time in six meetings but smoked the home team 96-77 as Rudy Gay scored 21 points and Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo added 18 each for the visitors.

The Hawks (16-7) looked anything but fresh off a 4-1 road trip while the Grizzlies steadily pulled away from a two-point lead after one quarter in Philips Arena to build a 79-55 bulge after three.

Memphis (12-10) lost four straight before beating Denver Tuesday and then spanking the Hawks.

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 11 points. Joe Johnson and reserve Ivan Johnson were the only other Hawks in double figures with 10 each.

QUOTABLE: "We put Dante Cunningham on Josh Smith, and that took away the run-outs, and then we started executing. Our defense just took over after that."
-- Memphis coach Lionel Hollins.

THE STATS: Through three quarters, Memphis outscored Atlanta 50-26 in the paint, and 21-10 in fastbreak points. By then, with the score 79-55, the game was over -- even though the Grizzlies to that point made just one three-point shot.. Drew did not play any of his starters in the fourth quarter.

ANOTHER STAT: Memphis is 9-1 when Gay scores at least 20 points, and 3-9 otherwise.

AND ANOTHER: The Hawks are 13-0 against teams that are .500 or better; 3-7 otherwise.

TURNING POINT: Atlanta trailed by just two points at the end of the first quarter, but the Hawks' template for passivity was set in that period as the Grizzlies attacked the paint for 16 points on the way to a 21-19 lead. At the other end of the floor, the Hawks did not grab a single offensive rebound in the quarter. They had six on the night although Memphis missed 44 shots.

HOT: Marc Gasol grabbed 10 rebounds to mark his fifth straight game in double digits. He's averaged 11.8 over that span and 10.6 for the season. ... Mayo made 1-of-2 three-point shots, and is making a career-high 42.1 percent from beyond the arc (32-for-76). ... Cunningham grabbed a game- and season-high 12 rebounds.

NOT: Smith scored 11 points on the heels of scoring 6 and 7 in Atlanta's previous two games. He's still averaging 15.2 for the season. ... After going 1-for-4, Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich has made just 5-of-20 shots over the past four games.

GOOD MOVE: Drew did not play any starters in the fourth quarter.

ROOKIE WATCH: Atlanta's Ivan Johnson led his team with nine rebounds.

NOTABLE: Atlanta reserve center Jason Collins injured his left elbow in the first quarter and did not return, leaving the Al Horford-less Hawks with nobody to truly match Gasol's size. ... With three thefts, Gay became the Grizzlies' all-time franchise leader in steals. He now has 525, passing the mark of Shane Battier (523). It took Battier 419 games to hit his mark. Thursday's game was Gay's 394th for Memphis. ... According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks have inquired about the availability of former Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin. He will finish an obligation in China soon. ... Jannero Pargo's younger brother, Jeremy Pargo, entered the game in the fourth quarter and defended his older sibling with vigor as Jannero appeared to dribble out the clock. The Chicago-born brothers hugged for several seconds at the final horn. Jeremy is new to the NBA this season after playing in Israel for two seasons. ... Rookie Josh Selby of the Grizzlies went scoreless in the final 4:17, but he had a very good chance to score. Instead, after stealing a Jannero Pargo pass in the final, he was slack in what appeared to be a breakaway situation and Atlanta reserve Willie Green caught up and blocked his dunk attempt. That elicited one of the very few cheers from Atlanta fans after the first quarter. Ivan Johnson blocked Quincy Pondexter at point-blank range just moments later. The energy Green and Johnson displayed in that sequence might have equaled all of Atlanta's starters combined.

UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Friday @ Thunder, Sunday @ Celtics, Monday vs. Spurs. For the Hawks, Saturday vs. 76ers, Monday vs. Suns, Wednesday vs. Pacers.

• Grizzlies: Arthur, Randolph
• Hawks: Horford

• Grizzlies: --
• Hawks: Johnson

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #7 Kevin Fehr, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 14211
• Duration: 2:02