The Lou Williams signing looks pretty darn good right about now.
The Hawks did what few thought was possible on Sunday. They entered a hostile environment and stared down the defending Western Conference champion Thunder. And they did so without star Josh Smith.
Williams had a run of 10 straight points late in the game as the Hawks defeated the Thunder 104-95, silencing a raucous sellout crowd of 18,203 at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Williams scored 14 of the Hawks’ final 23 points.
DeShawn Stevenson hit a 3-pointer with 1:28 remaining that put the Hawks up 100-91. Williams then hit four free throws in the final seconds to ice the victory and end a final Thunder run.
“Over the past four or five years of my career, the fourth quarter has probably been my best,” said Williams, who finished with 19 points. “I’ve always gotten off to slow starts for whatever reason. I just pick it up in the fourth quarter. It’s something I’ve done in the past and something I want to bring to this team.”
The Hawks also got a strong effort from Al Horford, who finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Horford scored eight of the Hawks’ first 13 points. After a scoreless second quarter, he scored nine of the Hawks’ first 19 points of the third quarter.
“Coach went to me early in the third,” Horford said. “He wanted to get me back involved. I missed some shots that I usually make. I just stayed positive and kept playing. Whatever the defense gave me, I just played off that.”
The Hawks (1-1) got contributions from nearly the entire team. All 10 players who played scored at least four points. Jeff Teague had 16 points, including eight in the first quarter. Ivan Johnson added 10.
The Hawks’ rebounding, a sore spot in their season-opening loss to the Rockets, was impressive. The Hawks held a 38-37 advantage on the boards.
Although the victory came in the second game of the season, coach Larry Drew and his team did not want to underestimate the scope of the win.
“If you look at it, before the game probably a lot of people didn’t give us any kind of chance,” Horford said. “It just shows character of this team. … This was a team effort we are pretty proud about.”
The Thunder (1-2) were led by Kevin Martin with a game-high 28 points, 22 of them in the first half. Kevin Durant added 22 points and 12 rebounds.
With the game on the line, Drew elected to stay with a veteran lineup of Zaza Pachulia, Devin Harris, Horford, Stevenson and Williams.
“Lou got into a rhythm and we were going to ride it,” Drew said. “I had to make a decision whether to bring Jeff and Kyle (Korver) back but the group that was in there had a good rhythm going and I didn’t want to do anything to disrupt that. We decided to ride Lou’s hot hand.”
The Hawks led by as many as 10 points in the first half. The Thunder stormed back and closed the second quarter on a 22-9 run to take a 51-47 lead into intermission.
The Hawks rallied in the third quarter, tied the game on four occasions and took two leads. Anthony Morrow converted a 3-pointer for a late three-point lead and the Hawks took a 75-74 advantage into the decisive final quarter.
It was the Hawks’ second straight win over the Thunder. They won their only meeting last season, 97-90, playing without Joe Johnson in Atlanta.
Williams also led the Hawks in the opener with 22 points. A pretty clever signing.
“I would hope,” Williams said with a smile. “We will see. It’s early.”
Notes
Smith did not make the trip to Oklahoma City after suffering a right ankle sprain in Friday’s season opener. Drew said he noticed Smith limping during that game. After treatment Saturday, a decision was made to leave the forward in Atlanta with hopes he will return Wednesday against the Pacers. Backup center Johan Petro (back) also did not make the trip. … Without Josh Smith, the Hawks started a lineup of Teague, Korver, Stevenson, Anthony Tolliver and Horford. …
Morrow and Johnson, along with rookies John Jenkins and Mike Scott, did not play in the season opener. Drew said the decision was based on a combination of matchups and rotation. “First of all we can’t play everybody,” Drew said. “That particular game, being the first game, I wanted to look at some specific matchups. We’ll see how it goes. I can’t play 11 or 12 guys. I just can’t do it. I’ve got to really look and play the guys who are going to be in the rotation. The other guys, as I’ve told them, are going to have to stay ready.”
About the Author
