Marvin Williams walked from the floor to the bench, the Philips Arena crowd at a crescendo.
The Hawks were torching Utah, playing sublime basketball that caused Jazz coach Jerry Sloan to surrender with almost 18 minutes left to play on Friday.
"That was fun," Williams said grinning to his teammates coming out to greet him after another Jazz timeout.
The Hawks rolled another opponent, racking up their sixth consecutive win and taking sole possession of the Southeast Division by a one-half game over Orlando. The Hawks led by as many as 32 points in a 96-83 dismemberment of Utah.
The Hawks are 19-6 and 12-2 at home. Utah is 15-12.
The Hawks held the NBA's second-best shooting team to 42.9 percent and its second lowest output of the season. They forced 23 turnovers and blocked five shots. The Jazz didn't have a player in double digits until 6:38 remained in the game.
Utah all-star point guard Deron Williams scored just two points, harassed into 1-for-8 shooting with four turnovers and four assists.
"Tonight, it was beautiful to watch," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said.
The Hawks' primary implement in the win was a 27-6 run that started the third quarter and lifted them to a 71-40 lead with 4:20 left in the quarter. The Hawks won by double digits for the fifth game in a row and Woodson was able to empty the bench in the fourth quarter.
"We're starting to develop that killer instinct," center Al Horford said. "At Florida [where Horford won back-to-back national championships], I'd say we definitely had it. When we saw someone, we just went after them, and we're starting to develop that [attitude] as a team."
The Hawks jumped into passing lanes, altered shots at the rim, controlled the backboards and gave Utah little room to operate. The misses and turnovers turned into a flurry of fastbreak opportunities that finished with dunks and 3-pointers. The Hawks assisted on 10 of the 11 baskets in the run.
Near the end of the run, Sloan pulled the entire starting lineup, sending up the white flag.
"We got every stop and made every shot for I don't know how long," Marvin Williams said.
Hawks guard Joe Johnson said Philips, with an announced crowd of 17,501, was probably as loud as it has been all season. Woodson called it "as good a third quarter as we've played since I've been here."
Forward Josh Smith continued his campaign to be named to the All-Star Game and the all-defensive team. He had 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and two blocks.
Smith delivered one of the plays of the night in the second quarter when he jumped in front of a pass for Deron Williams in the lane, dribbled downcourt and dunked, getting fouled by Williams in the process.
"They're one of the fastest teams in the league at every position," said Utah forward Carlos Boozer, limited to six points and six rebounds. "They showed that tonight."
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