Atlanta Hawks (88) at Los Angeles Clippers (95)
ATL (18-24), LAC (14-28)

Scoring by Quarters
ATL - 21/20/20/27 - 88
LAC - 20/28/26/21 - 95

Individuals
Scoring
ATL - Smith - 21
LAC - Thornton - 33

Rebounds
ATL - 44 (Smith/Horford 10)
LAC - 40 (Thomas 9)

Assists
ATL - 24 (Smith 8)
LAC - 24 (Knight 7)

-- Trailing by 20 with 6:09 left in the contest, the Hawks rallied to trim the deficit to three (and with the ball) in the final minute of the game, but the Hawks could get no closer, suffering a 95-88 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday.

-- The Hawks were up, 21-20, after one, behind a balanced scoring attack ... Al Thornton scored 12 in the second quarter, pushing the Clips to a 48-41 halftime lead ... After leading by 13 through three (74-61), the Clippers increased the lead to as many as 20 before the late Atlanta run.

-- Josh Smith finished two assists shy of a triple-double with 21 pts, 10 rebs and 8 assts, Joe Johnson added 17, Al Horford and Josh Childress tallied 14 each, and Marvin Williams scored 11.

-- Al Thornton's career-high 33 paced the Clippers.

-- Atlanta begins a four-game homestand on Saturday, hosting New Jersey (7 p.m., 790 The Zone).

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After seeing deserving Hawks players passed over for the Rookie-Sophomore challenge the last few years, we are happy to note that today Hawks big man Al Horford was named to the Rookie Squad for the upcoming event during All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

Horford left nothing to chance, as he has played outstanding ball for the Hawks since Day 1 and has been easily the most consistent rookie performer in the entire NBA.

I mentioned this the other day in my midseason review, but it really bothers me that everyone is just handing the ROY to Kevin Durant (though I will give him props for his 26 point performance in their surprising upset over San Antonio last night).

I can only hope that Horford uses All-Star weekend as a platform to show the world how good he is, and maybe people will start to look a little more closely at him as a viable awards candidate.

Either way, congrats to Al for making the team, and I can't wait to see him show the rest of the world what we Hawks fans see from him night after night.

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Atlanta Hawks (92) at Phoenix Suns (125)
ATL (18-23), PHOE (33-13)

Scoring by Quarters
ATL - 17/16/33/26 - 92
PHOE - 28/24/38/35 - 125

Individuals
Scoring
ATL - M. Williams - 18
PHOE - Stoudemire - 24

Rebounds
ATL - 50 (M. Williams/J. Johnson 8)
PHOE - 36 (Diaw/Stoudemire 7)

Assists
ATL - 13 (Law 4)
PHOE - 31 (Nash 10)

-- The Hawks suffered their worst loss of the season in Phoenix on Tuesday night, 125-92.

-- Atlanta made just 7-34 FGs in the first quarter, and fell behind, 28-17, as Phoenix tied a franchise record with 8 blocks ... The deficit reached 19 at the halfway point (52-33) ... Amare Stoudemire scored 22 (9-10 FGs) in the half ...
Through three, Atlanta was down, 90-66.

-- Marvin Williams led the Hawks with 18 points, while Josh Childress added 17 and Zaza Pachulia had 12.

-- Atlanta had won two-of-the-last-three against
Phoenix, including a 105-96 victory at Philips Arena on Nov. 7.

-- Marvin Williams is 26-45 from the field (.578) in his last three contests.

-- Phoenix set a franchise record with 19 blocks.

-- The Hawks wrap up their five-game West Coast trip on Wednesday at the L.A. Clippers (10:30 PM, SportSouth, 790 AM).

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Heading into tonight's game against Phoenix, the Hawks are at the (sort of) midway point of the season. They have played 40 official games, and owe another 51.9 seconds to the 41st. The season is halfway over.

Sekou Smith weighed in today with some thoughts on the team at the mid-way point; I thought I'd do the same.

Best Win: We've had some good wins so far, but the one that impressed me the most was the 116-111 victory over Utah back on Dec. 17. The Jazz have owned the Hawks the last few years, and their brand of physical ball just overwhelmed us in the past. But this season the Hawks traded body blows with them back and forth the whole game, taking over a tie game going into the final quarter to halt a 9-game skid against the Jazz. It was especially sweet for the Hawks, who saw their season run off track the year before after blowing a 21-point lead in a home loss to Utah.

Worst Loss: There have some frustrating Ls so far, but for my money nothing flustered me more than the 126-123 double-OT loss to Seattle on Nov. 16. It didn't derail the season, and the team rebounded from it to eventually move back over .500, but it spoke to the essence of what has so far kept this team from really asserting itself - the inability to put its competition away. Atlanta had so many opportunities to close that one out, and eventually Kevin Durant's magic overtook them. The loss at Portland on Sunday was heart-breaking, but they are a good team. Losing at home to a 9-35 (they were 1-9 at the time) is hard to rationalize.

Team MVP: Joe Johnson. Easy call. JJ's numbers may be down slightly from a year ago, but when teams put together a defensive game-plan for Atlanta, it still begins and ends with Joe Johnson. His teammates have improved this year, and that has helped the team immensely. But it's not an accident that the Hawks' record is 10-4 (11-4 with the Miami game) when Joe scores 24 or more (hat tip to Hawks PR for that stat).

