Hawks stomp Memphis for fifth in a row

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Joe Johnson was all over Rudy Gay, pressing him 20 feet from the basket, finally poking the ball loose and starting a one-man break.

It wasn't a key fourth-quarter possession in the Hawks-Grizzlies game Wednesday night. Johnson was harassing Memphis' high-scoring forward on just the sixth possession of the game.

For the rest of the night, nothing much changed. The Hawks used physical, testy defense to delete the Grizzlies in a 110-97 blowout at Philips Arena. Only a Grizzlies scoring free-for-all in the closing minutes prevented the Hawks from winning a fourth game in a row by 20-plus points.

For the fourth time in their five-game winning streak, the Hawks kept their opponent under 100 points.

Said forward Josh Smith, whose shot-blocking presence muted the Grizzlies' inside game, "We've just got to make it stingy as possible on the defensive end."

The Hawks stand 18-6, a half-game behind Southeast Division-leading Orlando. The last time they were 12 games over .500 in December was the 1997-98 season.

Gay, guarded primarily by either Johnson or forward Marvin Williams, finished with 11 points on 11 shots, 10 points below his season average. Gay had scored 64 points in the past two games. His running mate, O.J. Mayo, scored 15, but needed 14 shots to get them.

"The biggest thing is [Johnson] didn't give him a lot of room to operate," Williams said. "Rudy's an explosive player. When he has enough space, he can do a lot of things. I think Joe took up that space from him tonight."

Johnson, the Hawks' three-time All-Star, has relished hosting counterparts around the league. In wins earlier this season, Johnson outscored Portland's Brandon Roy 35-17 and Miami's Dwyane Wade 30-15. Against Memphis, Johnson piled up 26 points along with eight rebounds and three assists.

"I love that challenge" of defending the opposition's top scorers, Johnson said, "showing a different side of me, not just the offense but defensively guarding their best player."

Johnson also scored nine points in a 11-2 third quarter run that lifted the Hawks' edge from 63-58 to 74-60 and put the game away.

The Grizzlies shot 56.3 percent in the quarter, but could only put up 16 shots to the Hawks' 26. The Hawks held the league's statistically best offensive rebounding team to one offensive rebound in the third quarter while grabbing six of their own and forcing three turnovers.

As had been the case in the previous three games, the Hawks starters watched most of the fourth quarter from the bench, icing down and cheering on the backups. Swingman Mo Evans continued his hot streak, hitting 3 of 6 3-pointers on his way to 13 points along with five assists.

"They're scrappy, they go for loose balls and tonight they played with a lot of heart," Memphis guard Jamaal Tinsley said. "We were able to hang with them for a little while in the first half, but then in the second half, they seemed to switch to another gear."