Jan 11, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Utah Jazz point guard Randy Foye (8) defends Atlanta Hawks point guard Devin Harris (34) during the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Game Recap

Well it took them four games and three quarters, but it appears as if the Atlanta Hawks have finally remembered how to play winning basketball.

Lead by a flat-out spectacular showing from Atlanta’s role players, the Hawks, who trailed by as much as 15 points in the third quarter, bounced back with a 35-19 effort in the fourth to pull out a much needed victory.

With that, here is our immediate analysis and overreaction to each Hawks’ performance. (Players will not appear if they did not play at least 15 minutes)

Jeff Teague: D

Our very own Wesley Morton summed up this performance quite nicely in a recent article. He had three steals, that’s about it. But silver lining, right?

Devin Harris: A+

If you thought Josh Smith’s play was bipolar, Devin Harris’ is outright insane. He’s become notorious for a curve-ball game of solid production from time to time, but tonight he was just on a different level. He finished with a game-high 24 points on 8-9 shooting, he went 4-5 from downtown and even tossed out five assists. His performance felt an awful lot like finding twenty bucks in an old pair of jeans.

Kyle Korver: C

If he did not play at least 15 minutes, there would be absolutely no point in mentioning him.  He didn’t hurt the team, as much as he just failed to do much of anything. He finished with 3 points on 1-4 shooting and had two assists.

Josh Smith:  A

Stat-sheet stuffing and bad shot selection, nothing new here. He posted 15 points on 7-14 shooting and posted a team-high 10 rebounds and 6 assists. He also went 0-3 from beyond the arc and is still batting a thousand in face-palm worthy shots.

Al Horford: C

When a guy shoots 6-9 for 12 points and notched two blocks, you can’t necessarily call it a bad night — that is unless you are Al freaking Horford. Not sure where his play has been lately, but it’s certainly not on par with what we saw earlier in the season. His three rebounds can attest to that.

Lou Williams: C

He had a typical night as a volume shooter, putting together a pedestrian 14 points on 13 shots. He’s been on a pretty big tear as of late, but has sputtered slightly the last two games.

Ivan Johnson: B+

13 points, 7 rebounds, a block and a steal in 26 minutes. It’s also rumored that he’s leading Atlanta in children scared and internet memes per game. Imagine that.

Zaza Pachulia: C+

Foul magnet and went 5-7 from the field for 12 points. He wasn’t class Zaza on the glass in this one, but he continues to get the job done where he’s needed. He also nailed to huge momentum shifting back-to-back buckets out of the gate in the fourth.

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The Hawks will now look to carry this momentum into their next contest against the Washington Wizards. You can watch the game live on NBA League Pass and Fox Sports South, or listen to it for free with NBA All-Access radio on Saturday, Jan.12, at 7:00 PM (ET).

Also, be sure to check back with Soaring Down South for your daily pre-game and post-game details.

Jan 9, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Louis Williams (3) sits on the bench in the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Obviously scoring 12 points in a single quarter is never ideal. Or sporting a 5-20 free throw differential.  But such is the life of an Atlanta Hawks fan — at least for tonight.

I’ll try to keep this as short as possible, considering no one want to dwell on the semantics of losing two straight. We can chalk this one up to some lackluster effort and some pretty dismal shooting slumps.

After all, any time Josh Smith is going 1-5 from beyond the arc, or just shooting five three-pointers period, it’s going to be a long night.

With that, here is my immediate overreaction and assessment of each Hawks performance. (Players will not appear if they did not play at least 15 minutes)

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Jeff Teague: B+

If you needed something positive to hold onto after this one — which I know I do — Teague’s bounce back performance is pretty much all you’re going to be able to cling to. After posting five points and not a single assists in Minnesota the night before, he regained his form and posted a solid 15 points on 7-11 shooting and dished out 8 assists. He didn’t exactly lock down Kyrie Irving, but let’s pick our battles here.

Lou Williams: D

The only thing more bipolar than Lou’s role in the lineup is your ex, and maybe his production. Whether his confidence was rattle when Drew went with a larger starting five isn’t my call. But five points on 2-8 shooting isn’t what you’d expect from a guy who’s been on an absolute tear recently and that dropped 21 the night before.

