The Atlanta Hawks survived a scare on Wednesday night and beat the Toronto Raptors 93-92. Al Horford threw down a dunk with 21 seconds left, that proved to be the winning basket.
The Raptors played a close game despite having only nine players available. Word spread that longtime Raptor Jose Calderon and forward Ed Davis had been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for their star Rudy Gay. With the addition of Gay, the Raptors have a chance to make a run for the playoffs, but it would help if they can get some of their other players back from injury like Andrea Bargnani. DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 23 points during the game. John Lucas added nineteen off the bench, Alan Anderson had fifteen and Kyle Lowry had fourteen points and ten rebounds. Amir Johnson led the Raptors with fourteen rebounds and Aaron Gray added eleven. Toronto is now 16-30 on the year and have lost their last three games.
The Hawks had another set of bad quarter's that almost doomed them to a team they should beat. The second quarter they were outscored 32-25 and the fourth quarter 23-18. Luckily a strong third quarter helped them win as they outscored the Raptors 30-14. As a team the Hawks hit ten 3-pointers, the third straight game they have hit at least ten of their 3-point shots. Horford not only had the game-winning basket but he led the Hawks with 22 points and added ten rebounds.
Josh Smith also had a big night, scoring 20 points and leading the Hawks with eleven rebounds. Kyle Korver hit five 3-pointers alone and added seventeen points to help the Hawks. Anthony Morrow missed another game, while Zaza Pachulia, Mike Scott, Anthony Tolliver and Johan Petro all joined him on the bench for the evening.
The Hawks are now 26-19. Their next game will be this Saturday at Philips Arena against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls, who are 28-17 on the year, killed the Hawks in their last match up but Atlanta handled them well back on December 22nd.
Al Horford throws down a dunk against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Horford led the Hawks with 22 points in the 93-92 victory.
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Today's Falcons' player recap will be over running back Josh Vaughan. Today is also the last day covering running backs/fullbacks.
Vaughan, who is from Richmond college, has played two years in the league, both with the Carolina Panthers. In those two seasons he rushed the ball a total of ten times for 31 yards and a touchdown. He didn't appear in a game for the Falcons at all this season.
Most likely Vaughan will not be around next season for Atlanta. If he is, it will be on the practice squad again. Look for him to catch on with another team though in the off season.
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over starting running back, Michael Turner.
Turner is a nine-year veteran out of Northern Illinois. Ever since the Falcons acquired Turner five years ago, he has been one of the NFL's best running backs. 2012 was different for Turner though, it was obvious the workload of the past four seasons had gotten to him as he had his worst season yet in a Falcons' uniform. He ran the ball 222 times for 800 yards and ten touchdowns. Compared to his first season with the Falcons, when he rushed the ball 376 times for 1,699 yards and seventeen touchdowns, it shows his production is way down. He also caught nineteen passes for 128 yards and a touchdown, but he doesn't have the best hands as a running back and dropped eleven other passes thrown his way.
Turner should still be around next season for Atlanta, but look for his production and playing time to continue to decrease as Jacquizz Rodgers is getting much better. He and Rodgers will most likely split the carries next season. Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the intensity he used to have and most of the time he runs the ball, he goes straight up the middle for a one-yard gain, if he is even that lucky.
Michael Turner carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Turner had his worst season ever in a Falcons' uniform in 2012.
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Today's Falcons' player recap will be over running back Jason Snelling.
Snelling is a six-year veteran out of Virginia. He has spent his whole career with the Falcons and has slowly worked himself into being a valuable part of their offense. His best season was back in 2009 when injuries to other players halfway through the year caused him to be the starter. He ended up carrying the ball 142 times for 613 yards. His numbers haven't been as good since because the Falcons have better backs, but he is a reliable reserve. He only carried the ball eighteen times this year for 63 yards because Jacquizz Rodgers became a bigger part of the running game. But he did have 31 receptions for 203 yards and a touchdown.
Snelling should be around again next season in the Falcons' backfield. He is a great third-back to have and on most other teams he would be the second-back and possibly the starter. If he gets an offer somewhere else with more guaranteed playing time, he could bolt the Falcons for that job, but he seems to like it here and would most likely stay.
Jason Snelling scores a touchdown in the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks. Snelling has been a key situational player for Atlanta for six seasons.
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The Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks played one heck of a game on Sunday night. The game, which was televised on ESPN, went down to the wire, but the Knicks came out on top 106-104.
Carmelo Anthony was on fire all night. He tied the Knicks franchise record with the most three-pointers made in a game with nine. Overall, he went fifteen of 28 from the field to score 42 points. Raymond Felton, who played for the first time in eleven games after sitting out with a broken pinky, had a double-double, scoring twelve points and handing out ten assists. J.R. Smith and Amar'e Stoudemire both scored eighteen points off the bench for the Knicks. The Knicks are now 27-15 on the season.
The Hawks had a three-game winning streak snapped with the loss to the Knicks. At the half, the game was all tied up at 52 a piece. In the third quarter the Hawks fell behind by eight, they came back in the fourth quarter to take the lead for a little bit, but Anthony proved to be too much for them to handle. The Hawks suffered the loss even while shooting a season-high 60 percent from the field.
Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 27 points while making nine of his fifteen shots. Josh Smith was next with 20 points, followed by Al Horford with sixteen, DeShawn Stevenson had fifteen off the bench as he hit four of his six 3-pointers, and Kyle Korver added thirteen points. Anthony Morrow was still out with an injury.
