Johnson shines as the Hawks edge past the tenacious Kings 100-98
Joe Johnson scored a season-high 36 points to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 100-98 win over the Sacramento Kings on Monday night at the Philips Arena. Johnson has scored 24 or more points in seven straight games, averaging 28.9 per game.
Johnson, nicknamed the “Armadillo Cowboy”, was asked if he wants the ball in the fourth quarter of tight games. He replied, "Oh definitely. I am going to ask for the ball every time. We all did a great job spacing the floor and getting good looks, and making
the game easy. I thrive off the pressure, and trying to lead this team in the right direction in the fourth quarter."
Al Horford played well as he registered 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and a career-high seven blocks as the Hawks rallied to avoid losing a second straight home game.
Josh Smith played a simple but effective game, as he posted 19 points and 10 boards for Atlanta, who has won six of their last seven games in the 2010-11 season.
DeMarcus Cousins did all he could and led the Kings with 20 points in the defeat. Beno Udrih added 17 points but missed two fourth-quarter free throws, as the Kings ended their six-game road trip with a loss.
Match Analysis
The Atlanta Hawks play a style of basketball that is designed to frustrate a young team like the Sacramento Kings. Playing the Hawks one can expect to receive a knee to the back of the leg, an elbow to the sternum and an extra push to the back to remind
the opponent that they are still there.
Sacramento played the opening quarter offensively and raced to a 32-27 lead in the second quarter. The Kings extended their offensive play into the second quarter and were the dominant side throughout. The Kings had four scorers in double figures, as they
took a 62-53 lead going into half time.
Atlanta coach Larry Drew told reporters about his half time team talk. He said, "Halftime, after coming in down nine, I told the guys it was embarrassing how we were playing, especially defensively. You can never; never look at a team's record and think
they will come in and lay down and give you a game. We have to come out every single night and play like it's the last game of the Finals."
In the previous match, Sacramento set a season-high by scoring 70 points in the first half, but only 36 points in the second half of a 110-106 loss. The Kings repeated that performance by scoring only 36 points in the second half after their high-scoring
start against Atlanta.
Atlanta and Sacramento began the second half at a crisp pace, using 20 possessions apiece in the third quarter. However, the Kings maintained an 82-73 lead into the final stanza.
Atlanta's Joe Johnson admitted that his side's energy level in the first three quarters wasn't up to the mark. He said, "Defensively for the first three quarters our energy and effort were none existent. I told our guys we have to get some stops if we plan
on winning this game. We got stops and easy baskets and were able to pull it out."
Trailing by nine points, the Hawks turned the game with a 17-2 run five minutes into the fourth quarter. Sacramento made one shot, missed four and had two more blocked, while committing two of their modest seven turnovers. Beno Udrih also missed two free
throws in that span. On the other hand, Atlanta made eight of nine shots and added a free throw, after a technical foul was called on Sacramento's Jason Thompson.
The sizzling Hawks registered four of their 10 blocks in the fourth and killed off the remaining time to secure the win.
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