Nets-Hawks Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Jan 16 2013 12:32PM

Just three weeks ago, the Brooklyn Nets owned a .500 record and fired their coach. Now, they're in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and possess the NBA's longest active winning streak.

The Atlanta Hawks, meanwhile, were 10 games over the break-even mark on New Year's Day but have earned just one win since.

In the opener of a home-and-home series, the Nets go for an eighth consecutive victory Wednesday night against the struggling Hawks as Brooklyn's Joe Johnson faces his former team for the first time.

The Nets (23-15), who are in the midst of their longest winning streak since a 14-game run late in the 2005-06 season, are 9-1 since P.J. Carlesimo took over after Avery Johnson was fired on Dec. 27, with the team 14-14. Brooklyn is averaging 102.9 points under Carlesimo after averaging 94.5 in its first 28 games.

Tuesday's 113-106 win over Toronto marked the sixth time the Nets topped the century mark under Carlesimo, something they did seven times with Johnson at the helm. Brook Lopez had a game-high 22 points while Deron Williams and Johnson each added 21.

"Our confidence is high right now, definitely as a group," said Williams, who averages 16.9 points and 7.6 assists. "And when you're winning, when you're having fun, I think everybody picks their game up a little bit and feels like they have to if they want to join in, if they don't want to be left out."

Johnson, who appeared in six straight All-Star games as a Hawk from 2007-12 before being traded last July, has been instrumental to the winning streak. He's 20 of 42 from 3-point range while averaging 20.1 points in the last seven. The Nets are 14-3 when he scores at least 18, compared to going 9-12 when he gets 17 or fewer.

"We're just kind of feeding off each other, man," said Johnson, who is hitting 38.5 percent of his 3-pointers on the season. "We're in a nice rhythm right now and hopefully we can keep it this way. It's a lot of fun to watch and I'm sure guys are having a great time in this locker room."

The Hawks (21-16) have won 10 of 12 in the series but have struggled of late, losing six of seven overall. They may have hit rock bottom in a 97-58 loss at Chicago on Monday.

Atlanta scored a franchise-low 20 points in the first half, and only Jeff Teague's layup with 7.9 seconds left prevented the final total from being the team's lowest ever. Mike Scott led the Hawks with 10 off the bench as no starter scored in double figures.

"This was very, very embarrassing," coach Larry Drew said. "From where we were as a team to where we're at right now, we have lost all sense of team on both ends of the floor. And why that's happened, I really can't put my finger on it."

The Hawks suspended leading scorer Josh Smith on Wednesday morning for "conduct detrimental to the team," and he will sit out this game. Smith, who averages 16.5 points, had totaled just 20 on 8-of-27 shooting his last two games.

"Clearly I am competitive and was frustrated by our recent losses," Smith said in a statement released by the team. "I understand and respect the team's actions and just want to get back on the court to do whatever is necessary to help my teammates. I apologize for letting them down and apologize to our fans for not being available for tonight's game."

The offense has hit a serious slump, averaging 85.0 points over the last seven games after putting up 97.9 during their 20-10 start. Atlanta was already giving up a 2.0 edge in rebounds per game through its first 20 contests but has since seen its deficit increase to 8.5.

The Nets will get a good look at Atlanta's possible lineup changes with the teams meeting again Friday in Brooklyn.

Teague has career-high 28, Hawks stop Nets 109-95

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Jan 16 2013 11:20PM

ATLANTA (AP) The Atlanta Hawks took a fast-paced approach to ending their worst slump of the season: Run, run and then run some more.

Jeff Teague had a career-high 28 points and 11 assists, Zaza Pachulia finished two assists shy of a triple-double and the short-handed Hawks beat Brooklyn 109-95 on Wednesday night to stop the Nets' seven-game winning streak.

The Hawks, who had lost six of seven, played without leading scorer Josh Smith. The forward was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount for "conduct detrimental to the team" following an incident in practice Tuesday.

The loss of Smith, also the team's second-leading rebounder, left Atlanta undersized against the Nets and their 7-foot center, Brook Lopez.

Led by Teague, the Hawks adjusted by outrunning the Nets. Atlanta had a 29-12 advantage in fast-break points.

"They ran it down our throats the entire game," Brooklyn interim coach P.J. Carlesimo said.

The Hawks almost doubled their point total from Monday night's 97-58 loss at Chicago.

"Obviously, everybody was embarrassed by the effort we gave in the last game," said Devin Harris, who had 18 points.

