Soaring Down South » By The Numbers

Elias: Big Game For Josh Smith

David Menze — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 18:22:50 +0000

PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 10: DeShawn Stevenson #92 gives a high-five to Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks during their game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on April 10, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Hawks avenged an 11-point loss to the 76ers last Friday with a 23-point smack down victory in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Rookie John Jenkins and Mike Scott along with Al Horford all had great games for the Hawks, but it was do-it-all forward Josh Smith who stole the show.

To put Smith’s dominant performance into perspective, Elias Sports Bureau breaks it down:

Big Game For Smith

From Elias: Josh Smith scored 28 points, hauled in 12 rebounds and handed out four assists for the Hawks in their win over the 76ers. It was the ninth time in his career that Smith had that many points, rebounds and assists in a game. Since the team moved to Atlanta in 1968, only two Hawks players had more such games than Smith: Dominique Wilkins (15) and Walt Bellamy (10).

Elias: Three Hawks Swish and Dish

David Menze — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:52:03 +0000

ATLANTA, GA – APRIL 1: Jeff Teague #0 and Josh Smith #5 of the Atlanta Hawks celebrate during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 1, 2013 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Atlanta Hawks evened the season-series with Cleveland 2-2 after defeating the Cavaliers 102-94 Monday night.

The Hawks used a balanced attack to get the victory and continued to show why they are the best team in the Eastern Conference when it comes to distributing the rock.

For a deeper look into how Atlanta assisted their win, Elias Sports Bureau explains:

Three Hawks Swish And Dish

From Elias: Devin Harris scored 25 points and handed out seven assists, Jeff Teague chipped in with 19 points and nine assists while Josh Smith scored 18 points and doled out eight assists in the Hawks’ win over the Cavaliers. It’s only the fourth time in Hawks franchise history that they had three players with at least 18 points and seven assists in the same game. It also happened on Nov. 8, 1961 (Bob Pettit, Cleo Hill and Cliff Hagan), Dec. 20, 1980 (Dan Roundfield, Eddie Johnson and Charlie Criss), and March 12, 2004 (Jason Terry, Bob Sura and Stephen Jackson).

Hawks vs Raptors: Gamenotes from Elias Sports Bureau

David Menze — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:00:10 +0000

Toronto Raptors forward Rudy Gay and guard Kyle Lowry (3) sit on the bench during the final seconds of their loss to the Atlanta Hawks in NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, March 27, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

The Hawks wrapped up their sixth straight post-season berth with a 107-88 rout over the Raptors, but how they got that victory was rather rare.

Atlanta trailed by 10 points at halftime and fought back in the third quarter to even the score heading into the fourth. That’s when the Hawks did something that’s only been done on one other occasion in franchise history.

In order to put the playoff-clinching triumph into it’s proper perspective, I’ll let the good folks at Elias Sport Bureau explain:

Hawks Turn Close Game Into Blowout

From Elias: The Hawks defeated the Raptors by 19 points on Wednesday after the game was tied heading to the fourth quarter. The Hawks have had only one other win by 19 or more points after being tied or trailing going to the fourth quarter since the introduction of the shot clock (for the 1954-55 season), at San Antonio in 1979. The Hawks were behind in that game, 98-96, going to the fourth quarter, but they outscored the Spurs in the final period, 47-22.