With the loss, the Hawks fell to 25-19. They don't play again till Wednesday, when they come home to Philips Arena to take on the Toronto Raptors at 7:30 p.m. The Raptors are 16-28 on the year and play a game at home on Monday before flying to Atlanta for Wednesday's game.
DeShawn Stevenson gets set to shoot a free-throw, he had fifteen points off the bench in the Hawks 106-104 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
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Today's Falcons' player recap will cover running back Antone Smith.
Smith is a three-year veteran out of Florida State. He has spent his entire career with the Falcons so far, but has only carried the ball once in those three years for a negative three yards. The biggest reason the Falcons keep Smith around is for special teams. He has been near or at the top of the teams' leaders for special teams tackles every year.
Smith could be back next year and if he is, it will most likely be as a special teams player again. There are just too many running backs in front of him on the depth chart for Smith to really get a shot on offense. If he doesn't return to the Falcons, he will get a job somewhere else in the NFL on special teams.
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over running back Jacquizz Rodgers.
Rodgers is a two-year back out of Oregon State. Last season, as a rookie, Rodgers rushed the ball every so often and caught some passes. This year, he became more of a threat and even showed glimpses of just how good he can be. He is a small guy, but that fools defenses as he is very strong for his size plus he has blazing speed. He ended up rushing the ball a total 94 times for 362 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 53 passes for 402 yards and another touchdown.
Rodgers has a slim chance to become to number one running back next season. There was an obvious decline in Michael Turner's play and Rodgers appears to be the future for the Falcons. It will be decided in training camp, but no matter what, look for Rodgers to become an even bigger part of the offense next season.
Jacquizz Rodgers tries to avoid a tackle during the NFC Championship game. Rodgers appears to be a big part of the Falcons' future.
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Today's Falcons' player recap will cover fullback Bradie Ewing.
Ewing was a rookie out of Wisconsin this year. Unfortunately for him, he was injured during the preseason and missed the whole year. He was expected to be the starting fullback as he was known as a terrific blocker in college. This coming season, he should be the projected number one fullback again, and should upgrade the position and be involved quite often with the offense.
The Atlanta Hawks had another bad quarter, they were down by 27 points at one time in the game. They still found a way to win 123-111 in double overtime against the Boston Celtics, an encouraging sign for a team that was struggling a week ago.
Boston started off hot, scoring 29 points in the first quarter while the Hawks only had ten. At halftime it was 57-38, the Celtics still had a commanding lead. It was the third quarter and especially the second overtime that killed them, as they were outscored 16-4 in the second OT. Rajon Rondo had a triple-double for Boston, scoring sixteen points, dishing out eleven assists and pulling down ten rebounds. Kevin Garnett led the team with 24 points and he also had ten rebounds. Jeff Green added seventeen points, Courtney Lee had sixteen, Avery Bradley had fourteen and Paul Pierce and Jason Terry scored twelve. The Celtics, who are now 20-23 on the year, have lost their last six games.
The Hawks had their miserable first quarter and by the half, it looked as if the Celtics had their number again. Then after the half, they outscored the Celtics 31-16 and were right back in the game. Even coach Larry Drew said this was one of the most fantastic comebacks he has seen in his days in the NBA. Kyle Korver had a huge night, leading the Hawks with 27 points. He shot eight for twelve from behind the arc.
Al Horford had a good night returning after missing a game with an injury, he scored 24 points and pulled down thirteen rebounds. Josh Smith had a good game too, scoring seventeen points and leading the Hawks with fourteen rebounds. Jeff Teague added 23 points, Devin Harris, who also returned from injury, added fourteen points and Ivan Johnson scored eleven points while making his second start in a row. Anthony Morrow was the only Hawk still out with an injury.
The Hawks are now 25-18 and have won their last three games in a row. They will travel to New York to take on former coach Mike Woodson and the Knicks this Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The Knicks are 26-14 on the year, and will play the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday before welcoming Atlanta to Madison Square Garden the following day.
Kyle Korver takes a shot against the Celtics, he hit eight 3-pointers in the 123-111 double overtime victory for Atlanta.
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Today's Falcons' player recap will be over fullback Mike Cox. It also starts the running backs/fullbacks portion, which will cover the next seven days.
Cox is a five-year veteran out of Georgia Tech. Originally drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs, Cox has spent parts of the past two seasons with the Falcons. His main job on the team is to block for the running backs. He never carried the ball for the Falcons, but he did have three receptions for 22 yards.
Cox could potentially be looking for another job next season with Bradie Ewing returning. He is cheap though, and this is where he played college, so if the Falcons wanted him back Cox would most likely return, even in a reserve role.
Mike Cox (42) celebrates during the NFC Championship game. It will be decided over the off season whether Cox will return for another season with the Falcons.
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The Atlanta Braves finally pulled off the move to unite the Upton brothers in Atlanta. Justin Upton joins his brother B.J. and the Braves in a trade involving seven players.
The Braves traded all-star and fan favorite Martin Prado, starter Randall Delgado and minor leaguers Nick Ahmed, Brandon Drury and Zeke Spruill to the Diamondbacks for Justin and third baseman Chris Johnson. Justin will make Atlanta fans happy, but with the departure of Prado, some fans will be furious. He was a beloved player who hustled on every single play and could play a variety of positions. His talents will sorely be missed in Atlanta. Delgado was supposed to contend for the fifth spot in the Braves' starting rotation, but it now appears that will be Julio Teheran's spot to lose.
