Feb 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Hornets power forward Anthony Davis (23) and center Robin Lopez (15) defend Atlanta Hawks small forward Josh Smith (5) during the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

Greetings! As we took a look at the week to come, it was clear that a challenge was in store for the Hawks, and that proved to be true. Let’s examine what went down.

Hawks @ Pacers — Tuesday, February 5th — Loss (114-103)

Without question, this was the toughest game on the schedule on paper. Indiana had won 14 consecutive home games, and they came into the action as a top-3 defensive team in the league. With all of that said, raise your hand if you thought Atlanta would score 103 points (on the road!) and lose by 11 to the offensively-challenged Pacers. Eesh. Atlanta allowed the Pacers to shoot 48% from the field and 44% from three (11 for 25) on the night, and the Atlanta offense simply couldn’t keep the pace. Indiana certainly executed throughout the night, as they assisted on 28 of 36 field goals, but it was the occasional defensive lapse coupled with this execution that did Atlanta in. Offensively, the Hawks were limited by a subpar shooting night from Kyle Korver (3-13 FG, 2-9 from three), but Jeff Teague was electric at times, finishing with 24 points and 8 assists, while Al Horford was his typically steady self before fouling out. The injury to Zaza Pachulia was a big factor in the game, as Horford could only play 28 minutes thanks to the big workload of covering the 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert, and Johan Petro is, well, Johan Petro. Overall, it wasn’t an embarrassing performance, but the defensive indicators that emerged from this game would reappear later in the week.

Hawks vs. Grizzlies — Wednesday, February 6th — Win (103-92) 

In the weekly preview, I wrote: “Memphis is basically a better version of Indiana, but fortunately, this game is at Philips Arena.” I would fall short of saying that the venue made the entire difference, but it certainly didn’t hurt things. Memphis isn’t the same team away from the FedEx Forum, and it certainly showed here. The undermanned/undersized Hawks managed to win the rebounding battle (46-38), while shooting 52% from the field and 42% from three against one of the elite defenses in the league. It was an impressive performance. Josh Smith and Al Horford both went for double-doubles (19/11 from Smith, 17/11 from Horford), and Jeff Teague had one of his better performances of the season with an ultra-efficient 22 points (on only 10 shots) and 13 assists. The decision by Larry Drew to start Anthony Tolliver (and play him 28 minutes, no less) was a curious/inexplicable one, but it didn’t come back to bite the team on this night. Defensively, Al Horford did a fantastic job on Marc Gasol, holding him to 4-13 shooting by limiting his post touches throughout the night and showing a higher level of athleticism than he normally faces. Easily the best performance of the week, and, non-coincidentally, the only win.

Hawks vs. Hornets — Friday, February 8th — Loss (111-100)

Here is where things went sideways. In the previous two games, the Hawks played to expectations, splitting a home/road series with two upper-echelon teams. Then, Atlanta plummeted to an 11-point loss, at home, to a team with a .340 winning percentage. In short, it was a defensive disaster from the opening whistle, and things got progressively worse as the game went along. Atlanta allowed the Hornets to shoot 52.3% from the field on the night, including a blistering 9-16 (56%) from three point range. New Orleans is certainly an offense-first team, but there is no excuse for allowing this level of production, especially at Philips Arena. Greivis Vasquez abused all comers (mostly Jeff Teague) all night on the offensive end, going for a 21-point, 12-assist, 11-rebound triple-double (the first of his career), and Eric Gordon took advantage of the weaker defensive backcourt mate (Korver, Harris, Jenkins) to the tune of 27 points. The worst part was the lack of help defense, as Josh Smith routinely took a nap defensively (to be kind) and the rotations were noticeably slow for the duration of the night. It was certainly a better-than-average effort from New Orleans (check out some of those heat checks from Ryan Anderson, for example), but an 11-point loss at home to this particular opponent can’t be explained away. It was a subpar effort, and I’m sure the team would agree.

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It was stated in this week’s weekly preview that “Friday’s game against New Orleans presents a high likelihood of victory, but with this team’s penchant for no-shows, nothing is off of the table”, and unfortunately, that no-show potential reared its ugly head. There was an extremely positive takeaway from Wednesday’s game, however, and with a suddenly-healthy compliment of players that includes Zaza Pachulia and Devin Harris, the team is at near-full-strength, with the obvious exception of Lou Williams, for the first time in a while. Here’s to hoping that the no-shows will be at a minimum going forward.

