Josh Smith, reserves star as Atlanta Hawks beat Milwaukee Bucks 99-94 - NBA Recap
Atlanta Hawks used a strong 4th quarter come back to edge out the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 99-94 at the Philips Arena on Friday night.
Hawks, who had to play the game in the absence of their lead scorer Joe Johnson, relied entirely upon their bench to grab their 21st victory of the season. Josh Smith played a cardinal role for Atlanta with 24 points
and 19 rebounds. He however credited the win to the Hawks bench, which had a phenomenal input in the 4th frame by scoring 32 of the team’s 34 points.
"Those guys really don't get a lot of playing time on a consistent basis but they don't whine or complain. When their number is called they answer the bell almost every time. It was just beautiful to see that. It was beautiful
to see them close the gap and take the lead and I was just happy to get in the mix of things when I got back in there."
Jeff Teague and reserve Jannero Pargo netted 11 a piece while forward Marvin Williams had 10. Tracy McGrady had 11 rebounds and 9 points coming off the bench along with Vladimir Radmanovic, who also had 9 points for the Hawks,
now 11-6 at home.
Brandon Jennings, after few lacklustre games finally came good, and pounded a game high 34 points with 9 assists. Drew Gooden tallied 26 and had 10 boards while Beno Udrih finished with 10 points.
The Buck dominated the game in the first three quarter but lost their second in a row due to a fourth quarter meltdown.
The game got off to an even start and midway through the opening frame, the scores were tied at 15. Smith created a breathing space for Hawks with a three point play pushing Atlanta to 18-15 on their way to a 27-25 first quarter
lead.
Bucks reeled off a 9-2 run early in the 2nd to carve out a 34-29 advantage, but Atlanta brushed that with 6 uncontested points to regain a slender 35-34. Milwaukee however turned the game upside down with a huge 17-4
run to conclude the first half with a 51-39 cushion. The Bucks managed to hold on to their double digit lead early through the third, before the Hawks made it 69-64 deep.
However a 7-0 Milwaukee run left them reeling at 76-64 as the game entered into its last 12 minutes with Bucks up at 76-65. In the 4th period, the game had a dramatic shift as the reserves took charge for the Hawks.
Pargo netted one from down town to instigate an 11-2 Atlanta run that trimmed down the lead to 78-76 early. Later on with 2 consecutive jumpers from Pargo, Atlanta reeled off another 9-2 run to take an 85-81 lead, 5:09 left on
the clock.
Bucks came up with 9-4 run of their own and reclaimed their lead with 90-89 late in the frame, but their hopes were shattered as Atlanta shot their lights out with a conclusive 10-4 run and claimed a 99-94 victory.
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