Ahmed was a shortstop, who some compared to former Brave Jeff Blauser, but with Andrelton Simmons in place, he was expendable. Drury was a low-class minor leaguer, but could be a good third baseman in the future for the Diamondbacks. Spruill was drafted by Atlanta awhile ago, but just started to surface over the past year or two. He could help the Diamondbacks either in their rotation or in the bullpen now or in the near future.
With the addition of Justin, the Braves' outfield becomes a powerhouse with B.J. and Jason Heyward. They should be there for at least the next three years. Last year for Arizona, Justin batted .280 with seventeen home runs and 67 RBI's, but the Braves will be expecting him to put up numbers compared to his 2011 season, when he batted .289 with 31 home runs and 88 RBI's to go with 21 stolen bases. Johnson joins the Braves and will most likely be in a platoon situation with Juan Francisco at third base. Last year, he split the season between the Houston Astros and the Diamondbacks and had his best season yet, batting .281 with fifteen home runs and 76 RBI's. If Francisco struggles at the beginning of the year like he did the previous season, look for Johnson to take over everyday.
Today's Falcons' player recap will be over star quarterback Matt Ryan. He will be the last quarterback covered.
Ryan is a five-year veteran out of Boston College. He has been the Falcons' starting quarterback ever since he was drafted back in 2008. He had a big year this year, setting career highs in the following categories; quarterback rating, completions, attempts, completion percentage, yards, yards per game, touchdowns and rushing yards. His final line for the year, he completed 422 of his 615 passes for 4,719 yards and 32 touchdowns. These numbers put him in an elite company of some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL today. Two down sides to his season, he tied his career-high with fourteen interceptions, and the offensive line didn't protect him enough as he was sacked 28 times, the most in his career.
Ryan will be the starting quarterback again for the Falcons next season, his sixth in the NFL. He hopes to continue to set career-highs in all the positive categories and lead the Falcons to another playoff berth and hopefully a Super Bowl title.
Matt Ryan hopes to come back even better next season and lead the Falcons to a Super Bowl title.
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Josh Smith led a very depleted Atlanta Hawks team to a 104-92 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. With the win, the Hawks won all four of their games against the Bobcats this season.
The Bobcats didn't have any answers for the Hawks tonight, as they trailed from start to finish. After being a competitive team at the beginning of the season, the Bobcats have weakened over the last two months. Ramon Sessions led the Bobcats with 27 points off the bench. Ben Gordon added fifteen off the bench while Kemba Walker, who scored 35 in the Bobcats last game, only scored eleven tonight. Bismack Biyombo pulled down ten rebounds to lead the team. Charlotte, who has lost eight of their last nine games, is now 10-32 on the year.
The big story for the Hawks tonight was the amount of men they were missing. Not only is Lou Williams out for the season, they also played with Al Horford, Zaza Pachulia, Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow. That means everyone else had to come up and play some big minutes. It also meant Smith needed to be the team leader he is expected to be and he stepped up to the challenge. Smith led the Hawks with 30 points, pulled down thirteen rebounds, dished out eight assists and blocked three shots. An all-star performance from a man who hopes to be an all-star for the first time this season.
Kyle Korver also had a big night scoring 21 points and he hit five of his six 3-point shots. Jeff Teague also added ten points. Ivan Johnson, who got the start with Horford and Pachulia out, led the Hawks with fifteen rebounds and also scored twelve points. DeShawn Stevenson returned from his injury and played 20 minutes but hit only one of his eight shots for three points. Every player that played for the Hawks tonight scored.
The Hawks have now won their last two games and sit at 24-18 on the year. They will return home to face the Boston Celtics on Friday at 7:30 p.m. As of tonight, the Celtics have lost their last four games and have a record of 20-21. They play against the New York Knicks on Thursday before traveling to Atlanta.
Josh Smith performed like an all-star on Wednesday night, leading the depleted Hawks with 30 points in their 104-92 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats.
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Today's Falcons' player recap will be over quarterback Luke McCown.
McCown is a nine-year pro out of Louisiana Tech. The Falcons signed him during training camp to be the number two quarterback after they let Chris Redman go. He appeared in two games this season for the Falcons, but only to do a few kneel downs and end those games.
He is a veteran and provides a serviceable backup to Matt Ryan. One of of two things could happen to him during the off season. First, the Falcons could let him go and search for another backup quarterback. Second, he could come to camp with the Falcons at the end of the summer and compete with Dominique Davis for the top backup spot. The second option appears to be the most likely thing to happen.
Today will be the beginning of the Falcons' Player Recaps. The next three days will be over the quarterbacks, starting with Dominique Davis.
Not much to say about Davis, he was a rookie from East Carolina and made the team out of training camp. He never got to see any game action but he has some good potential. The Falcons' hope he will be the main backup behind Matt Ryan one day, but they could also use him as a trade piece to get help at another position. Most likely, Davis will be in camp again with the Falcons this upcoming summer, fighting for a roster spot as the second or third quarterback behind Ryan.
Jannero Pargo returned to the Hawks with a bang on Monday afternoon. He and Al Horford combined for 44 points and the Hawks came from behind to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-96.
The Timberwolves started off hot, and had a fourteen point lead going into halftime. Like the Hawks, the Timberwolves were playing without some of their top players, including Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and Alexey Shved. Missing those players has hurt Minnesota lately, as they have now lost seven of their last eight games. Derrick Williams led the team with seventeen points, followed by J.J. Barea with fourteen off the bench. Andrei Kirilenko and Dante Cunningham each had thirteen points, Luke Ridnour had twelve and Greg Stiemsma had eleven. The Timberwolves are now 17-21 on the year.
The game looked bad at first for the Hawks, as the Timberwolves outscored them 31-18 in the first quarter. After halftime though, the Hawks came roaring back outscoring Minnesota by seven in the third quarter and then by fifteen in the final quarter to win for only the third time in their last eleven games. Pargo was fantastic in the fourth quarter, hitting five of his seven shots, four of those being 3-pointers. He had signed a ten-day contract before the game, but he hopes he can continue to perform like this and hang around for the remainder of the season.
Horford led the Hawks with 28 points and he also pulled down ten rebounds to lead the team. Pargo was next with sixteen points, Kyle Korver added fourteen, rookie Mike Scott scored eleven points and Josh Smith added ten. Jeff Teague dished out ten assists during the game. The Hawks were without Devin Harris, Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson all due to injuries.
With the victory, the Hawks are now 23-18 on the year. The Hawks will travel to Charlotte to take on the Bobcats on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Bobcats have lost their last two games and are 10-31 so far this season.
Jannero Pargo returned to the Hawks on Monday to score sixteen points, including fourteen in the fourth quarter to help Atlanta win 104-96.
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After getting their first postseason win in the Mike Smith/Matt Ryan Era last weekend, the Falcons were back to their old playoff ways on Sunday. They had a 17-0 lead, but let the San Francisco 49ers come back to beat them, 28-24.
The 49ers pulled off the biggest comeback ever in an NFC Championship game. After being down 17-0, they fought back to make it 24-14 going into the half. After halftime, the 49ers defense kept the Falcons scoreless and the offense added two more scores for the final tally. Running back Frank Gore had a big day, carrying the ball 21 times for 90 yards and the final two touchdowns for the 49ers. The other scores came on a LaMichael James fifteen yard run and a four-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick to tight end Vernon Davis.
Davis had a huge game catching five passes for 106 yards and his touchdown, this is after Kaepernick had neglected to throw the ball in his direction for most of the second half of the season. Patrick Willis led the 49ers defense with eleven tackles. Isaac Sopoaga came up with a sack, it was only the second sack for him all season. Chris Culliver came up with an interception, one of two turnovers the 49ers forced in the second half. The other was a fumble by Ryan that Aldon Smith recovered for San Francisco. The 49ers move on to the Super Bowl to face the Baltimore Ravens.
The Falcons blew a big lead for the second time in two weeks. After leading the Seattle Seahawks by 20 last week and blowing the lead, they led by 17 today and blew the lead again, except this time they couldn't comeback. It shows the Falcons need to improve their defense over the off season. All the scoring came in the first half on three touchdown passes by Ryan and a field goal by Matt Bryant. Julio Jones caught two of the touchdown passes and Tony Gonzalez caught the other. The second half, Ryan threw and interception and fumbled a snap, two very costly turnovers. Also, the 49ers received some calls from the officials that went their way, including a bogus roughing the passer call on defensive end Cliff Matthews when he braised Kaepernick's face mask.
Ryan had a great day other than the turnovers. He completed 30 of his 42 pass attempts for 396 yards and his three touchdowns. Jones caught eleven passes for 182 yards and his two scores and Roddy White caught seven passes for 100 yards. Gonzalez, who played in what possibly could be his last NFL game, caught eight passes for 78 yards and his touchdown. He did say that if he returns, he will only return in a Falcons' uniform next season, but most likely his playing days are over.
The Falcons final record for the year, regular season and playoffs, is 14-4. They accomplished their goal of winning a playoff game, but fell short of the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. Next year appears to be bright though for Atlanta, and that Super Bowl goal could be in sight.
The Falcons' Tony Gonzalez walks off the field dejected after their loss to the San Francisco 49ers. This was most likely Gonzalez's last NFL game as he is expected to retire.
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The Hawks once again had a bad quarter that doomed them. Tonight it was in the very first quarter, and the San Antonio Spurs went on to defeat them 98-93.
The Spurs, who played without stars Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, had to count on Tony Parker to really help them win this game. Parker had a double-double with 23 points and twelve assists to lead the Spurs to their first road win since January 2nd. Matt Bonner scored seventeen points off the bench, he hit all three of his 3-point attempts. Tiago Splitter and Kawhi Leonard each scored fourteen points to help in the winning effort. The Spurs have now won four straight and their record stands at 32-11.
The Hawks troubles happened in the beginning tonight, as they were outscored in the first quarter 25-16. The Hawks did claw their way back into the game, and even tied it in the fourth quarter at 72-all, but they just couldn't finish it off. Before the game, it was announced that Lou Williams is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his knee. The injury occurred in the game on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets. To make matters worse, Devin Harris rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter and he left the game and didn't return. That leaves the Hawks with only one point guard, Jeff Teague.
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 21 points in the loss. Kyle Korver was next with nineteen points, he his five of his eight shots from downtown. Teague scored sixteen points and Harris scored thirteen points off the bench before he hurt his ankle. Al Horford returned after missing the game on Friday against Brooklyn and pulled down fifteen rebounds to lead Atlanta. The Hawks were again without Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson who are both still out with injuries. Coach Larry Drew said the Hawks might need to sign someone with all the injuries they are suffering from.
The Hawks are now 22-18 on the season and have lost eight of their last ten games. Their next game will be on Monday at 2 p.m., their annual game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Their opponent this year will be the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are currently 17-20 and they won their last game, snapping a five-game losing streak. Before the losing streak, their last win was against the Hawks back on January 8th.
Josh Smith gets set to shoot a free throw, he scored 21 points to lead the Hawks in their loss to the Spurs on Saturday night.