Kyle Korver: C+

Well, he outrebounded Al Horford and went 4-8 from downtown. Not exactly top-tier production in a game-high 38 minutes, but what do you expect.

Josh Smith: B+

It’s incredinbly difficult to give Josh an “B+” after this one, seeing as his shot selection was a resounding “F” yet again. He did, however, post six blocks, four assists and eight rebounds to go with his 17 points. How he managed to shoot 8-16 is beyond me. Someone seriously needs to run this one back and do a recount.

Al Horford: F  ☚

Five rebounds and 7-18 from the field. With no Anderson Varejao. Here’s to pointing fingers.

John Jenkins: D

It was going to happen sooner or later — everyone has an off night. Jenkins finished 2-7 from the field and 1-3 from deep on the night. Maybe it’s just those rims in Cleveland.

Zaza Pachulia: B+

He struggled a little defensively, but he played like a man. Posting a team-high 10 rebounds in 25 minutes.

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The Hawks will now return home to take on the Utah Jazz in hopes of snapping their four-game skid. You can watch the game live on NBA League Pass and Fox Sports South, or listen to it for free with NBA All-Access radio on Friday, Jan. 10 at 7:30 PM (ET).

Jan 8, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague (0) dribbles against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Greg Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Any time your opponent manages to post 29 assists compared to only nine turnovers, it’s going to be a long night — that’s exactly how the cookie crumbled for the Hawks Tuesday evening.

It didn’t help that Atlanta started slow out of the gate, giving up allowing a ten point lead in the first quarter, or that Nikola Pekovic is apparently the Montenegrin-Wilt Chamberlain, as he posted 25 points and a career-high 18 rebounds on the night.

That said, the Hawks did manage to make this one a nail-biter in the second half. However, by simply taking a glance at the stats, you would think they should have won the game. After all, Atlanta posted a better field goal percentage, shockingly managed to scrape together a better effort on the glass, and shot better from the line.

What they did not do, however, was protect the ball — the Hawks coughed up the rock early and often, which lead to their 15 turnovers. It was actually more so just solid defense on the part of Minnesota than a lackadaisical effort by Atlanta.

With that, here is my immediate overreactions and analysis of each Hawks player’s performance. (Players will not appear if they did not play at least 15 minutes. Sorry, Tolliver fans)

Jeff Teague: F ☚

I hate to point fingers, but the Hawks lost this game because of his play. Or lack of. He was literally a walking foul and only mustered five points and three rebounds in 22 minutes. As someone who recently advocated for Teague as “the Hawks most important player” — I’m a little salty at the moment.

Lou Williams: A

Looks like Larry Drew finally found his golden boy. Not only did he start, but he’s playing heavy minutes — and performing spectacularly in them. He’s rough around the edges, there’s not questioning that. But as far as guys that can erupt at any given moment, Williams is proving be cream of the crop. He finished with 21 points and 8 assists.

Kyle Korver: B-

Kyle Korver was.. well, he was very Kyle Korver. He went 4-7 from beyond the arc and tried his best to contribute elsewhere. Tried being the key word there, like tried as in did not succeed.

Josh Smith: A+ (Player of the game)

There are very few things more constant than Smith’s ability to ruin an outstanding three quarters with the fourth. Coffee comes to mind, but not much else. That said, he threw together a stat line of 21 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks and a steal. The Hawks wouldn’t have even been in this game without his production.

Al Horford: A

He wasn’t perfect on defensively, namely on the defensive glass. But whenever a guy goes 9-16 for 21 points and pulls down 6 offensive rebound, certain things can easily be overlooked.

John Jenkins: B-

He’s a rookie, he’s making his shots and he’s looking like the second coming of shuttlesworth doing it. He went 4-6 from the field and 2-3 from downtown for 10 points. He also had two blocks.

Zaza Pachulia: C-

It was a game where we could have really used Zaza stepping up on the glass, but we just didn’t see it. He finished with three defensive rebounds.

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The Hawks will now look to bounce back against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the season series tied at one game apiece. You can watch the game live on NBA League Pass and Fox Sports South, or listen to it for free on NBA All-Access radio on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7:00 PM (ET).