Hawks-Hornets Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Dec 31 2012 11:47PM

The New Orleans Hornets will be going for back-to-back wins on Tuesday night for only the second time this season. But with the return of the team's top scorer seemingly breathing new life into the lineup, it looks much more attainable.

The Hornets will try to start a rare winning streak when they host the Atlanta Hawks.

New Orleans (7-23) hasn't won consecutive games since Nov. 2-3 - its second and third games of the season - but has won two of its last three, the most recent victory highlighted by Eric Gordon's season debut.

Gordon came off the bench to score 24 points in less than 25 minutes in Saturday's 98-95 win at Charlotte. He also had seven assists and two steals in his first game since April 22.

The fifth-year pro only played nine games last season and had arthroscopic surgery on his knee because of a bone bruise.

"I felt pretty good, I was kind of surprised," Gordon said. "Now I'm just going to try to get better and better from here. I wouldn't have had a chance to help this team earlier with my knee, but I'm glad everything is working out now."

The impact of having Gordon on the court isn't just limited to his individual production. Perhaps even more valuable is what he does for his teammates, as his scoring ability commands attention from the opposing defense.

Ryan Anderson, the team leader with 17.7 points per game, said he hadn't received open looks like he did against Charlotte in a while. He credited the presence of Gordon, who averaged a career-high 22.3 points in 56 games for the Clippers in 2010-11.

"He's a special player," said Anderson, who had 19 points and eight rebounds. "There are not a lot of guys like him in the NBA. He hasn't quite warmed up to be 100 percent comfortable yet with this group on the court, but to come out and take over like that, that is the mark of a special player."

The Hawks (19-10) had a four-game win streak snapped with a 123-104 loss at Houston on Monday in the opener of a three-game trip. Atlanta allowed the Rockets to go on a 16-0 run in the second quarter and could never overcome an 18-point halftime deficit.

The 123 points were the most allowed this season by the Hawks, who relied more on their offense during the winning streak. Atlanta is averaging 106.6 ppg over its last five but couldn't keep pace with high-scoring Houston, which shot 53.6 percent from the field.

"Houston's shooting pretty much sums it up," said Josh Smith, who scored 17 points after missing one game with a hip injury. "They got on a streak where they couldn't miss."

Monday's defeat wasn't a result of the Hawks' 3-point shooting, which remained hot as they went 12 of 23 from beyond the arc and have hit 10 or more in a franchise-record four straight games.

Devin Harris (7.7 ppg) and Anthony Morrow (5.5) have missed the last seven and two games for Atlanta, respectively, and coach Larry Drew said they won't be with the team until it returns home on Saturday.

"We won't know how long (they will be out) until we get back," Drew told the team's official website. "We're still just treating both guys."

The teams have split their last eight meetings, with the Hawks winning last season's lone matchup, 94-72 in New Orleans. Jeff Teague scored a season-high 24 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range.

Smith lifts Hawks to 95-86 win over Hornets

Posted Jan 01 2013 11:41PM

NEW ORLEANS (AP) The new year opened with a scene hauntingly familiar from the past for the New Orleans Hornets.

Josh Smith scored 10 of his team-high 23 points in the third quarter to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 95-86 victory over the Hornets on Tuesday night.

New Orleans was outscored 28-14 in the decisive period, turning a 50-44 halftime lead into a 72-64 deficit. The Hornets were six of 16 in the quarter, committed four turnovers and were outscored 6-0 in the final 2:22.

On Dec. 22 Indiana held the Hornets to seven points in the third quarter, resulting in an 81-75 loss.

"We just didn't put up much of a fight," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "We just didn't have execution and didn't play with a lot of force tonight. Their bigs did a very good job of dominating the game.

The Hawks frontcourt of Smith, Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia combined for 55 points, 26 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and five blocked shots.

Kyle Korver added 14 points for Atlanta, which spoiled the homecoming of Hornets guard Eric Gordon.

Gordon, playing in his first home game this season, scored 11 points on 5 of 17 shooting. Gordon, who had spent most of the season recovering from a knee injury, made his season debut in a victory over Charlotte this past Saturday.

Ryan Anderson scored 23 points, Greivis Vasquez 17 and Robin Lopez 10 for the Hornets, who had won two of their past three. Vasquez, selected the NBA Player of the Week on Monday, recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 10 assists.

