December 18, 2012; Washington, D.C., USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) dunks the ball over Washington Wizards forward Kevin Seraphin (13) at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Apparently the Hawks are intent on seeing just how many offensive rebounds they can give up and still walk away with a win. Fortunately, the Wizards remain a regular season oasis on Atlanta’s schedule, as the Hawks’ have now won 18 of their last 19 meetings and are 3-0 in the season series.

That said, the Hawks cut it awfully close in this one, buzzer-beater close. As Jordan Crawford, who was 5-8 from beyond the arc and a game-high 25 points with one second remaining,  launched what could have been a game-winning three.

It was the second time this season the Hawks and the Wizards faced off in overtime. And the second time Atlanta managed to show in the extra period that they shouldn’t have been there to begin with.

That said, a win is a win. I suppose. And what better way to celebrate it than over-analyze and overact to every Hawks’ performance. Players will not appear if they did not play at least 15 minutes.

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 (Player of the game)

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.

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.

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.

–The Hawks will now return home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. We can only hope they take tonight as a wake up call, because this effort simply won’t fly against a powerhouse Thunder team in the mist of a 10 game win streak. You can watch the game live on NBA League pass or Fox Sports South at 7:30 PM ET, Dec. 19th.

Dec 5, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks small forward Josh Smith (5) celebrates after a dunk in the final seconds of the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks took the floor on national television Wednesday night as they matched up against the Denver Nuggets.

Atlanta, being fresh off a heart-wrenching loss to the Cavs five days earlier, had more than enough time to right the ship. Namely, their woes on the glass and defensively.

“I think we have some tough guys, it’s just a matter of when we get out there on that court, bringing some type of physical presence, and we didn’t do it well enough against Cleveland,” Hawks player development instructor Nick Van Exel told Hawks.com “And we know against Denver, they’re just as tough as far as going to the offensive glass, so we’ve got to be prepared for that.”

With a glaring disparity between Denver and Atlanta in offensive rebounding, being ranked first and 25th in the league, respectively, the Nuggets were set to give the Hawks an absolute nightmare on paper.

So of course it was only natural for the Hawks to go on to outrebound the Nuggets 19-11 offensively, ultimately becoming one of the games deciding factors.

Basketball is fun, isn’t it?

That said, while a win is a win. What good would it be unless I got to over-analyze and overreact to every players performance?

Fine, it’s still pretty awesome. But you’re stuck with me anyway.(players will not appear if they did not play at least 15 minutes*)

Jeff Teague: F

Yikes. It was just a night to forget for Teague. He logged 9 points on 4-16 shooting and only dished out four assists. He also managed to make Ty Lawson look like the second coming of Derrick Rose, as Lawson dropped 32 on him.

Lawson was due though. He had been dealing with a shooting slump for the better part of this season and things just started connecting for him. I honestly don’t think it would have mattered all that much who was guarding him, he was just feeling it. So don’t look too much into this one. It is what it is.

Devin Harris: B+

Look, I know what you’re thinking. And no, it’s not a typo. Harris actually looked like the real deal in this one. Maybe he was having New Jersey flashbacks or something. Regardless, he was excellent in dictating the pace with the ball in his hands, he was aggressive but didn’t force the issue(5-6 FG) and notched three steals. I wouldn’t bank on this kind of outing consistently, but he seems to be steadily finding his groove in Atlanta.

DeShawn Stevenson: C+

Stevenson remains the quintessential role player. Never thought you’d hear that, did you? He’s a sturdy defensive presence more often than not, and while he’s not Kyle Korver he’s been a stalwart from beyond the arc. He finished with 9 points on 3-5 from deep. It’s not exactly the kind of performance that’s going to have you naming your future children DeShawn, but there’s something to be said for not trying to do too much and simply letting the game come to you.

Josh Smith: B

Yeah, yeah. His steal, dunk and free throw were the dagger that sealed the game, I get that. But it still doesn’t change the fact his performance just didn’t sit right with me. He finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds. And while that might look fairly “stat sheet stuffer supreme” on the surface, it was the manner in which he played that had me, and I’m guessing the entirety of Hawks’ nation, cringing every other 20 seconds.

As in typical J-Smoove fashion he’d make an amazing open court play, dishing it off to Al Horford in a flat-out spectacular sequence one second, then follow it up with some lackadaisical transition defense and cough up a panicky turnover off a double team the next.

