Hornets-Hawks Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Feb 07 2013 2:45PM

The frontline duo of Josh Smith and Al Horford continues to be one of the biggest reasons for the Atlanta Hawks' success - or at times, lack thereof - especially of late.

Both players will look to take advantage of an opponent that has struggled with interior defense recently Friday night against the visiting New Orleans Hornets.

New Orleans will try to end a four-game road losing streak and avenge its 95-86 home loss to Atlanta on New Year's Day. Smith and Horford combined to score 43 points on 21-of-37 shooting in that game as the Hornets allowed 50 points in the paint.

The Hawks (27-21) have split their last 10 games, but they got 22 points and a season-high 13 assists from Jeff Teague in a 103-92 home win against Memphis on Wednesday.

Smith and Horford combined for 36 points and each posted 11 rebounds.

"We were clicking on all cylinders," Teague said. "Al was getting out and running, getting rebounds. Josh was getting out and leading the breaks, and guys were making shots."

Horford is averaging 22.8 points and shooting 58.7 percent over the last four Hawks victories he's played in, while Smith is putting up 21.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in Atlanta's last four wins.

Overall in Atlanta victories this season, the duo is shooting 52.3 percent, compared to a 44.6 percent mark in losses.

The Hornets (16-33) had lost six of seven while allowing an average of 50.0 points in the paint before a 93-84 home victory against Phoenix on Wednesday.

New Orleans, which ranks in the league's bottom third in allowing opponents to average 43.5 points in the paint, still gave up 42 to the Suns. But it was a sharp contrast from the 62 and 58 yielded to Denver and Minnesota in the previous two games.

The effort snapped a four-game slide after coach Monty Williams ran the team through what he dubbed "training-camp style" practices on Monday and Tuesday.

"One of the primary focuses of the two practices on Monday and Tuesday was just our aggressiveness," said Robin Lopez, who has shot 70 percent or better in four of his last five games. "We want to make sure we went out there and beat up on each other, and it was nice to see some carry-over."

Greivis Vasquez had 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting while adding 12 assists with no turnovers Wednesday. He trails only injured point guards Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul with 9.4 assists per game.

He's also averaging 15.4 points during the Hornets' improved 11-11 stretch since Christmas.

New Orleans' Ryan Anderson scored 23 points in the first meeting with Atlanta, but the Hawks shot 49.4 percent from the field. Eric Gordon struggled in his second game back from injury, hitting 5 of 17 shots and committing four turnovers.

Gordon, averaging 16.4 points and helping the Hornets go 9-7 when he's active, was 3 of 14 from the field Wednesday after missing two of the previous three games with lingering knee problems.

"I am still not 100 percent," Gordon said. "I am battling through it."

Atlanta's Kyle Korver tied Mookie Blaylock's franchise record for consecutive games with a 3-pointer at 42 on Wednesday and can surpass the mark Friday.

Vasquez's triple-double leads Hornets past Hawks

By PAUL NEWBERRY
Posted Feb 08 2013 11:25PM

ATLANTA (AP) The New Orleans Hornets rarely win back-to-back games.

Greivis Vasquez had never put up a triple-double in the NBA.

Both happened Friday night.

Vasquez scored 21 points, dished out 12 assists and grabbed 11 rebounds for New Orleans, which rallied from a 14-point deficit in the first half and withstood a late charge by the stumbling Atlanta Hawks for a 111-100 victory.

For the last-place Hornets, it was a second straight victory - just their fourth winning streak of a rebuilding season.

While many contributed, including Eric Gordon with 27 points and Ryan Anderson with perhaps the biggest shot of the game, Vasquez led the way.

"To see him take command of a game like that says a lot about him, the work ethic, his ability to take coaching, which a lot of NBA guys can't do," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "A lot of NBA guys don't want to be coached. They want to be babied and coddled. That kid is probably the toughest guy I've been around."

Vasquez came into the game ranked third in the league in assists, but he'd never had an all-around game like this.

"This one really feels great," the third-year guard said. "It's special because it's my first one, and with a win. I can't be satisfied. I want more, and I want to help the team win games."

Al Horford drove for a slam that cut the Hornets' lead to 98-94 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining. But Anderson sank a 3-pointer that caught the front of the rim, bounced high off the backboard and fell through. Anderson pumped his right fist as he headed the other way; the Hawks never got closer than five the rest of the way.

But the Hornets really won this game late in the first half, and with a totally dominant performance in the third quarter, when New Orleans outscored the Hawks 29-16, forced four turnovers and limited Atlanta to 5-of-16 shooting.

"We played tough," Vasquez said. "When we play tough, and with this mindset that we've got to fight, we've got to bump people, we've got to be physical, we're a better team."

The Hawks had a familiar swoon after halftime and took another blow in a once-promising season. Atlanta started out as one of the NBA's most surprising teams but has lost 12 of 19 since Jan. 1, falling off the pace in the Eastern Conference.

"We have to develop a killer instinct," coach Larry Drew said. "If we want to be a team that's mentioned with some of the better teams, we've got to learn to put teams away. Right now, we're just not very good at that."

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 23 points and Jeff Teague added 21.

But the way the year is going, Smith is facing more and more questions about just how long he'll be in Atlanta. His contract is up at the end of the season, and there's persistent speculation that he might be dealt before this month's trade deadline.

"Every year, people ask me the same questions," Smith said. "They asked me the same questions four years ago, and I'm still here. I'm not worried about rumors. I'm just going to keep playing."

At the start, it looked as though the Hawks would win in a breeze. They led 45-31 after John Jenkins' free throw midway through the second quarter.

Atlanta lit it up from long range, shooting 9 of 16 from outside the arc in the first half. But New Orleans got hot near the end of the period, closing the gap to 55-50 by halftime.

