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Posted on Sat, Nov. 07, 2009 10:15 PM
Hawks knock off Nuggets
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ATLANTA | Josh Smith had a night to remember, especially after one he and the rest of the Atlanta Hawks would like to forget.
Jamal Crawford scored 25 points, and Smith had 22 points, nine rebounds, six blocked shots and seven assists in the Hawks’ 125-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night.
The Hawks were coming off a 103-83 loss to Charlotte on Friday night.
“It’s a big statement. Having a letdown loss last night, and being able to come in and beat the number two or three team last year in the Western Conference. That’s a big boost of confidence,” said Smith, eight of 10 from the field and six of eight from the line.
“I had opportunities to succeed and I seized the moment. I have wonderful guys to pass the ball to and I was really looking to crash the boards.”
The Hawks had a season-high 125 points and 30 assists.
“It’s big, more mentally than anything else,” Crawford said. “We had a tough loss against Charlotte last night, and we beat a tough Denver team. We didn’t lay down, and we fought. From start to finish, I thought we were really good as a team.”
The Hawks had seven players in double figures. Joe Johnson added 21 points, Marvin Williams had 14, Mo Evans 12 and Al Horford and Mike Bibby 11 each.
Carmelo Anthony had 30 points for Denver, and Chauncey Billups added 25. The Nuggets lost their second straight after winning their first five. Anthony was seven of 21 from the field and 15 of 18 from the line.
“We didn’t have enough energy. We never did get a grip,” Denver coach George Karl said. “Crawford played great. Joe Johnson did a good job. Josh Smith had an incredible game. We didn’t respect his shot blocking. We needed an A game from a lot of guys, and we didn’t get it,” he said.
The Hawks scored the first 10 points of the second half to make it 70-50. Denver never got closer than 12 points — at 90-78 less than a minute into the final quarter.
The Hawks shot 52 percent, hitting 45 of 87 shots, including eight of 19 threes. Bibby was three of four from three-point range.
Both teams were coming off Friday night losses.
OTHER GAMES
•Boston 86, at New Jersey 76
•Boston 86, at New Jersey 76
•At Chicago 93, Charlotte 90
•At Milwaukee 102, N.Y. 87
•At Dallas 129, Toronto 101
•Sacramento 104, at Utah 99
•Memphis at LA Clippers, late
HIGHLIGHTS
•Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce each scored 16 points, and the Celtics bounced back from their first loss of the season. Ray Allen rebounded after three dismal quarters to score eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter.
•Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and nine rebounds, and Josh Howard scored 16 in his season debut for the Mavericks. Jason Terry added 19 points, and Shawn Marion had 18 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, hitting his last nine attempts from the field.
•John Salmons scored 27 points and Joakim Noah added a career-high 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Bulls.
•The Bucks’ Andrew Bogut scored a season-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
•Tyreke Evans scored a career-high 32 points for the Kings. He made 16 of 19 free throws.
NEWS
•Grizzlies guard Allen Iverson returned to his home in Atlanta after receiving permission to leave the team to attend to personal business. Team owner Michael Heisley gave him permission to skip the Grizzlies’ game Saturday night against the Clippers.
•Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas had surgery on his left forearm Saturday, a day after he broke it during a weight-training session. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
•Chris Douglas-Roberts has tested positive for swine flu, another blow to a Nets team that is losing players as quickly as games. Douglas-Roberts had started every game for the winless Nets until missing a loss at Philadelphia on Friday with flu-like symptoms. Nets president Rod Thorn confirmed on Saturday that Douglas-Roberts tested positive for the H1N1 virus.
Posted on Sat, Nov. 07, 2009 10:15 PM
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