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After beating the Brooklyn Nets two days ago, the Hawks couldn't repeat their luck and found themselves losing once again. The Nets took control in the final quarter to beat the Hawks 94-89.
The Nets paid the Hawks back as the teams split a home-and-home two game set. Deron Williams had a big night leading his team in scoring and making four free-throws in the last 43 seconds to finish off the Hawks. Williams had 24 points and was followed by Brook Lopez who had 20. Former Hawk Joe Johnson fared a little better in this game, hitting seven of his seventeen shots from the field, he finished with eighteen points. Andray Blatche scored eleven points off the bench and Reggie Evans had a big night on the boards for the Nets, he pulled down 20 rebounds. The Nets moved to 24-16 on the year with the victory.
The Hawks kept it close throughout the whole game. The score was tied after each of the first three quarters. Then, they forgot how to shoot again, as the made only five of their 22 shots in the fourth quarter. They also suffered a big blow as Lou Williams hurt his knee and ended up playing only nine minutes tonight. He will be evaluated tonight and tomorrow on whether he will need to miss any games or not.
On a good note, Jeff Teague had another big game leading the Hawks with 21 points and adding ten assists. Devin Harris was next with seventeen points, followed by Josh Smith with twelve and Kyle Korver with eleven. Not only were Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson still out, Al Horford missed the game with a sore calf and hamstring. The Hawks hope he can return for their next game.
The Hawks are now 22-17 on the year, they have lost seven of their last nine games. They will travel back home to Philips Arena and face the San Antonio Spurs tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The Spurs have won their last three games and currently have one of the best records in the Western Conference at 31-11.
Jeff Teague drives the lane against the Brooklyn Nets. Teague had another big game against Brooklyn, leading the Hawks with 21 points and ten assists.
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The Atlanta Braves made some moves today. The moves are considered routine.
They avoided arbitration with Jason Heyward, Jonny Venters, Kris Medlen, Eric O'Flaherty and Cristhian Martinez. They all received one-year deals, with pay raises. The biggest raises went to Heyward, Medlen and O'Flaherty. The team failed to reach a deal with Martin Prado, they were $400,000 apart. He will be the first player to go to arbitration with the Braves since John Rocker.
In other minor news, the Braves announced their non-roster invitees for spring training and among them was infielder Blake DeWitt. He can play second base, third base, first base and if needed, left field. He has spent the past two and a half seasons with the Chicago Cubs. He started his career in 2008 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He is a career .257 hitter with 21 home runs and 135 RBI's in parts of five major league seasons. He has a good chance to make the team with a strong showing during spring training as a reserve off the bench.
Jeff Teague apparently didn't want to be embarrassed like on Monday night against the Bulls and he did everything in his power to prevent that from happening. He led the Hawks in scoring as they beat the Brooklyn Nets, 109-95.
The Nets fell behind in the first quarter and trailed all night. At times they would keep it close and they even rallied in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks never let them take the lead for good. Brook Lopez led the Nets with 22 points and four other players scored in double-figures. Former Hawk Joe Johnson had fifteen points but he only made four of his fifteen shots, including going 0-4 from three-point range. Deron Williams and Andray Blatche added twelve points and Kris Humphries scored ten. The Nets are now 23-16 on the season.
The Hawks needed this win, especially after Monday's blowout loss. Teague had an amazing night, going twelve for eighteen from the field, including three of five from downtown as he had 28 points to lead the Hawks. He also dished out eleven assists in what could easily be his best game so far this season. The Hawks also shot 57 percent from the field as a team, almost 30 points higher from Monday.
Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia both recorded double-doubles. Horford scored seventeen points and pulled down thirteen rebounds to lead the Hawks. Pachulia had thirteen points and eleven rebounds. Devin Harris was the second-leading scorer with eighteen points, while Kyle Korver had eleven points and Lou Williams also had eleven off the bench. Anthony Morrow was once again out with his injury, it is still not known when he will return. Josh Smith also missed the game, he was suspended for inappropriate conduct during practice. He should be back for the Hawks' next game.
The Hawks are now 22-16. They will now travel to Brooklyn to take on the same Nets team on Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
Jeff Teague (left) and Devin Harris high-five each other during the Hawks win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Teague led the Hawks with 28 points and Harris added eighteen.
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In a game the Hawks will love to get behind them, the Chicago Bulls enjoyed, beating them 97-58. Chicago's largest lead at one time was by 44 points.
The Bulls led from the first quarter on. They set team records for the fewest points scored by an opponent in a quarter and in a half and in a game. Carlos Boozer led the way with 20 points and thirteen rebounds. Luol Deng added eighteen points and was the only other Bull to score in double figures. Joakim Noah led Chicago with sixteen rebounds. The Bulls are now 21-15 on the season.
The Hawks were never really in this game. The only quarter they put up a fight in was the fourth quarter, but by then the game was all but over. They scored only five points in the second quarter and 20 points overall in the first half, both team records. Those are records they shouldn't want to set though, but with the way they have been playing recently, every team-worst record might be broken.
Rookie Mike Scott scored a career-high ten points, but he was the only Hawk in double-figures. Al Horford led the team with eleven rebounds. The Hawks as a team shot only 29 percent from the field and hit only two of their fourteen 3-point attempts. Anthony Morrow missed yet another game with his sore back.
The Hawks are now 21-16 on the season. They have lost two games in a row and six of their last seven overall. They will travel back home to face former Hawk Joe Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. It will be the first time Johnson has faced the Hawks since being traded during the off season. The Nets are 23-15 on the year.