"We had a letdown in the first two quarters," Smith said. "I wanted to come out with energy and effort, so I was happy when I made some shots in the third quarter and was very efficient. "

Gordon, logging 23 minutes, and was of 2 of 10 in the second half.

"I felt like I missed some shots I should have made," he said. "In the second half they did a good job keeping me from getting to the goal."

The Hornets' Anthony Davis struggled from the floor, making four of nine shots for nine points but had 12 rebounds and four blocked shots.

New Orleans also struggled from the free throw line, making 4 of 12, the .333 percentage setting a franchise record.

The Hornets had defeated the Hawks in six of the past 10 meetings and appeared to be in control early, leading 21-10 late in the first quarter. But Atlanta closed on a 12-5 run with Vasquez and Lopez on the bench for the final three minutes, cutting the lead to 26-22.

In the fourth quarter, New Orleans twice cut the lead to two points, the last coming on Vasquez's free throw with 4:14 remaining. But Korver answered with a trey off of a Horford assist to put the Hawks up 87-82 with 3:57 left.

"I think everyone was waiting on (Gordon) to do something, be Superman," Williams said. "That's not what we're about. We're a team and I got to find a good rotation."

NOTES: Smith's 13 rebounds put him over the 5,000 mark for his career. ... Vasquez's nine rebounds left him one short of what would have been his second triple-double of the season. ... Atlanta has two days off before traveling to Detroit, the final leg of a three-game road trip.

Notebook: Hawks 95, Hornets 86

Bradley Handwerger, for NBA.com
Posted Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:55 PM - Updated Tue Jan 01, 2013 11:55 PM

THE FACTS: The Atlanta Hawks showed no signs of being tired from playing four games in four different cities in five nights, holding off the New Orleans Hornets 95-86 on New Year's night.

Josh Smith had 23 points and 13 rebounds while Al Horford contributed 20 points to pace the Hawks (20-10) to their fifth win in the past six games.

New Orleans, meanwhile, fell to 7-24 in Eric Gordon's first game in front of the home crowd since returning from a right knee injury. Gordon scored 11 points, but was just 1-for-4 from the free-throw line and said after the game that he's still fighting to get into game shape.

Another poor third quarter by the Hornets was all Atlanta needed to move past New Orleans after a tight first half. After going into halftime down six points, Atlanta doubled New Orleans' output in the third quarter thanks to 63 percent shooting.

QUOTABLE: "I think he set the tone for us. I think we were riding a little low on energy and he did a good job both in sparking and putting us over the top. That was big of him."

--Atlanta's Horford on Smith, who went 5-for-9 for 19 points in the third quarter.

THE STAT: 4-for-8. Atlanta came into Tuesday's matchup averaging 19.5 free throws per game. But against New Orleans, the Hawks took their first free throw with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter and finished with only eight shots, four of which came in the final two minutes.

TURNING POINT: The Hornets took a 62-61 lead on the Hawks with 3:31 to go in the third quarter and the basket appeared to be just another one. But Atlanta caught its rhythm at that point and took control of the game. Kyle Korver hit a 3-pointer followed by a Smith layup and the Hawks were on their way, using an 11-2 run to close out the quarter. Though the Hornets closed within two points midway through the fourth quarter, Atlanta never trailed again.

GOOD MOVE: As much as Hornets coach Monty Williams knows that Gordon will help New Orleans, he also knows that the future is brighter than the present. Gordon played in only his second game this season after having an extended rehabilitation period for his right knee. Bringing back Gordon too soon, even if it means another couple of wins, isn't worth it if it means he's injured again.

NOTABLE: New Orleans made just 33 percent of its free throws, a franchise single-game low. ... Atlanta's Smith recorded his 5,000th rebound in the game. ... Atlanta's frontcourt finished the game with 55 points, 26 rebounds, 10 assists, five blocked shots and three steals. ... The Hornets' Greivis Vasquez finished with his eighth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 assists. For the second time in three games, he fell one rebound short of his first career triple-double. ... NFL Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Rickey Jackson were in attendance.

UP NEXT: For the Hornets, Wednesday @ Houston, Saturday @ Dallas, Monday vs. San Antonio. For the Hawks, Friday @ Detroit, Saturday vs. Boston, Tuesday @ Minnesota.

• Hawks: Harris
• Hornets: Miller

• Hawks: --
• Hornets: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #56 Mark Ayotte, #61 Courtney Kirkland
• Attendance: 12712
• Duration: 1:54