If the West is really best, then maybe the Hawks’ 96-86 win over the Grizzlies Wednesday night will stand as premier evidence that Atlanta has one of the NBA’s very best teams.
Jeff Teague scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the final four minutes to remain hot, and help the Hawks keep cooking as they won their sixth straight game and franchise-record ninth in a row over a Western Conference opponent.
Atlanta (27-8) showed it can win by plan or panic, and that a team doesn’t win 20 of 22 games by accident — unless mistakes often are corrected by draining shots.
The three most important shots made, all taken in the final 155 seconds, were jumpers on a night when Atlanta scored just 30 points in the paint against Memphis (25-10) in Philips Arena.
None of them went by the book.
Al Horford’s 20-footer gave the Hawks an 86-84 lead they never lost, and came off a broken play. He saw Teague trapped on the left flank, ran to a spot nearby, took a frantic pass from the Atlanta point guard and let fly immediately. After making just 4-of-14 shots before that, he was golden with 2:35 left.
“I missed so many shots that I normally make,” Horford said after scoring eight of his 12 points in the final period. “I felt like I was due.”
Teague pulled up to take a 24-footer from the top with nearly 10 seconds left on the shot clock.
With that 3-pointer, Teague – who averaged 23.2 points over the previous five games – gave the Hawks an 89-84 lead with 1:19 to go.
No sense burning time, he figured.
“Coach always says that if we see something out there that we can do, and we’ve got confidence in it, then do it,” said Teague, who added six assists. “I felt confidence in that shot.”
After Paul Millsap rebounded a Nick Calathes miss at the other end, the Hawks took off.
Horford, who’d passed to Teague moments earlier for his long ball, dimed cross court to Kyle Korver, who was open as a canyon on the left side.
He could’ve dribbled off time, yet launched with 19 seconds left on the shot clock.
That 3-pointer with 59.8 seconds left gave Atlanta a 92-84 lead.
“It’s one of those ones where if you miss, it gives them another chance,” Korver said after scoring 14 points, “but … if you make it, it’s a back breaker.”
The Grizzlies, who tied four times after opening the fourth quarter in an 11-point hole, were broken.
They were done in largely by a deficit in 3-point shooting. They made 5-of-17 to Atlanta’s 13-of-25.
That’s part of the Hawks’ plan, magnified in importance Wednesday. Atlanta didn’t plan to cobble together just 15-for-36 shooting in the paint, and didn’t set as goal a mere four second-chance points.
Atlanta led 70-59 after three quarters, though, and it was a good thing that reserve big man Pero Antic pitched in a season-high 13 points in those periods — including 3-of-4 3-point shots.
“Hats off to them,” said Memphis coach David Joerger. “They are really good. They have a lot of playmakers and shooters.”
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