Rookie Mike Scott (32) goes for a block against the Chicago Bulls. Scott scored a career-high ten points to lead the Hawks in their miserable loss to the Bulls.
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The Atlanta Falcons started off strong, faded late and came from behind to beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, 30-28. This is the first time Atlanta has won a playoff game in the Matt Ryan and Mike Smith era.
The Seahawks were lifeless in the first half as they didn't score a single point when they had multiple chances. That didn't put them down though. The week before, they faced a 14-0 deficit in their first playoff game against the Redskins but they came back to win and dominated the rest of the game. Facing a 20-point fourth quarter deficit against the Falcons, they fought back and made it 28-27 with 31 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for Seattle, they didn't get the same result as the week before and they lost.
Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes and scored another running to lead the offensive attack. He had 385 passing yards and 60 rushing yards to go with his touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch scored the game-tying touchdown, but only rushed for 46 yards. That was different for him, as he was Seattle's man offensive weapon throughout much of the regular season. Tight End Zach Miller had a huge day with eight receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Golden Tate also had a good day, hauling in six receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Bobby Wagner led the defense with seven tackles and an interception, while safety Earl Thomas also picked off Ryan. Seattle finishes the year overall with a record of 12-6.
The Falcons had an amazing first half and looked like they were going to cruise to victory. Ryan threw touchdown passes to Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White, while Matt Bryant kicked two field goals to stake the Falcons to a 20-0 halftime lead. The Seahawks scored fast to start the second half, but Ryan again led the Falcons down field and connected with Jason Snelling for another touchdown. After the Seahawks' scoring rampage, Ryan threw two quick passes with less than 30 seconds left and then Matt Bryant kicked a 49-yard field goal to win the game. At first, it appeared Bryant missed the kick, but Seattle coach Pete Carroll had called a timeout, so Bryant got another shot and he made it.
Ryan finished the day with 250 yards passing and his three touchdowns but he did throw two interceptions. Michael Turner ended up rushing for 98 yards and Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 64 yards. The Falcons as a team rushed for 167 yards, a high for the season. Sean Weatherspoon and Asante Samuel both had five tackles to lead the defense. Vance Walker and Jonathan Babineaux both recorded sacks and Julio Jones recorded an interception, he was playing safety on the last play of the game. The Falcons' leading pass rusher John Abraham re-injured his ankle and it is not known yet if he will be available to play next Sunday.
The Falcons record now goes to 14-3 on the year. The will host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The 49ers are coming off of a 45-31 beating of the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. The game will be at 3 p.m. at the Georgia Dome.
Tony Gonzalez celebrates a touchdown reception in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks. The Falcons had a huge lead early but had to come from behind to beat the Seahawks 30-28.
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The Washington Wizards fell short three times earlier this year to beat the Atlanta Hawks. On Saturday night that changed, as John Wall returned to help the Wizards beat the Hawks, 93-83.
John Wall provided a needed lift to the Washington Wizards, who are the NBA's worst team. With the win, the Wizards have now won two games in a row, their first winning streak of the season. The Wizards had five players score in double-figures and were led by Bradley Beal and A.J. Price who each had sixteen points. Martell Webster was next with fifteen points and Wall had fourteen points off the bench in 20 minutes. Emeka Okafor had a double-double with ten points and ten rebounds and Nene added ten rebounds to help the Wizards win. They are now 6-28 on the season.
The Hawks, who were coming off a great win over the Utah Jazz, again let a lesser opponent take advantage of them and beat them. They have had a knack all year of letting teams with losing records run all over them, but more so lately as they have lost five of their last six games. Atlanta shot only 38 percent from the field and were outscored in the first, third and fourth quarters. The second quarter was positive as they outscored the Wizards 33-24, but they couldn't keep up that intensity after the half.
Only three players scored in double-figures for the Hawks, they were led by Jeff Teague who had nineteen points. Al Horford scored sixteen points and pulled down twelve rebounds for the double-double. Josh Smith also scored eleven points but made only four of his thirteen shots. DeShawn Stevenson returned to action but played only five minutes and didn't score. Anthony Morrow was still out with his injury.
The Hawks are now 21-15 on the season. They will travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Monday night at 8 p.m. The Bulls lost their last game and currently stand at 20-15 on the year.
Jeff Teague carries the ball down court against the Washington Wizards. Teague scored nineteen points in the loss to the NBA's worst team.
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The Atlanta Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak on Friday night and beat the Utah Jazz, 103-95. The Hawks came back from fifteen down in the second half to win the game.
The Jazz came into Atlanta with a two-game winning streak, and they wanted to get rid of memories of last year's visit to when they lost to the Hawks in a fourth overtime frame. The game was theirs to lose too, as they had a four point lead at halftime and an eight point lead heading into the final quarter. Randy Foye had a huge night for the Jazz, scoring 25 points, and hitting six of seven three-pointers. He scored fifteen of those points in the first quarter to put the Jazz out front early. Al Jefferson added 23 points and ten rebounds and Paul Millsap had 20 points and thirteen rebounds to give both players double-doubles. Gordon Hayward added twelve points off the bench. The Jazz are now 19-19 on the season, but are 8-15 on the road.
The Hawks had a great comeback that will hopefully help them start winning again after snapping their losing streak. Devin Harris had a great game in his first start since coming back from his injury. He scored a season-high 24 points against his former team, including four 3-pointers. His play helped the Hawks overcome their deficit and outscore the Jazz 35-19 in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks had six players score in double-figures. After Harris, Josh Smith was next with fifteen points and he also had ten rebounds to lead the Hawks and Al Horford scored twelve points. The bench scoring was fantastic for the Hawks as Lou Williams added fourteen points, Ivan Johnson had thirteen and Zaza Pachulia had twelve. The Hawks were again without Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson, both players are still out with injuries.