To be honest, the Hawks looked better when he was on the bench more often than not. And if we were to weigh this performance against a max contract, Smith is treading water.

Al Horford: A+

25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 1 block, 12-20 FG. Horford’s stats are a lot like his game. He can let it do the talking.

Lou Wiliams: B-

First off, Lou had Andre Miller guarding him. So how he didn’t drop like a billion points is beyond me. However, he did finish with 16. Although it was on 4-13 shooting.. He rounded out the night with six assists, two steals and a bit to be desired at the line going 2-6. Yeah, just another night at the office for Williams really.

Zaza Pachulia: B

Zaza was decidedly Zaza. 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block.

Ivan Johnson: B+

Ivan Johnson is a beast. I say that figuratively, but with each passing game I start to question that just a little more. He only played 15 minutes, but he successfully rattled Danilo Gallinari to the point where he had no lasting impact on the game. His six points and four boards were really just icing on the cake, because as usual his presence extended far beyond the box score.

–

The Hawks will look to build on the win against Washington Wizards at home, Dec 7th. It will be the second time the teams have faced off this season, as Atlanta took the first game in a 101-100 thriller.

You can catch the game live with NBA League Pass or check Fox Sports South for your local scheduling. You can also check back daily with Soaring Down South for everything Hawks.

Follow @dannyjnicks

Nov 12, 2012; Portland, OR, USA; Atlanta Hawks power forward Al Horford (15) shoots against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-US PRESSWIRE

THE RESULT

The Atlanta Hawks improve to .500 and snap a two game losing streak after narrowly defeating the Portland Trailblazers at the Rose Garden 95-87.

Atlanta’s defense proved to be the difference maker Monday night, as they forced 20 turnovers and held Portland to 36.1% from the field and 26.1% from three on the night.

This game pushes the Blazers losing streak to four, although the final score is not indicative of just how close a game this was down to the wire.

TURNING POINTS

Monday night’s win was anything but pretty despite the Hawks stellar 9-0 start out of the gate and the momentum in their favor as they lead 56 to 47 at the half.

#ATLHawks moving the ball very nice…1st timeout of the quarter with 6:47 left in the 1st quarter Hawks lead 18-7.

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 13, 2012

A stretch in which the Hawks actually got out and thrived in transition, posting a staggering 51-86-46 from the field and 10 steals.

Unfortunately coming out of the break the Hawks appeared entirely disjointed and it’s ball movement fell stagnant.  It went on to mark the fourth straight contest in which Atlanta has been outscored in the third quarter.

Their lack of momentum in the third carried into the fourth as the Hawks fell victim to a four minute, 15-2 run. Ultimately allowing Portland, who had trailed by as much as 15 points, to take its first lead of the game 82-80 with just under six minutes left in the game.

Thankfully after two minutes of questionable shot selections(2-6FG) and hero ball from Josh Smith, Al Horford took over with three minutes remaining.

He went on to score three straight bucks in under a minute, setting the stage for a clutch drive and finish from Jeff Teague with 42 seconds on the clock to seal the game.

Al Horford playing grown man basketball down the stretch….#ATLHawks lead 89-87

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 13, 2012

HAWKS PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Al Horford: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 6-10FG

Josh Smith: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 Block, 1 Steal, 9-22FG

Jeff Teague: 13 points, 8 assists, 3 steals , 4-11FG

HAWKS KEY ROLE PLAYER

Kyle Korver: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 5-8Fg, 4-6 from deep

HAWKS X-FACTOR

Lou Williams: 11 points, 4 steals

BLAZERS PLAYER OF THE GAME

J.J. Hickson: 19 points, 18 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, 8-14FG

GAME REACTIONS

”This was a really gutsy win by our guys. We fell into a similar situation last night in L.A., where we played well for three quarters and then in the fourth quarter collapsed. Tonight we weathered the storm.” – Larry Drew (via Yahoo Sports)

Nice Win for us on the road vs Portland. Much better effort tonite. Go Hawks!

— Al Horford (@Al_Horford) November 13, 2012

 

”We knew they were going to go on a run, but it just shows you how this team is a veteran team. We didn’t get rattled, we took our time even when they took the lead, and we figured out a way to score the basketball down the stretch.” – Josh Smith (via Yahoo Sports)

NEXT UP

The Hawks will take on the Golden State Warriors Wednesday Nov. 14th at ORACLE Arena.