The Hawks ran out to an early 13-4 lead and never trailed.

"Early you could see that the energy was there," coach Larry Drew said. "They came out and took the attack to Brooklyn. You have to play like that when you've been struggling."

Pachulia had 13 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists. Al Horford had 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Lopez had 22 points for the Nets, who lost for only the second time in 11 games under Carlesimo. Brooklyn, playing back-to-back nights following a home win over Toronto on Tuesday, shot just 4 of 26 on 3-pointers.

"We're flat-out exhausted," Carlesimo said.

But he added that blaming the loss on fatigue was not fair to the Hawks' effort.

"They outplayed us in pretty much all the aspects of the game," Carlesimo said. "They were very, very aggressive. They really shared the ball. The ball moved very, very well."

Smith has missed three games this season, two for health reasons. Each time the Hawks managed an impressive win - at Oklahoma City in Atlanta's second game of the season and at home over Indiana and Brooklyn.

Even so, Drew said he missed Smith.

"Tonight we were good," Drew said. "With Josh we're better. That's just the bottom line. It will be good to get Josh back. Tomorrow when Josh shows up, he will get a big hug from me."

Joe Johnson had 15 points while shooting 4 of 15 from the field in his return to Atlanta, where he played the past seven seasons. Johnson was a six-time All-Star with the Hawks but drew some boos from Atlanta fans.

The Hawks had success in providing help for Kyle Korver and DeShawn Stevenson, the primary defenders on Johnson.

"If we'd have made them pay a couple of times, then they wouldn't have double-teamed as much," Johnson said. "It seemed that we just didn't know where to be."

Teague's previous high was 27 points at Cleveland on Dec. 28, 2012.

"When shots were there, I just tried to take them with confidence, and I was able to knock some down," Teague said.

After scoring only 20 points in the first half of the loss to the Bulls, including five in the second quarter, the Hawks led the Nets 56-40 at halftime. Their 24 field goals in the half matched their total for the full game against the Bulls.

With every defensive rebound, Drew waved his right arm in windmill fashion and yelled "Let's go!" as he demanded his team push the pace. The Hawks followed his instruction, taking a 19-4 advantage in fast-break points in the first half.

Atlanta stretched the lead to 73-47 midway through the third quarter.

The Nets closed to 99-87 on a 3-pointer by Deron Williams, who scored 12 points. Andray Blatche also had 12 for the Nets.

The Hawks shot a season-high 57.7 percent from the field. Lou Williams and Kyle Korver each scored 11.

The teams play again in Brooklyn on Friday night.

"They were a very, very good team tonight without Josh," Carlesimo said. "You've got to think they're going to be a better team when they add a player of his caliber on Friday."

NOTES: Hawks radio play-by-play announcer Steve Holman was honored for calling his 2,000th consecutive game. The streak, which began in 1989 and includes the regular season and playoffs, is the longest of any NBA announcer in radio or television. ... Matt Kenseth, the 2012 Daytona 500 winner, attended the game to promote the Feb. 24 race. ... Hawks G Anthony Morrow (sore lower back) did not play. ... Nets F Gerald Wallace (bruised ribs) did not start but had four points in 15 minutes.

Notebook: Hawks 109, Nets 95

Jon Cooper, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:48 PM - Updated Thu Jan 17, 2013 12:26 AM

THE FACTS: Coming off one of the worst games in franchise history, the Atlanta Hawks played one of their best games of the season.

Playing without Josh Smith, who was suspended for the game, the Hawks came out running and gunning and never stopped, routing the Brooklyn Nets, 109-95, Wednesday night at Philips Arena. The win was only Atlanta's second in its last eight games but the sixth straight in the series and eighth consecutive win over the Nets at Philips Arena.

The loss snapped Brooklyn's seven-game winning streak and was only the second defeat in 11 games under interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo. The teams meet again Friday night in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.

The Hawks shot 57.7 percent for the game and had 33 assists, led by their back court. Jeff Teague and Devin Harris combined for 46 points on 18-for-29 shooting, and 16 assists. Teague's 28 points (a career-high) and 11 assists both were game-highs for Atlanta, which saw six players score in double-figures, including all five starters. Center Zaza Pachulia, starting in place of Smith, just missed recording his first career triple double, scoring 13 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and handing out eight assists, and Al Horford added 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season.

Brook Lopez had 22 points to lead the Nets. He dominated inside, hitting 10-of-14 shots and also pulled in a team-high nine rebounds. Joe Johnson, making his return to Atlanta, where he was an All-Star in six of his seven seasons, was next in scoring with 15, but struggled from the field, making only 4-of-15 shots and none from three.

