Hawks trounce Grizzlies to open the season in style
Things couldn’t have started better for the new Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew as the Hawks downed Memphis Grizzlies in a one sided encounter. The Grizzlies’ pre season
form counted for nothing as they never came to terms against a spirited Atlanta outfit. The defeat extended the Grizzlies poor run in the season opener to 0-10 since coming to Memphis from Vancouver. Hawks, on the other hand are yet to lose a season opener
since 2006.
Atlanta Hawks always have been a tough opponent for the Grizzlies, winning 8 of the last 9 encounters with an overall advantage of 20-10. This occasion was no different
as Joe Johnson after an initial rough patch in the first quarter led the way for the Hawks, scoring 22 points. Mike Bibby was also in the zone with 19 points while Zaza Pachulia chipped in with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a game that witnessed six Atlanta
players getting into double figures.
Memphis never got it going in the match as they were without the big man Marc Gasol who had a sprained left ankle. The matters were made worse when Zack Randolph sustained
a lower back injury as he was fouled by Al Horford, who sent him crashing down to the floor with 8:33 remaining in the first quarter. He tried to return in the second, but found it hard to continue and left the court accompanied by the medical staff at the
end of the first half. Mike Conley led the assault for the Grizzlies as he slipped in 23 points with eight assists complemented by Rudy g*y who added 21 points and 10 rebounds. Darrell Arthur who started in place of injured Gasol scored a career high 19 points
but it was not enough for Memphis on the night as a 17,519 strong home crowd watched in despair.
The Hawks held the upper hand from the start and went into the lead 3 minutes into the first quarter and from there on in, never looked back and maintained a healthy advantage
throughout the match. The Hawks were led in the first half by Pachulia, Johnson and Evans who combined for 31 points as Joe Johnson struggled in the first quarter. Pachulia in particular, put in a sparkling performance as his opposite, Hasheem Thabeet struggled
to make an impact.
The only time the Grizzlies looked to stage a fight back, was deep in the third period when they reduced the margin at 79-75 making it a four point game, but the Hawks went
on a 12 points run in the next 3 minutes as the Grizzlies failed to score to finish the third quarter at 91-75. The fourth frame was a little more competitive with the Memphis outfit stepping up their performance somewhat to outscore the Hawks 29-28 in the
quarter. It was only damage control though, as the Hawks had already made deep inroads by the end of the third period. The game ended with the Hawks walking past the Memphis Grizzlies with a 15 point advantage at 119-104.
A beaming Hawks coach who walked away with the game ball was all praise for his team as he celebrated his first win as a head coach. For the Memphis team, they will have
to wait another season to win an opener. They just could not penetrate through the deep defense of the opposition and definitely needed to step up their offense for the next game against a strong Dallas Mavericks. Atlanta Hawks, confident after the win, now
hit the road to face the Philadelphia 76er’s which promises to be an exciting battle.
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