Mike Budenhlolzer will find something wrong with this game – but he’s going to have to look hard.
The Hawks dominated the Jazz from start to finish in a 118-85 victory Friday night at Philips Arena. Even the head coach had reason to smile after the most complete performance of the season.
Lou Williams finished with a game-high 25 points off the bench, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Hawks. Al Horford added 23 points, on 11 of 15 shooting, in just 22 minutes. The center is averaging 23.6 points and 9.2 rebounds in the past five games.
The Hawks (15-12, 11-4 home) won their third straight game to move to a season-best three games over .500. They have won six of the past seven games, including this fifth straight over the Jazz.
Paul Millsap showed little love for the team where he spent his first seven seasons. The forward had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kyle Korver extended his NBA-record streak to 96 games with a 3-pointer in the first quarter.
All 12 available players scored for the Hawks.
The Jazz (7-22, 4-12 road), with the worst record in the Western Conference, have lost seven of the past 10 games. How bad are Jazz? If they were in Eastern Conference they would have the second-worst record.
The Hawks led by 21 points, 55-34, at halftime as they started fast and didn’t let up.
Horford scored eight of the Hawks’ first 10 points. The Hawks led by as many as 14 in the first quarter as the Jazz shot a miserable 6 of 23 (26.1 percent).
The 34 first-half points allowed by the Hawks were a season-low for an opponent. They held the Raptors to 39 points on Nov. 1. The Jazz didn’t break the 39-point mark until four minutes into the third quarter.
The contributions were wide-spread. Ten of the 11 players who entered the game scored in the first half, led by Horford’s 14. Elton Brand had three blocks and Williams had three steals.
The Hawks pushed their lead to 31 points in the third quarter and never gave the Jazz a hint they could rally.
The Hawks next travel to Miami to face the Heat Monday.
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