The Hornets kept it up in the second half, leading by as many as 14 themselves. Vasquez knocked down three shots from 3-point range and Anderson went 4 of 7 beyond the line. New Orleans finished 45 of 86 from the field, including 9 of 16 on deep shots - even after Williams complained before the game about his players being too focused on shooting 3-pointers.

The Hornets might make some silly mistakes, but they're clearly a team with a promising future.

Youth certainly won out on this night.

"I wasn't even tired," Vasquez said. "That was the key: we were playing with energy. Sometimes teams push us around because we're young kids. We played physical and we got a win."

Kyle Korver went 3 of 6 from 3-point range, setting an Atlanta franchise record with his 43rd consecutive game making at least one shot beyond the arc. He broke the mark set by Mookie Blaylock, who had 42 in a row during the 1996-97 season.

But the Hawks struggled to find a spark in the second half.

"Whenever you give a team a little hope, especially a team that's young, you're going to be in for a battle," Smith moaned.

NOTES: The Hornets put together a season-high four wins in a row last month, and three other times they've won back-to-back games. ... Hawks C Zaza Pachulia returned after missing four games with a sore right Achilles. He played 18 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds. ... G Devin Harris played his second straight game for Atlanta after being bothered by a sore left foot. He had only two points. ... Anderson scored 19 for the Hornets, while Robin Lopez chipped in with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Notebook: Hornets 111, Hawks 100

Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:28 PM - Updated Fri Feb 08, 2013 11:28 PM

THE FACTS: Greivis Vasquez may or may not win the NBA's Most Improved Player award, but he left little doubt Friday that he'll be in the conversation after his first career triple-double pushed the Hornets to a 111-100 win over the host Hawks.

Vasquez, a third-year player from Maryland, had 21 points,12 assists and a career-high tying 11 rebounds as the Hornets used a big third quarter to win their second straight game. Eric Gordon scored 27 in the Hornets' second straight win.

New Orleans (17-33) turned the ball over nine times in the first half, when the Hawks (27-22) made nine 3-pointers to take a 55-50 lead.

The Hornets put together a 20-4 run in the middle of the third period to wrestle away the game. Vasquez had six points, five asissts and four rebounds in the decisive third quarter.

He is averaging 14.0 points, 9.4 assists, and 4.5 rebounds while starting every game for New Orleans -- well up from his career bests of 8.9, 5.4 and 2.6 last season.

Jeff Teague and Josh Smith scored 21 points each for Atlanta, and Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver set a franchise record for 3-pointers made in consecutive games.

He was 3-for-6 from distance while scoring 17 points, and has made at least one trey in 43 straight games. Mookie Blaylock made at least one in 42 games in 1996-97.

Atlanta, however, was trounced on the boards. New Orleans had a 44-33 rebounding edge, and the Hawks had just five offensive rebounds as the Hornets built a 22-13 edge in second-chance points.

QUOTABLE: "I wanted to get a triple-double tonight, and win . . . I'm not satisfied. I want more, and I want to help the team win. When we play tough, and play with the mindset that we have to fight and bump people, we're a better team."
-- Greivis Vasquez

THE STAT: 0 -- This was the Hornets' turnover total in the third quarter. They turned it over nine times in the first half, leading to 16 Atlanta points.

TURNING POINT: Vasquez assisted on a short shot by Robin Lopez with 8:36 left in the third quarter to start the Hornets' 20-4 run. When Vasquez assisted Roger Mason's layup for a 77-68 New Orleans lead with 2:01 left in the period, the 20-4 sprint was complete. In it, Vasquez had three points, five assists and three rebounds, and the Hornets outrebounded the Hawks 13-4.

QUOTABLE II: "We came out with very low energy. It's been a trend of ours to come out not very strong in the third. That hurt us today."
-- Hawks center Al Horford

HOT: The Hornets shot 22-for-41 in the first half (53.7 percent), but Atlanta took a 55-50 lead on 51.3 percent shooting (20-for-39) and more importantly Atlanta was 9-for-16 from 3-point territory in the first two quarters. . . . After shooting 4-for-7 on 3-pointers off the bench, New Orleans' Ryan Anderson over the past six games is shooting 44.7 percent from distance (17-for-38). . . . Josh Smith had a season high-tying eight assists. . . . Korver has made at least two 3-pointers in 11 consecutive games.

NOT: Teague had six turnovers. . . . Playing in his hometown, New Orleans forward Al-Farouq Aminu started and missed his only shot. He had eight rebounds, however.

QUOTABLE III: "We have to develop a killer instinct. I've said that all year long."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew

ROOKIE WATCH: Anthony Davis, the No. 1 overall pick, was fairly steady on the way to scoring eight points and grabbing seven rebounds in 25:41 for the Hornets. He had a shot blocked, and added a block of his own to go with three assists. . . . Guard John Jenkins led all Atlanta subs with eight points, and was 2-for-3 from distance. He added two rebounds and a blocked shot.

NOTABLE: Vasquez has led New Orleans in assists in 48 of 50 games. He had shot just 2-for-11 on 3-pointers in five games prior to Friday, when he shot 3-for-5. . . . Atlanta's DeShawn Stevenson missed his second straight game with soreness in his right knee. . . . Lopez had one of his better all-around games with 17 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. He shot 8-for-12.

UP NEXT: For the Hornets, Sunday @ Toronto, Monday @ Detroit, Wednesday vs. Portland. For the Hawks, Monday @ Dallas, Wednesday @ Orlando, Feb. 20 vs. Miami.

• Hornets: --
• Hawks: Stevenson, Williams

• Hornets: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #33 Sean Corbin, #71 Rodney Mott, #52 Scott Twardoski
• Attendance: 14022
• Duration: 2:09