Joe Johnson scores 34 as Atlanta Hawks overpower the New York Knicks 111-102
On Friday night, Joe Johnson played one of his best games of the season to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 111-102 win over the New York Knicks at Philips Arena.
The prolific forward erupted with 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead the Hawks charge. Josh Smith chipped in with 24 points and 9 rebounds for Atlanta, who have won four of their last six games of the current season.
"It was definitely a playoff atmosphere in this game," said Smith after the game. "I felt as though we had to play up to the ability of a team that just beat one of the hottest teams in the National Basketball Association. We took
care of business at home."
Al Horford also came off the bench to score 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists for the Hawks, who handed the Knicks their fifth straight road loss of the season. Forward Marvin Williams added 12 points while Jamal Crawford ended
with 11 points in the home win.
Amare Stoudemire led the Knicks with 27 points while Raymond Felton added 21 points and 13 assists for New York. Knicks rookie guard Landry Fields had a break through night. He scored 15 points on a 7-of-9 shooting, five rebounds
and one assist. Shawne Williams and Danilo Gallinari also contributed 12 points apiece for the Knicks. Williams also pulled down team-high 11 rebounds.
The Hawks played like an Eastern Conference title contender on the night and thrashed the visiting Knicks. Badly needing a win, both teams played tight defence through the first several minutes of the opening quarter. However,
Atlanta’s fiery offense managed to break through the defences of the Knicks sprinted to a 30-21, going lead into the second.
The Hawks got under the skins of the Knicks in the second quarter and scored on 13 of their 17 possessions to expand their lead to 60-43 at halftime.
The home team continued it’s up tempo game and led by as many as 24 in the third. However, New York used a 9-0 run to get back into the contest and cut its deficit to 91-76 heading to the final stanza.
Knicks continued to fight back in the fourth. They never allowed the Hawks to pull away. Stoudemire hit a jumper with four minutes remaining propelling the Knicks within five points, 102-97. Smith however responded with a three-pointer
on the ensuing Atlanta possession and New York was unable to get closer than six in the final minutes.
New York head coach Mike D'Antoni stated, "We came out soft and paid for it," "If we would have played the first half like we did the second half, we could have won this game. I'm proud of the way we came back, but at the same
time we've got to solve the problem that other teams score easily for a while, then we get mad and then we start playing harder."
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