Atlanta led wire-to-wire, speeding out to a 13-4 lead just over four minutes in, and led 27-20 after one, shooting 57.9 percent in the quarter. The Hawks carried a double-digit lead for most of the second quarter, leading 56-40 at half. The 56 points were two fewer than they scored in the entire game Monday at Chicago. Atlanta would stretch the lead to 26 in the third quarter, when they shot 70 percent (14-for-20) and never led by fewer than 12 the rest of the way.

Twice the Nets, who were playing the second game of a back-to-back, pulled to within 12, but each time the Hawks answered.

The Hawks finished the game shooting 57.7 percent, to 42.5 for Brooklyn and hit eight of 21 three-pointers (38.1 percent), to the Nets' 4-of-26 (15.4 percent.

QUOTABLE: "When you have guards with the speed of Jeff Teague and Devin Harris, if you want the ball you've got to keep up with them."
-- Hawks Coach Larry Drew

THE STAT: 29-12: The Hawks put an emphasis on running and it showed. The Hawks outscored the Nets on the fast break, 29-12. Atlanta came into the game averaging 15.9 fast break points a game. A key part of that was winning the rebounding battle, as they had a 41-37 edge.

TURNING POINT: With 1:46 left in the first quarter the Nets trailed 22-20 and were on an 8-2 run. But an Ivan Johnson offensive rebound and put-back of a Lou Williams' miss kickstarted a 12-0 run bridging the end of the first quarter and the first minute of the second, pushing the lead to 14. Brooklyn never got closer than seven the rest of the game. An 8-2 run to close the second quarter put the Hawks up 56-40 and put the Nets in too deep a hole to come back.

QUOTABLE II: "We knew the Hawks weren't going to let me play. We knew they were going to trap me every time I caught the ball. We just didn't seem to make the right reads."
-- Brooklyn guard and former Hawk Johnson

HOT: The Hawks shot 70 percent in the third quarter -- 14-of-20, 3-for-7 from three (42.9 percent) -- when they took control of the game. In the quarter, Teague was 4-for-4, 1-for-1 from three, Pachulia was 3-for-3, Horford 2-for-3 and Williams and Johnson each hit their only shots, Williams hitting from three.

HOT: The Nets were perfect from the foul line on the night, converting all 17 of their free throw attempts. Johnson led the way going 7-for-7, while Reggie Evans was 4-for-4 and Lopez, Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace both made their only two attempts.

NOT: Brooklyn was as off from behind the arc as they were on from the line. The Nets shot only 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) from three, with Deron Williams leading the team with two 3-pointers but in nine tries. C.J. Watson and Mirza Teletovic both went 1-for-3, while Johnson (0-for-4), Keith Bogans (0-for-6), and Jerry Stackhouse (0-for-1) took the collar.

ROOKIE WATCH: Teletovic was the only rookie to see the floor. In 6:33, he had three points on 1-for-4 shooting, including 1-for-3 from three, making him one of three Nets to can a three.

GOOD MOVE: The Nets stressed attacking Johnson and frequently had their bigs and front court players step out to double-team. The result was a nightmare return to Atlanta for Johnson, who shot 26.7 percent (4-for-15) and was 0-fer from three (0-for-4).

NOTABLE: Atlanta's 33 assists were two off their season-high and marked the fourth time they've given out 30 assists. They are 4-0 in such games. ... The Hawks had three starters record double-doubles for the second time this season, while all five starters hit for double figures for the sixth time. ... Lopez came into the game as the only player in the NBA to average 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game. He didn't hurt his cause Wednesday, scoring 22, grabbing nine boards and blocking a shot. ... Five Nets scored in double-figures, including Andray Blatche, who had 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting...Kyle Korver was only 1-for-4 from three, but it was enough to extend his career-high streak of games with a three-point field goal to 32...NASCAR's Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 car, was in attendance and was recognized at the half...Hawks radio play-by-play announcer Steve Holman was honored at the end of the first quarter for calling his 2,000th straight game.

UP NEXT: For the Nets, Friday vs. Hawks, Monday @ New York, Wednesday @ Minnesota. For the Hawks, Friday @ Nets, Saturday vs. San Antonio, Monday vs. Minnesota.

• Nets: James, Shengelia
• Hawks: Morrow

• Nets: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #47 Bennie Adams, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 15029
• Duration: 2:05