Hawks vs Wizards: Full Game Report
By David Menze
Rob Carr/Ned Dishman/Getty Images/NBA
Game Recap
The Atlanta Hawks outlasted the Washington Wizards 100-95 in OT on Tuesday, extending the Hawks winning-streak over the Wizards to 3-0 this season.
Atlanta had four players reach double-figures, led by Lou Williams’ 24 points off the bench. Williams played 40 minutes in the game after replacing Devin Harris who suffered a foot injury in the first half and didn’t return.
DeShawn Stevenson also subbed in for Harris despite coach Larry Drew wanting to give Stevenson some rest.
“I had no choice but to play DeShawn,” Drew said. “And I’ll tell you what, he really stepped it up big time for me. His presence was felt immediately.”
Stevenson finished with eight points and five rebounds, while shooting a perfect 3-3 from the field in 13 minutes of action.
Josh Smith was the only Hawks player to achieve a double-double in the OT win, as he dropped 17 points and grabbed a team-high 13 boards in the contest. Smoove shot 50% overall (6-of-12), including hitting 5-of-10 foul shots, to go along with five blocks, three steals, and one assist.
Al Horford had a rough night shooting the ball, going 2-of-11 from the field for only five points. Horford managed to help out Atlanta in other areas as the big man pulled down 11 caroms and dished out six assists in the game, while playing a game-high 44 minutes of action.
Kyle Korver added 16 points on five-of-six shooting, including going 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Korver also had seven rebounds, two assists and one block. Jeff Teague chipped in with 13 points, while adding six assists, three boards, two steals, and one block in 33 minutes.
The Washington Wizards were led by 3rd year pro Jordan Crawford, who tallied a triple-double against Atlanta with a game-high 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Crawford shot 10-of-22 overall, including 5-of-10 from behind the arc.
Nene had a great game off the bench, scoring 18 points, while adding six assists, four boards, three steals and one block in just 24 minutes of play. Nene was stellar shooting the ball, hitting 5-of-7 shots from the field and converting 8-of-10 free-throws in the game.
Bradley Beal (17) and Martell Webster (11) also reached double-figures for the Wizards.
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Quick Facts
Who?: Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards
What?: Hawks win 100-95, extend winning streak over Washington this season to 3-0
Where?: Verizon Center (Washington, DC)
When?: Tuesday, December 19, 2012
How?: It’s the Wizards…
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The game started with crisp ball movement but also some ill-advised passes, resulting in 7 first quarter turnovers from the Hawks. Some hot shooting kept the Wizards in the game, shooting 9-17 in the first quarter. From there, both sides shot poorly, en route to a sloppy 100-95 win for the Atlanta Hawks over the Washington Wizards.
The story of the game was Jordan Crawford, the former Atlanta Hawk selected in 2010 21st overall then traded with Mike Bibby for Kirk Hinrich. He had a triple double, aided by the overtime, and hit numerous long bombs, going 5-10 from beyond the arc. His 11 assists tied a career high and 11 rebounds set a new high.
Ivan Johnson left the game in the second quarter and got 4 stitches on his hand between his ring finger and pinky. Devin Harris also left the game with a sore left foot and did not return. Anthony Tolliver started the second half for the Hawks due to lack of depth. Deshawn Stevenson came into the game in the third and returned for the fourth and overtime to hit a dagger three pointer set up by Josh Smith in the overtime period.
The game was a close one from wire to wire, as the Hawks could never quite pull away. Lou Williams hit a step back three with the clock under a minute, sandwiched by two Wizards jumpers by Bradley Beal and Earl Barron, to send the game to overtime.
Brad Beal, the number 2 overall pick earlier this year had an inefficient 17 points on 22 shots but Nene had 18 points on 7 shots by being aggressive in the paint and getting to the line 10 times. Earl Barron stepped into a shallow front court for the Wizards and grabbed 14 rebounds in only 26 minutes of play.
The overall rebounding margin was tied at 49 and Al Horford and Josh Smith combined for 24 for the Hawks.
Lou Williams and Josh Smith got to the free throw line 21 of the 34 total team chances, with Lou hitting 10 of his 11 and Josh only going 5-10. With such poor shooting night from both teams, this was key down the stretch in the 4th quarter and overtime sealing the victory.
Frustrations remain for this Atlanta Hawks team that looks to be the third best team in the Eastern Conference, at least by record, and their inability with all their weapons to have a consistent quality offensive output, especially against bad teams, and failing to defend the perimeter well against an undermanned team. A win is a win nonetheless but the Hawks need to play better to have any shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder riding an 11 game winning streak tomorrow night in Philips Arena.
Game Balls
1. Josh Smith: He had 13 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals and was the only paint protector with Al, Ivan and Zaza failing to impress at all in this game.
2. Kyle Korver: He had 16 points on 6 shots as well as 7 rebounds and logged 39 minutes without Deshawn Stevenson for most of the game to provide relief.
3. Deshawn Stevenson: This seems like an odd selection since he only played 13 minutes but he had nice drive to the basket for an And-1 opportunity and hit big three pointer in the overtime period. Frankly, no other Hawk played well enough to warrant a game ball. Plus, Deshawn was determined to make Wizards fans remember he never could feel his face.
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Game Leaders
Points: Jordan Crawford (27)
Rebounds: Earl Barron (14)
Assists: Jordan Crawford (11)
Steals: Josh Smith & Nene (3)
Blocks: Josh Smith (5)
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Game Grades: Each player is given a grade on an A+ through F scale based upon their game performance.
Jeff Teague: C-
Teague finished with 13 points on 5-12 shooting, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers and a block. Crawford finished with 27 points on 10-22 shooting, 11 assists, 9 rebounds and one turnover. Your Christmas tree wasn’t the only thing lit up tonight.
Lou Williams: C
Is it still impressive if you score your team-high 24 points on 6-18 shooting? Your call. He did knock down 10 of his 11 free throws though.
Kyle Korver: B+
He continues to spread the floor as well as anyone in the league, finishing with 16 points on 3-4 from deep and 5-6 from the field. He’s still not opening any eyes defensively, finishing the night with five personal fouls, but he’s getting the job done at both ends and is playing within himself.
Josh Smith: A
Josh Smith was erratic, which isn’t exactly surprising, but he got results. He finished with a pretty stat line of 17 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks and 3 steals. He went 5-10 from the line, which certainly could have been better, but the Hawks wouldn’t have pulled out this win without him.
Al Horford: C+
Good news or the bad news? Good news, he posted 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Bad news, he shot 2-11 and had his shot rejected three times. It’s a tough call to say if the good outweighed the bad in this one, at least by Horford’s standards.
Ivan Johson: B
He needed four stitches between his pinky and his fourth finger and still returned to the game. It doesn’t matter if he popped off a three in regulation, the guy gets a B for heart. At least.
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Player of the Game
Rob Carr/Ned Dishman/Getty Images/NBA
Jordan Crawford
Crawford just surpassed the 20-point, 10-assist mark tonight… It would be the third such game of his career and 1st this season. Crawford’s career high in assists entering tonight is 11.
– ESPN Stats & Information
The Wizards suffered their second overtime-loss to the Hawks this season despite Jordan Crawford scoring 27 points to go along with his 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Crawford was the sixth player in franchise history to register a triple-double against the Hawks. He joined Si Green (1964 against the St. Louis Hawks), Gus Johnson (1969), Wes Unseld (1970), Darrell Walker (1991) and Gilbert Arenas (2004). Only Crawford and Unseld did it in losses.
– Elias Sports Bureau
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Upcoming Match-Up
The Hawks host the OKC Thunder on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012 at 7:30 PM (ET).
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