The Hawks are now 21-14 on the season. They will travel to play the Washington Wizards tomorrow night at 7 p.m. It will be the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two teams. The Wizards have lost the first three meetings, but have played the Hawks very well in each game. Their record stands at 5-28 this year.
The Hawks' Devin Harris celebrates one of his four three-point baskets on Friday night. He scored a season-high 24 points in the win against his former Utah Jazz team.
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The Atlanta Hawks continued their streak of poor performance against a team with a losing record falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, 99-83. It is the second time in three games this year that Cleveland has beat the Hawks.
The Cavaliers have had an injury-riddled year and just lost their star center Anderson Varejao for the next six to eight weeks with a leg injury. They also were without C.J. Miles, Daniel Gibson and Luke Walton. They have missed Kyrie Irving for most of the season too, but he showed up to play against the Hawks. He scored eighteen of his game-high 33 points in the third quarter to help the Cavs' pull away from the Hawks for good. Rookie Tyler Zeller had a double-double, scoring eleven points and pulling down twelve rebounds. Tristan Thompson also recorded a double-double, scoring eleven points and grabbing fourteen rebounds. Alonzo Gee added fifteen points as the Cavaliers improved their record to 9-28.
The Hawks kept it close in the first quarter, but then had their usual horrible quarter in the second scoring only twelve points and being down by nine at halftime. They tied it up in the third before Irving went on his scoring frenzy and the Hawks were done after that. The game was best summed up midway through the fourth quarter when Josh Smith missed two free throws and the Hawks lackadaisically jogged back on defense.
Smith led the Hawks in scoring with seventeen points. He was followed by Jeff Teague who had fifteen, Al Horford had fourteen and Kyle Korver chipped in with twelve. Zaza Pachulia led the Hawks with ten rebounds. Devin Harris returned after missing eleven games but he didn't score in twelve minutes of action. The Hawks were still without Anthony Morrow and DeShawn Stevenson, who missed the game with a sore knee.
The Hawks are now 20-14 on the season and have lost four straight games. They will return home to face the Utah Jazz on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The Jazz are 19-18 on the year and have won their past two games. Former Hawk Marvin Williams will miss the game in his return to Philips Arena.
Josh Smith drives to the lane against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith scored seventeen points in the loss.
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The Atlanta Hawks rallied late against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it wasn't enough as Minnesota won 108-103. The Wolves had a sixteen point lead at the half as the Hawks had trouble again having a bad first quarter.
The Timberwolves won this game after learning that their top player, Kevin Love, will miss eight to ten weeks due to a broken hand. The win was also the first time the Timberwolves have beaten the Hawks since 2006, an eleven game span. Nikola Pekovic had a fantastic game, leading the Wolves with 25 points and eighteen rebounds. Andrei Kirilenko was next in scoring for the Wolves with 21 points, followed by Derrick Williams with seventeen, Alexey Shved with fifteen and Luke Ridnour with ten. The Wolves are now 16-15 on the season.
The Hawks are now on a three-game losing streak. They have lost to the Pistons and Celtics, who both had losing records, and now the Timberwolves, who were a .500 team before their victory. Both Josh Smith and Al Horford had double-doubles and it was the first time the Hawks have lost this season when both players accomplish the feat. Smith had 21 points and thirteen rebounds while Horford scored nineteen points and pulled down eleven rebounds.
Lou Williams tied Smith for the team-lead in scoring with 21. Kyle Korver added fifteen points and John Jenkins was the other Hawk that scored in double figures with ten points off the bench. Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow both missed another game, it is still no known when they will return.
The Hawks are now 20-13 on the year. They will play again tomorrow in Cleveland against the Cavaliers. Cleveland is 8-28 on the year so far and they and the Hawks have already met twice this season with each team winning once. The Cavaliers have lost two games in a row. The game will be at 7 p.m.
Kyle Korver was one of five Hawks to score in double figures. He had fifteen points in the Hawks' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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The Atlanta Hawks had a nineteen point lead, but blew it in a miserable third quarter and lost 89-81 to the Boston Celtics. The Celtics went on a 14-1 run to open the third quarter, and outscored the Hawks 33-9 through the whole twelve minutes.
The Celtics staggered around in the first half, including being outscored 31-18 by the Hawks in the first quarter and being down by fifteen at the half. Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 26 points, he scored seventeen of those points in the Celtics' big third quarter. Rajon Rondo had a triple-double for Boston, scoring fourteen points, pulling down eleven rebounds and dishing out ten assists. Kevin Garnett also chipped in with fourteen points and Brandon Bass had ten. The Celtics are now 16-17 on the year and have a two-game winning streak.
The Hawks had a fantastic first half. Lou Williams scored 21 points in the first half alone and had the Hawks up big at halftime. Then they fell apart in the third quarter, hitting just two of their fourteen shots. Josh Smith did the worst in the second half, hitting just two of his twelve shots. Lately, the Hawks seem to blow leads or allow a team to have a big quarter, if that keeps up, they won't be around the top of the league much longer.
Williams ended up leading the Hawks with 28 points, but scored only seven in the second half. Smith had a double-double with twelve points and ten rebounds, but shot only four of eighteen from the field overall. Jeff Teague had seventeen points, he was the only other Hawk in double figures. Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow missed another game, it has not been determined when they will be able to return now.
