Al Horford didn’t want to talk about his lack of All-Star votes.
His play spoke volumes.
Horford scored a game-high 34 points, including the buzzer-beater game-winner, for a 101-99 overtime victory over the Wizards Friday night at Philips Arena. The Hawks continued their dominance over the Wizards with their 11th straight win in Atlanta.
Horford put back a lob pass from Pero Antic for the winner.
Horford had a tip-in with 2:29 remaining in overtime to give the Hawks a 92-90 lead. Kyle Korver added a 3-pointer and Jeff Teague dropped in a basket in the paint to extend the lead to 97-93 lead with 1:24 remaining.
Trevor Booker scored for the Wizards to make it 99-97 and after a Hawks miss they had the ball with 11 seconds left and a chance to tie or win it. Booker scored in-close with 1.8 seconds left for another tie.
The Hawks led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter. The Wizards went on a 16-2 run to cut their deficit to one point, 82-81, with 2:56 remaining. After a Hawks turnover, John Wall scored a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer for the Wizards first lead since the second quarter. The basket, with 1:40 remaining, ended a 19-2 run.
The teams traded baskets before the Hawks got the ball back on a Horford block with under a minute remaining. After a mad scramble, Horford was fouled with 5.5 seconds remaining. He calmly sunk the two free throws to tie the game at 86-86.
Wall missed at the buzzer to force overtime.
The Hawks (12-11, 8-4 home) ended a four-game homestand 3-1.
Horford also finished with 15 rebounds for the double-double. Paul Millsap added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Korver had 16 points and Teague added 12 points. Korver has extended his NBA record streak to 92 consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
The Wizards (9-12, 3-8 road) lost their third straight. Trevor Booker led the Wizards with 24 points. Wall had 13 points, 11 in the fourth quarter.
Horford is one of three Hawks on the All-Star ballot. He was not in the top 15 in voting when the NBA released the initial results Thursday.
The Hawks led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter. They started the period with a 14-6 run to build a double-digit lead.
Wall torched the Hawks for 26 points and 12 assists in the Wizards in 108-101 win Nov. 30. Through three quarters Friday, the Wizards star guard had more turnovers (3) than points (2).
“It all starts with containing Wall,” Horford said before the game. “He does such a good job of getting in the lane and finding his guys around. We have to do a good job of defending him.”
The Hawks led 48-46 at half after surviving a 1-for-8 start. Horford had 17 of his points in the first half, seven of the Hawks’ first nine points. The Hawks used a 15-5 run in the second quarter to take a lead.
Another point of emphasis for the Hawks was to limit the number of turnovers that lead to transition baskets. The Hawks turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 18 points, in the November loss. Through three quarters that had only nine turnovers.
“They probably heard it once or twice this morning,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said before the game of the importance of ball control.
Hawks travel to New York for a game against the Knicks Saturday.
About the Author
