Hawks Snap 4 Game Losing Streak; Teague Leads Hawks in Win vs. Blazers

Recap for the people who didn’t watch it:

First off, let me apologize for not having a preview of yesterday’s game. Won’t happen again. 🙂

Anyway, Al Horford was not dressed for last night’s game. He injured his ankle against Chicago (2 days ago). Horford was replaced by Zaza Pachulia in the lineup. Jeff Teague also replaced Marvin Williams in the starting lineup. Coach Drew said that the Hawks needed to switch things up since they’ve lost 4 in a row.

In the start of the first quarter, it looked like the Teague for Marvin move was a good one as Teague converts the first basket of the game on a fastbreak layup. However, the Hawks’ offense once again looked horrible to start the game. The Hawks rarely moved the ball around and turnovers was a problem*. The Hawks’ defense (and the fact that the Blazers settled for jumpshots) kept the Hawks in striking distance for most of the first quarter. Things got really fun in the last 14 seconds of the quarter. The Hawks being down 11 to 18, made some headway. It started off with a Joe Johnson mid-range jumper. 13 to 18 Blazers lead. Teague quickly stole the inbound pass and got fouled by the Blazers. Teague only managed to hit one of them. 14 to 18 Blazers lead. Teague once again stole another ball from Patty Mills and converted a dunk. 16 to 18 Blazers lead. Finally, Teague, yes….Teague again….stole another pass and hit a 3 point shot before the game clock went to zero. To recap, the Hawks went on a 8-0 run in the last 14 seconds of the 4th quarter (not atypo) with Teague leading the way with 6 points and 3 steals. The Hawks led 19 to 18 after one quarter.

*Josh Smith was a big part of the problem. In the first quarter, he took a jumpshot that missed (as usual) and committed 3 turnovers by himself.

In the second quarter, Teague continued to provide a spark. In the first few moments of the second quarter, the Hawks turned the ball over which gave a one man fastbreak opportunity for Patty Mills. However, Teague trailing far behind from Mills, managed to catch up to him and swat the ball away. Teague also got the ball back for the Hawks, pushed the ball up and assisted Damien Wilkins on a easy layup. Few moments after that, Teague got to the rack and made a tough layup. He was just all over the place. However, he didn’t get much help from anyone (besides Damien Wilkins). Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, and Jamal Crawford didn’t provide much help offensively in the first half. Damien Wilkins (10 points) and Jeff Teague (12 points) combined for 22 of the Hawks’ 35 points in the first half. The TrailBlazers led at halftime 38 to 35.

In the start of the third quarter, the Hawks defense was nowhere to be found. The TrailBlazers extended their lead quick up to 7, which led to Coach Drew calling a timeout early. Teague had some good highlights in the start of the third though, blocking Nicolas Batum’s jumpshot and breaking Andre Miller’s feelings & ankles on a fastbreak. Anyway, Teague as solid as he was in the third quarter, wasn’t the star of the third. The three players who didn’t provide much in the first half (Joe, Jamal, and Josh) provided a lot in the third quarter. They combined for 23 points in 10-17 shooting in the third. The Hawks defense, which started sluggish in the start of the quarter, tightened up too, holding the Blazers to 16 points in 6 for 17 shooting. With an impressive third quarter showing by the Hawks squad, they found themselves up 8 to start the 4th quarter, 54 to 62.

In the fourth quarter, it was the Jeff Teague Show again, but this time…it wasn’t a solo act. Jamal Crawford joined Teague in the show. Both players carried the Hawks in the fourth quarter, combining for 20 of the 29 points the Hawks scored. Because of their performance in the fourth, the lead was never really in danger. The Hawks were up as much as 18 points in the 4th. The Blazers made a quick run to end the game though, making it look closer than what it really was.

Final Score: Blazers: 82 | Hawks: 91

Why Hawks fans should be excited about after this game:

• The Hawks won a game without Al Horford. After two blowout losses when Al was out, a win vs. the Blazers didn’t look too good before the game.
• Jeff Teague. Need I say more?
• Jamal Crawford finally showed his 6th man self that has been missing in the past couple of weeks.
• A move management made is actually looking good. Damien Wilkins is an underrated signing.
• Coach Drew finally switched things up and moved Marvin to the bench.
• Zaza Pachulia had another good game (consistent minutes gives you consistent production).
• Josh Smith didn’t settle for too many jumpshots.
• The Hawks stop their losing streak of 4. A loss yesterday would have been a season high for most losses in a row for the Hawks.
• The Hawks pull further away from New York (3 games behind ATL) and Philadelphia (3.5 games behind ATL) and move closer to Orlando (3 games ahead ATL).

What Hawks fans should be worried about:

• Joe Johnson’s shooting touch is nowhere to be found.
• Josh Smith limited the amount of jumpshots he took but he is still trying to run the fastbreak and committing unforced turnovers.
• Marvin Williams seems to have given up. Maybe Hawks fans should give up on him now too?
• Does Coach Drew still have a short leash on Teague? He better not.
• Will this be Jeff Teague’s best game in a Hawks uni for the rest of his time here? I hope not.
• When will Josh Powell be taken out from jail? 😉
• The Hawks are only 3 games in front of New York and 3.5 games ahead of Philadelphia. They are also 3 games behind Orlando. HAHA.

My other Noteable Notes:

• Got to keep talking about Teague. I was just so impressed by him. He showed everything I wanted to see him do. He played the passing lanes. He used his speed and athleticism. He played solid D without fouling. He blocked shots. He dished the ball  He showed emotion (haven’t seen that type of emotion from him since his college days in Wake Forest). He even hit a jumper!

• I’m not going to go as far as to say Teague is the real deal and say 100% he is future point guard of the team. I loved what I saw, but I would love to see more before I’m granting him a permanent spot at the point guard. Even Salim Stoudamire has shown outbursts like the ones Teague showed yesterday.  Still, Coach Drew better not give him anymore DNP’s for the rest of the season. I want to see Coach Drew give Teague good consistent minutes. Not necessarily the same amount of last night, but a good amount.

• Pape Sy was dressed yesterday, unfortunately didn’t see any floor time. I would have loved to have seen him. Maybe next game…

Next up: The Milwaukee Bucks in Philips Arena. Will Al Horford be back by then? With or without Al, Milwaukee is still fighting for a playoff spot so this won’t be a walk in the park type of game.

Final Thought: #MVTEAGUE #MVTEAGUE #MVTEAGUE #MVTEAGUE