The Hawks are now 20-12 on the year but have lost two games in a row. They will travel to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves on Tuesday. They lost their last game and are 15-15 on the year. The game will be at 8 p.m.
Lou Williams takes a shot against the Celtics. He scored 28 points in the Hawks' horrible loss to Boston in which they blew a fifteen point lead.
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The Detroit Pistons almost lost a game in the fourth quarter, but held on to beat the Hawks 85-84. The Pistons blew a nineteen point lead only to hold on by one.
The Pistons started the game fast, holding a fifteen point lead going in the half. They have won six of their last seven games, the only loss coming in double overtime to the Hawks on December 26th. Austin Daye led the Pistons with 20 points off the bench, he hit nine of his eleven shots. Greg Monroe scored eighteen points while Rodney Stuckey added ten off the bench. Jason Maxiell had a double-double scoring ten points and leading Detroit with ten rebounds. The Pistons are now 13-22 on the year and have a four-game winning streak.
The Hawks quickly erased Detroit's double-digit lead in the fourth quarter when they went on a 16-0 run and were behind 83-82 with over three minutes left to play. The Hawks thought they tied the game though when it appeared Al Horford hit a three-pointer, which would have been his first in 22 months. The play was reviewed and it was determined Horford's toe was on the line, which meant the shot was only for two points. That ended up being the difference in the game.
Josh Smith led the Hawks with 20 points in the loss. Horford scored eighteen points and led the Hawks with fifteen rebounds. Lou Williams added seventeen points and Kyle Korver scored ten. The Hawks were without Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow again, they might play in tomorrow night's game. They also didn't have Johan Petro, who was out with the flu, and DeShawn Stevenson who sat out tonight and will play tomorrow to save himself from fatigue in back-to-back games.
The Hawks are now 20-11. They will return home tomorrow night to face one of their biggest rivals, the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are 15-17 on the year and they won their last game they played against the Indiana Pacers. The game will be at 7 p.m.
Al Horford takes a shot against the Detroit Pistons. He hit what appeared to be a game-tying three-pointer that was later ruled a two-point shot, that was the difference in the game.
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The Atlanta Hawks trailed early, but came back after halftime to beat the New Orleans Hornets on Tuesday night, 95-86. The Hawks outscored the Hornets 28-14 in the decisive third quarter.
The Hornets outscored the Hawks in all three of the other quarters besides the third. They shot almost 44 percent from the field as a team and out-rebounded the Hawks 47 to 39, but these factors just weren't enough to give the Hornets their second win in a row. Ryan Anderson led the team in scoring off the bench with 23 points. Greivis Vasquez had a double-double, scoring seventeen points and dishing out ten assists. Eric Gordon also had eleven points off the bench and Robin Lopez added ten. Anthony Davis led the Hornets in rebounds with thirteen. The Hornets are now 7-24 on the season.
The Hawks needed this victory after a lackluster performance against the Houston Rockets yesterday. The Hawks had four players score in double figures and were led by Josh Smith. Smith had a double-double while leading the Hawks with 23 points and thirteen rebounds. Smith was a big contributor to the third quarter scoring ten points, he hit eleven of his 20 shots during the game.
Al Horford was the next top scorer with 20 points, Kyle Korver added fourteen and Zaza Pachulia had a double-double off the bench with twelve points and ten rebounds. Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow didn't play again, as it was mentioned before that they will most likely be out until Saturday. Ivan Johnson and DeShawn Stevenson also didn't play, as coach Larry Drew used only three of his bench players.
The Hawks are now 20-10 on the season. They will travel on Friday to play the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 p.m. The Pistons have won three games in a row and are now 12-22 on the season.
Josh Smith goes in for a dunk in the Hawks' win over the New Orleans Hornets. Smith led the Hawks with 23 points and thirteen rebounds in the win.
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The Atlanta Hawks played a close game with the Houston Rockets on Monday night, but one bad quarter did them in. The Rockets used two separate runs in the second and fourth quarters to win 123-104.
The Rockets used a 16-0 run and outscored the Hawks 38-19 in the second quarter to blow open the game. The Hawks slowly chipped away at the Rockets big lead, but Houston used a 21-7 run in the last five minutes of the game to win. The Rockets had six players score in double figures, led by James Harden who had 28 points. Carlos Delfino scored 22 points off the bench, Jeremy Lin had sixteen, Marcus Morris had fifteen and Toney Douglas had ten. Omer Asik also had eleven points and led the Rockets with seventeen rebounds. The Rockets are now 17-14 on the season.
The Hawks four game winning streak was snapped with the defeat. The Hawks had cut the Rockets lead to five late in the fourth quarter, but then the Rockets used their 21-7 run to win. Al Horford had yet another double-double in the loss, scoring eighteen points and pulling down a team-high thirteen rebounds.
Lou Williams led the team with 21 points, it was the first time the Hawks have lost in the five games since Williams was inserted into the starting lineup. Josh Smith had seventeen points after missing a game with an injury. John Jenkins scored fifteen points off the bench, setting a new career-high in scoring for the second game in a row. Jeff Teague also scored ten points. Devin Harris and Anthony Morrow each missed another game, they will most likely miss the Hawks' next two games.
The Hawks are now 19-10 on the season. They fly to New Orleans to play the Hornets tomorrow night. The Hornets are 7-23 on the season and have lost three of their last five games. The game will be at 8 p.m.
Josh Smith drives to the lane, Smith scored seventeen points in his return to the lineup after missing the last game due to an injury.
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