Atlanta Hawks use 8 players in double scoring figures to thump Charlotte Bobcats 116-96 - NBA Recap
It had been only three days since their last meeting, in which the Atlanta Hawks thrashed the Charlotte Bobcats with a 37 point margin.
This time around, Hawks travelled to Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC to face off against the Southeast Division rivals. However, a change of scenery did not have any effect what so ever on the inevitable outcome as the Hawks defeated the Bobcats 116-96.
This was the Bobcats 11th consecutive loss and they don’t seem to be able to catch a break as their record fell to 7-47, currently the worst record in the league.
Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks with 18 points while only playing less than 22 minutes. Josh Smith who had struggled in the first half ended the night with 15 points. Hawks had 6 other players scoring in double figures.
On the other end, Corry Higgins was the stand out player for the Bobcats with a game high of 22 points, coming off the bench. Charlotte had only two other players who scored in double digits, one being Byron Mullens who scored 17 points on the night and the other Kemba Walker who managed 10.
Hawks out rebounded their hosts 42-31 and made their opponents suffer in transition by scoring 22 fast break points as compared to the Bobcats, 12. The visitors also held the upper hand with 56 points in the paint.
One of the key factors in this one was Atlanta`s distribution of the ball as they dished out 25 assists on the night, Jannero Pargo led in that department as he came off the bench to dish out 9 assists.
Charlotte did start the game well and were in good shape till the early stages of the second quarter. They led by 23-19 after the opening 12 minutes. Nevertheless, this advantage quickly vanished as the Hawks went on a 20-7 to end the half, leaving their opponents chasing their tale for the rest of the game.
The lead was further extended in the second half as the Hawks looked to put this one to bed early in the third quarter. Hawks made the most of their chances and held an 18 point advantage going into the fourth, 68-86.
On a night of dominance for Atlanta, their starters did not need to play much in the last quarter of the game. The visitor’s second unit still managed to outscore their hosts in the fourth 30-28.
Ivan Johnson was the bench`s leading scorer with 17 points. He ended the game with a three pointer at the final buzzer to reach his career best in scoring.
Hawks head coach Larry Drew was extremely satisfied with his bench as their second unit lent a very substantial hand in getting rid of a poor start to the game.
"I thought our starters were real flat in the first quarter. But our bench did a great job of providing a spark in the second quarter. (Jennaro) Pargo, Willie Green and Ivan Johnson gave us a spark and did a great job. That's what it's going to take, particularly down the stretch."
The Hawks will take on the Boston Celtics next, followed by a game against Orlando Magic.
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