Bobcats-Hawks Preview

By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
Posted Dec 13 2012 2:51AM

After a slow start, the Atlanta Hawks appear to have found a new identity during their recent surge.

The Hawks look to continue their strong play Thursday night with a third win in as many meetings this season against the Charlotte Bobcats, losers of nine straight.

Atlanta won just three of its first seven games without star guard Joe Johnson, the team's leading scorer in each of the last seven seasons before he was traded to Brooklyn in July.

It didn't take long, however, for the Hawks (13-6) to find their groove. Since then, they've won 10 of 12 and own one of the best records in the Eastern Conference.

Josh Smith and Al Horford have become the centerpieces of the offense without Johnson, averaging 17.3 and 16.8 points per game, respectively.

Smith had 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Horford added 13 and 13 for his seventh straight double-double as Atlanta defeated Orlando 86-80 on Wednesday.

"Now with us having to carry a big part of the offense, I think it kind of forces us to be more aggressive offensively and just keep finding each other," Horford said.

Horford has been particularly good against the Bobcats, averaging 21.5 points and 12.0 rebounds in two victories last month.

With Horford ranking near the top of the NBA in field-goal percentage (54.5), the Hawks are one of the top shooting teams in the league (45.5). They've also averaged 98.9 points over the last 12 games after totaling 91.9 during the 3-4 start.

"We are playing together. I think we are very unselfish," Smith said. "We definitely play with a chip on our shoulders. No one gave us a chance when we lost Joe."

Reserve guard Lou Williams has also played well lately, contributing 15.1 points over his last eight games.

Starting forward DeShawn Stevenson did not play versus the Magic due to a knee injury, but could return for this game.

Kyle Korver returned after a five-game absence because of back spasms and scored nine points - all on 3-pointers.

Atlanta's improved offense figures to continue against a Bobcats team that has allowed 108.2 points during its nine-game skid.

Charlotte failed to hold a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost 100-94 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday. The Bobcats (7-14) haven't won since equaling last season's win total in the first 12 games.

"We've got to learn how to be down three or five (points) and execute in those situations," coach Mike Dunlap said.

Kemba Walker continues to be a bright spot after scoring 17 points with six assists. The second-year guard is averaging 21.2 points in his last six games and has scored in double digits in all but one of his 21 contests.

Byron Mullens led Charlotte with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Bismack Biyombo had nine boards and has averaged 9.6 over his last five games.

Poor shooting continues to plague the Bobcats, who have connected on only 40.0 percent (66 for 145) in the past two contests and rank near the bottom of the NBA in field-goal percentage (42.0 percent).

It might be difficult to boost that mark against the Hawks, who rank near the top of the league in field-goal percentage defense (43.7) and scoring (93.3).

"The kind of basketball we kind of need to play, is scrappy, and get after it and just fight," said guard Gerald Henderson.

The Hawks have won six straight overall against the Bobcats and 10 of the last 11 meetings in Atlanta.

Harris, Smith lead Hawks past Bobcats 113-90

By GEORGE HENRY
Posted Dec 14 2012 12:37AM

ATLANTA (AP) Kyle Korver thinks the Atlanta Hawks have been too hesitant to beat a struggling opponent decisively.

That wasn't the case this time.

Devin Harris scored 20 points, Josh Smith added 18 and the surging Hawks beat Charlotte 113-90 on Thursday night to hand the Bobcats their 10th straight defeat.

"I think mentally, in the locker room, we just decided that we were going to do it," Korver said. "It's easy to let up when you've got a lead and you're trying to create some energy, and we've done that several times."

Gerald Henderson finished with 17 points and Ramon Sessions had 16 for Charlotte.

The Hawks are 12-3 since losing three of their first five games this season. Atlanta, which moved into a first-place tie with Miami in the Southeast Division, has won two straight and five of six.

"As I've stated before, we have to develop that killer instinct and keep playing well even when you have teams down," coach Larry Drew said. "We built a 28-point lead at one point, but they cut into it."

Lou Williams had eight of his nine assists in the first half for Atlanta. Williams, who finished with 13 points, matched his career high in assists, and Ivan Johnson added a season-high 16 points.

Hawks center Al Horford finished with 11 points and three rebounds, ending his streak of seven consecutive double-doubles.

Atlanta got off to a strong start offensively, hitting nearly 63 percent of its first 35 shots before Horford and Williams missed jumpers to end the first half.

Charlotte shot 35.9 percent and trailed by 17 at the break.

"When you dig a hole like that, it's going to be tough," Bobcats rookie Jeff Taylor said after scoring 12 points. "We're a young team, but we will stay together and hopefully start playing better and getting some breaks as well."

Since winning in double overtime at Washington on Nov. 24 and improving to 7-5, the Bobcats have looked similar to the Charlotte team that finished last season 7-59 for the worst winning percentage in NBA history.

The Bobcats were coming off a dispiriting home loss Wednesday to the Los Angeles Clippers in which they blew a seven-point lead in the fourth quarter.

When Charlotte last visited Philips Arena on Nov. 28, the game was decided on Horford's late free throws and a missed 3-pointer by Hornets forward Byron Mullens.

The Hornets were led that night by Ben Gordon, who scored 20 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter. On Thursday, Gordon had just seven points on 2-for-9 shooting.

Henderson, though, considered defense a bigger problem.

"We can't come up with any consistent stops," he said. "It's on everybody. We're playing in the NBA. There are some tough matchups out there for whatever lineups we have out there."

Korver, playing for the second straight night after returning from a five-game absence caused by back spasms, finished with 13 points in 22 minutes.

Williams hit consecutive 3-pointers to give Atlanta its first double-digit lead at 26-14 late in the first quarter. Harris hit a 3 midway through the second that made it 45-28.

Smith's third-quarter dunk gave the Hawks a 66-43 advantage early in the third.

"Normally when we get big leads, we tend to get complacent a little bit and kind of let our guards down," Smith said. "Tonight we were able to keep our foot on the gas and not let up."

NOTES: Hawks starting F DeShawn Stevenson scored nine points after missing Wednesday's win at Orlando with a knee injury. ... Atlanta improved to 4-0 on the second night of back-to-backs. ... The Hawks have won seven straight against Charlotte, including three meetings this season.

Notebook: Hawks 113, Bobcats 90

Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:47 PM - Updated Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:47 PM

THE FACTS: Devin Harris scored a season-high 20 points off the bench, and the Hawks obliterated the reeling Bobcats 113-90 Thursday night in a game that went haywire quickly.

Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap called his first timeout just 1:47 into the game, but that did little to slow Atlanta (14-6) as the host Hawks shot lights out (43-for-75, 57.3 percent) on the way to tying the Heat for best record in the Southeast with a season high in points scored.

Atlanta shot 62.5 percent through the first three quarters (35-for-56, and 13-for-24 on 3-pointers) for a 91-74 lead after leading by as many as 28. The Hawks finished with six players combining to make a season-high 14 treys.

Josh Smith added 18 points for Atlanta, and Ivan Johnson pitched in 16 points and a game-high eight rebounds off the bench while the Hawks won for the 11th time in 13 games. Atlanta's subs scored 56 points, and Lou Williams had 13 points and a career high-tying nine assists in a reserve role.

The Hawks' seventh straight win over the Bobcats was also Charlotte's 10th straight overall loss since a surprising 7-5 start. As with the previous nine losses, the Bobcats' defense was indefensible.

Charlotte (7-15) has allowed 100 or more points in nine of the 10 straight losses, giving up an average of 108.2 points in that span.

Atlanta led 60-43 at halftime after shooting 61.1 percent in the first quarter while going 4-for-9 on 3-pointers, and 57.9 percent in the second quarter on 5-for-7 3-point shooting. Atlanta's 59.5 percent shooting mark over the first two quarters was a season's best for a half.

The Hawks had 28 assists overall.

Charlotte also got big points (50) from the bench. Reserves Gerald Henderson (17 points) and Ramon Sessions (16) paced the Bobcats, and Kemba Walker led the starters with 13.

QUOTABLE: "I think we were able to keep executing. We didn't get complacent. I think normally when we get big leads, we tend to get complacent a little bit. Tonight, we were able to keep our foot on the gas."
-- Josh Smith.

THE STATS: +7: All tempo was set in the first quarter, when the Hawks outscored the Bobcats 9-2 in fast break points on the way to a 30-19 lead. By halftime, Atlanta had an 18-6 edge in fast break points, and a 20-8 margin in the paint.

TURNING POINT: Charlotte rookie Jeff Taylor made a 3-pointer on the Bobcats' second possession for a 3-2 lead, but the Hawks scored the next eight points -- on three straight layups and two free throws -- for a 10-3 lead that was never threatened.

QUOTABLE II: "The first half was probably the best we've played all year . . . I challenged the guys to come out in the third quarter, and I want to pay special attention to a guy who has really responded. Ivan Johnson . . . had an impact on the game; you felt his presence. He did a phenomenal job coming off the bench."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew.

HOT: Harris surpassed his season high of 15 points in the first half with 16. He had 11 in the second quarter on 4-for-5 shooting, including 2-for-3 from distance. . . . Williams had six assists in the second quarter, when Atlanta had nine on 11 made shots. . . . . . . After not playing in three of the previous four games because of the coach's decision, Atlanta's Ivan Johnson shot 5-for-5 in the second half after going 0-for-3 in the first half.

NOT: Charlotte's Byron Mullens missed all seven of his shots in the first half, when the Bobcats were 14-for-39. He was 0-for-5 in the first quarter, when Charlotte was 6-for-20. Mullen made his only shot in the second half.

ROOKIE REPORT: Hawks guard John Jenkins matched his a season-high with five points in 4:24 off the bench on 2-for-3 shooting. In his limited chances, the former Vanderbilt star has shown quite a shooting touch. He made his first NBA trey. Six Hawks made at least one.

NOTABLE: Kyle Korver's return to the starting lineup went swimmingly for the Hawks. He missed five straight games because of back spasms and his wife giving birth to their first child last Wednesday (Kyra Elyse Korver), and then played off the bench in a win Wednesday in Orlando. He scored 13 Thursday on 5-for-7 shooting with 10 points coming in the first half. . . . Hawks center Al Horford's double-double streak ended at seven games. He had 11 points and three rebounds while playing 30:47. He was the only Atlanta player to log 30 minutes. . . . Forward Jeff Adrien, who was called up by Charlotte from Rio Grande of the D-League last week, played for the first time. He had three rebounds.

UP NEXT: For the Bobcats, Saturday vs. Magic, Tuesday @ Lakers, Wednesday @ Suns. For the Hawks, Saturday vs. Warriors, Tuesday @ Wizards, Wednesday vs. Thunder.

• Bobcats: Thomas
• Hawks: Petro

• Bobcats: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #38 Michael Smith, #59 Gary Zielinski, #58 Josh Tiven
• Attendance: 13090
• Duration: 2:01