Al Horford throws one down against the Hornets. (Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images)

Game Preview

The Atlanta Hawks host the New Orleans Hornets Friday at 7:30 PM (EST).

New Orleans is a completely different animal than Atlanta’s two previous games against the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies. The Hornets are a lowly 27th in defensive efficiency but present a more varied challenge on the other end, and when Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis are both healthy, they are a talented team. Ryan Anderson presents a unique challenge with power forward size and unlimited range, as he’s making a case for the 6th man of the year award with 17 points a game off the bench. I’m eager to watch Anthony Davis face off with Horford and Smith up front, as the rookie has been impressive defensively, but hasn’t gotten the focus thanks to an early-season injury and the break-out season of Damian Lillard in Portland. If there was ever a game to see the Atlanta offense get healthy, this is it, and it will probably look like New Orleans is a college team on defense after going through the Chicago/Indiana/Memphis gauntlet in consecutive games.

Follow Brad Rowland @BTRowland

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Quick Facts

Who?: Atlanta Hawks vs New Orleans Hornets

What?: Eastern Conference Showdown (Game #49, Home Game #26)

Where?: Philips Arena (Atlanta, GA)

When?: Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 – 7:30 PM (EST)

How?: SportSouth HDTV / 680 AM & 93.7 FM

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Projected Starting Lineups

Atlanta Hawks: 

PG: Jeff Teague | SG: Kyle Korver | SF: Anthony Tolliver | PF: Josh Smith  | C: Al Horford

New Orleans Hornets:

PG: Greivis Vasquez | SG: Eric Gordon | SF: Al-Farouq Aminu | PF: Anthony Davis | C: Robin Lopez

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Injury/Inactive Players Report

Atlanta Hawks: Zaza Pachulia (sore right Achilles) is day-to-day. Lou Williams (torn right ACL) is out.

New Orleans Hornets: None.

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Current Records/Streak & Hot, Lukewarm, or Cold

Records: Atlanta Hawks (27-21) … New Orleans Hornets (16-33)

Streak: Atlanta Hawks –> OVERALL: Won 1 / HOME: Won 1 / ROAD: Lost 2 … New Orleans Hornets –> OVERALL: Won 1 / HOME: Won 1 / ROAD: Lost 4

Home/Away Records: Hawks are (17-8) at home … Hornets are (8-18) away.

Atlanta Hawks: Cold. The Hawks are coming off an impressive home victory against the rugged Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday but are 7-11 in their last 18 games and that includes a three-game win streak.

New Orleans Hornets: Cold. Despite beating the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, the Hornets have lost seven of their last 10 games overall including four straight losses on the road.

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Season/Past Season Series

The Hawks host the Hornets for the only time this year in the second-and-final game between the teams. Atlanta notched a 95-86 road victory in the first meeting (1/1) as Josh Smith (23 points/13 rebounds) and Zaza Pachulia (12 points/10 boards) recorded double-doubles, and Al Horford scored 20 points. Ryan Anderson put in 23 points for New Orleans and Greivis Vasquez had 17 points and 10 assists. Atlanta has now won two straight overall against the Hornets, but dropped the last meeting at Philips Arena (94-72) on 1/29/12. The Hawks lead the all-time series 43-38, including a 25-16 home mark.

LAST MEETING — HAWKS 95, HORNETS 86 — NEW ORLEANS ARENA — 1/1/13

After falling behind by as-many-as-11 in the first quarter the Hawks managed to claw back to within six (50-44) at halftime. Trailing 53-44 early in the third, Atlanta ripped off a 15-2 run to reclaim the lead, and then closed the period on an 11-2 spurt to take a 72-64 advantage into the final frame. Atlanta shot .632 from the floor (12-19) in the third while holding the Hornets to .375 FG% (6-16). New Orleans was never able to regain the lead as the Hawks made plays down the stretch to secure the victory. Josh Smith paced Atlanta with 23 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, four blocks and three steals. Al Horford added 20 points, while Kyle Korver scored 14 and Zaza Pachulia 12 (along with 10 boards). Ryan Anderson led the Hornets with 23 points and Greivis Vasquez nearly pulled off a triple-double with 17 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds. The Hawks committed a season-low seven turnovers on the night, while shooting .494 from the field and dishing out 30 assists. New Orleans finished with a .439 FG%.

