Atlanta Hawks continue winning; Pull away in the third to beat Memphis Grizzlies 93-83: NBA Recap
The Atlanta Hawks have been sensational off late. Coming into the game they had won 8 of their last 9, and on Saturday, they thumped the Grizzlies 93-83 to move at 12-5, the third best record in the Eastern Conference, behind Miami
Heat and the New York Knicks.
Memphis, paced by Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, were the dominant team in the first half, at the end of which they were leading by 47-41. However things changed drastically in the third quarter. The Hawks started off with a 10-2
run to tie the game at 51 with 6:40 remaining and after Memphis had pushed their lead back to 5 points, they reeled off a 20 zip run in the to take a 73-58 lead and establish a firm hold on the game.
The quarter ended at 73-60 and an 11-2 Grizzlies run made it a 6 point game early, but a three point play from Josh Smith spelled the beginning of the end. The Hawks, who have not allowed any team to shoot above 50 percent from
the floor so far this season, upped the ante and never gave the Grizzlies a sniff of win.
Atlanta were marshalled by Josh Smith. J-Smoove went 10 of 17 from the floor for a game high 24 points, hauled down 8 rebounds, dished out 4 assists and made three steals on the night. Al Horford had a double-double with 19 points
and 14 rebounds, while Lou Williams added 21 points for the Hawks.
18 of Williams’ 21 points came in the second half, with 13 coming in the game changing 3rd quarter alone;
"I got off to a slow start. I think I was 1-for-6 at halftime. It was looking like another night where I wasn't going to impact the game. I just went out with a blaze and it worked out in my favour." Williams said when asked about
his contribution in the game.
Memphis were guided by 18 points each from Randolph and Gasol. The duo however combined for only 10 points in the second half for the Grizzlies, who also got 17 points from Rudy g*y on a poor 7 of 25.
Tags: