Hawks Fend Off Nuggets

The Atlanta Hawks bounced back from their tough loss to beat the Denver Nuggets 108-104 on Wednesday night. Josh Smith had the clinching dunk and free-throw to seal the Hawks' win and gave himself a nice birthday present with the victory.
The Nuggets fought long and hard all night, even taking a 98-97 lead with 2:34 left in the fourth quarter. After a Hawks' basket, Ty Lawson hit a three-pointer to give the Nuggets a 101-99 lead, but that would be the last time they led. Lawson led the Nuggets with 32 points. Corey Brewer added nineteen off the bench, Danilo Gallinari had sixteen and JaVale McGee added eleven also off the bench. Timofey Mozgov had thirteen rebounds in his first start of the season. Kosta Koufos, the normal starting center for the Nuggets, missed the game with the flu.
This was a big win for the Hawks after suffering a last second defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last game. They bounced back and led most of the game, fell behind late, but made sure to comeback and put the Nuggets away. Smith's steal and jam electrified Philips Arena as the game was all but over. Lou Williams added four free throws in the final minute to help seal the deal.
Al Horford led the team with 25 points and added twelve rebounds for a double-double. Smith had a great performance on his birthday, scoring sixteen points and leading the Hawks with thirteen rebounds. Lou Williams added sixteen points off the bench, Devin Harris had twelve points and Zaza Pachulia scored all eleven of his points in the second quarter to give the Hawks five players in double figures. Kyle Korver missed the game due to being with his wife for the birth of their first child. Rookie John Jenkins was back with the Hawks, after a two-game stint in the D-League. He scored 22 points in his first D-League game and 29 in his second to earn his spot back on the team.
The Hawks are now 10-5 on the season. They will take on the Washington Wizards on Friday at Philips Arena. It will be a rematch of the 101-100 overtime thriller that the Hawks won back on November 21st. The Wizards have won two games since then, including one against the Miami Heat, to improve to 2-13 on the season. The game on Friday will be at 7:30 p.m.

Josh Smith (5) raises his arms to the roar of the crowd after helping the Hawks to a 108-104 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.
Photo Courtesy of images.yahoo.com