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Common Threads

Hornets assistant coach Fred Vinson is a former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket, and appeared in five games with the Hawks in 1994-95. Al-Farouq Aminu is a native of Atlanta (Norcross HS), and played with Jeff Teague at Wake Forest. Devin Harris and Ryan Anderson were teammates with the Nets in 2008-09. DeShawn Stevenson and Roger Mason Jr. teamed-up with the Wizards from 2006-08. Lou Williams and Jason Smith were teammates in Philadelphia from 2007-10, where Kyle Korver also played for part of the 2007-08 campaign. Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson coached Mason Jr. as an assistant with the Knicks in 2010-11. Hornets head coach Monty Williams coached Anthony Tolliver as an assistant with Portland in 2009-10.

Information was used from the Hawks and Hornets official gamenotes

Jan 1, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Hornets point guard Greivis Vasquez (21) shoots over Atlanta Hawks small forward Josh Smith (5) during the second quarter of a game at the New Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Greetings! As Atlanta comes off of a disappointing performance against Chicago on Saturday, the defensive gauntlet heats up yet again with a tough back-to-back to start the week, before letting up on Friday night. Let’s take a look at what to expect.

Hawks @ Pacers — Tuesday, February 5th — 7:00 PM ET

This is the toughest game of the week in my estimation. Because of the venue (the game is in Indiana) and the match-up, this isn’t a game that Atlanta is “supposed” to win. Indiana currently leads the entire NBA in defensive efficiency, allowing only 96.3 points per 100 possessions, and this stinginess has led them to a 28-19 mark in the standings. Part of the success of the Indiana defense is their elite rebounding rate, which also leads the league at 52.7%, and the size advantage that they pose is significant, with 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert manning the paint. Fortunately for Atlanta, the Pacers’ offense is less than spectacular, and that makes them a beatable opponent, even on the road. Look for Al Horford to present all kinds of trouble for Hibbert, as Horford’s range makes it difficult for the lumbering Hibbert to close out on mid-range jump shots, and if Al can pull him away from the basket, that should open up driving lanes. On the perimeter, the Jeff Teague vs. George Hill match-up could decide the outcome, as both guys seem to spur their team’s offensive success. Should be a fun one.

Hawks vs. Grizzlies — Wednesday, February 6th — 7:30 PM ET

Memphis is basically a better version of Indiana, but fortunately, this game is at Philips Arena. I’m eager to see the how the Grizzlies look as a result of their recent roster changes that sent Rudy Gay and Marreese Speights out, and replaced them with the Tayshaun Prince, Austin Daye, and Ed Davis. These were mostly cost-cutting measures, but it could be a blessing in disguise for Memphis, as Gay had struggled, and the Speights-to-Davis change is an upgrade. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph present a very, very difficult match-up for Smith and Horford, as both guys will be at a significant size/strength disadvantage in this one. On the plus side, Memphis doesn’t present any lethal shooters on the perimeter, so the Hawks may be able to speed them and cause havoc without threat of being burned by open threes. Look for Kyle Korver to be a focus of the offense for Atlanta, as Memphis will be keying on Smith and company in the lane. This may be the second consecutive game where the point guard match-up decides things, as Mike Conley plays suffocating defense, and Jeff Teague will need to be able to initiate offense to keep things going for Atlanta. Memphis isn’t a fun team to play, but the Hawks did get a win in Memphis by a 93-83 tally back in December, so confidence shouldn’t be lacking.

Hawks vs. Hornets — Friday, February 8th — 7:30 PM ET

New Orleans is a completely different animal than the previous two games. The Hornets are a lowly 27th in defensive efficiency, but present a more varied challenge on the other end, and when Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis are both healthy, they are a talented team. Ryan Anderson presents a unique challenge with power forward size and unlimited range, as he’s making a case for the 6th man of the year award with 17 points a game off the bench. I’m eager to watch Anthony Davis face off with Horford and Smith up front, as the rookie has been impressive defensively, but hasn’t gotten the focus thanks to an early-season injury and the break-out season of Damian Lillard in Portland. If there was ever a game to see the Atlanta offense get healthy, this is it, and it will probably look like New Orleans is a college team on defense after going through the Chicago/Indiana/Memphis trio in consecutive games.

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With the gauntlet that is the Tuesday/Wednesday back-to-back, a 2-1 week looks pretty appetizing here. Friday’s game against New Orleans presents a high likelihood of victory, but with this team’s penchant for no-shows, nothing is off of the table. At the very least, we can expect some entertaining games (if you like defense), and hopefully, the wins will follow.