Biggest Surprise: Anthony Johnson. AJ was an afterthought at the beginning of the season, barely getting off the bench in the first few games (though part of that was due to the birth of his son). But injuries gave the vet a chance to start, and he has been a rock in the Hawks backcourt ever since. He may not be the flashiest player, but his steady play and ability to avoid turnovers (to the tune of a 4-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, 4th-best in the league) has helped the Hawks survive the loss of Speedy Claxton and the adjustment period for rookie Acie Law.

Most Improved: Marvin Williams. We all knew how important Marvin's maturation would be to the team's success, and he has risen to the challenge this year by averaging career-bests 16.6 ppg and 5.8 rebounds. His 33-point performance the other night in Seattle is a hopeful sign of things to come - a more aggressive player, capable of beating teams with his jumper or by slashing to the hole. Josh Smith has done wonderful things for the Hawks this season and is closer to an All-Star appearance than Marv, but Williams' sweet shooting stroke has become one of the most reliable offensive options for the Hawks and has helped to punish teams who bring the double-team Joe's way.

Best Trend: The Hawks transition game. Maybe it doesn't happen as much as we'd like, but when the Hawks are running, it is a thing of beauty. With so many guys who can get up-and-down the court quickly and finish, Atlanta can put points on the board in a hurry when things are clicking. My particular favorite is when Al Horford grabs a rebound and starts the break. The big guy navigates the floor like a point guard and rarely makes a bad decision - not bad for a rookie.

Worst Trend: Fourth quarter woes. Every team is going to blow leads over the course of a season. With as much talent as there is in the NBA, it's bound to happen sooner or later. What has been troubling about the Hawks of late has been the repetitiveness of the way in which they've blown them. I don't think you can pin the blame on any one person, coach or player. It's a collective issue, and it's one the team needs to focus on more than anything else if they want to reverse the curse.

Soapbox Moment: I love Kevin Durant. I went to Texas, and he'll always be one of my favorite Longhorns (alongside Royal Ivey of course). But I think the fact that everyone is handing the Rookie of the Year award to him right now with the way Al Horford has been playing is ridiculous. Take Friday's Hawks-Sonics game as a microcosm of each of the two players' seasons so far: Durant scored 17 points, but they came on 7-21 shooting from the field and he finished the game with only 2 rebounds and a team-worst -18 rating. Horford, on the other hand, had 10 points and 16 rebounds and was +12. Durant is going to be an amazing player in this league, and I am excited for that to happen. But he isn't amazing right now, and to think that he's having a better year than Horford at this point is ignoring the facts at hand. Hopefully people's minds will change as the season wears on.

Second Half Outlook: Looking at the schedule, the name of the game to me is to hold fast during February. With several tough home games (Cleveland, LA Lakers, Detroit) and the last big road trip of the year (including at the Lakers, Jazz, and Spurs), the Hawks will be tested as much if not more than they were with the murderer's row to open the season. If the Hawks can avoid doing anything disastrous (something along the lines of 5-9 or worse) in February, they'll have the opportunity to do some damage in March with several games against their Eastern Conference competitors. Atlanta is in line for its first playoff berth since 1999, and despite the team's recent struggles stand a very good chance of turning that prospect into a reality.

It will be interesting to see how the team reacts to Sunday's loss to Portland tonight when they play the Suns. Phoenix is a team that plays at a pace that favors the Hawks (which is not the same as saying the Hawks will be favored), but if they come out thinking about the Blazers, Steve Nash and co. will run them off the floor. Atlanta got arguably its biggest road win of the season in Phoenix last year, something I'm sure is not lost on the Suns. They also have Amare Stoudemire back, who missed the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season at Philips.

Honestly? I am not expecting a win. There is no such thing as a moral victory of course, but if nothing else I'd like to see them come out with effort and energy to show they are able to put bad losses behind them. That kind of backbone will go a long way towards determining their fate this year. A win would be outstanding, but I'll settle for a close loss.

Game time is 9:00 ET, and you can catch all the action on SportSouth.

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Links from the weekend:

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Atlanta Hawks (93) at Portland Trail Blazers (94)
ATL (18-22), PORT (26-18)

Scoring by Quarters
ATL - 29/23/21/20 - 93
PORT - 19/18/26/31 - 94

Individuals
Scoring
ATL - J. Johnson - 19
PORT - Roy - 24

Rebounds
ATL - 36 (Horford 12)
PORT - 31 (Aldridge 8)

Assists
ATL - 29 (A. Johnson 11)
PORT - 19 (Rodriguez 6)

-- The Hawks controlled most of the game, but couldn't withstand a late Blazers rally, and fell, 94-93 in Portland on Sunday.

-- The Hawks played an outstanding first half on both ends, shooting 51.1% from the field, dishing out 16 assists, and took a 52-37 lead into the lockerroom ... The Blazers started to chip away, cutting the lead down to 10 (73-63) through three ... Atlanta pushed the lead to 14 in the fourth, but Portland finished the game on a 16-4 run, and Brandon Roy's free throw was the difference.

-- Joe Johnson led the way with 19 points, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith added 17 each, and Anthony Johnson recorded 12 points and 11 assists (his third double-double).

-- Al Horford had 12 boards to go with his 9 points, has recorded four straight games with 10 or more rebounds, and is averaging 11.8 rpg over his last five contests.

-- Portland improved to 18-4 at home.

-- Atlanta is 1-2 on the current five-game West coast road trip, and game four of the Hawks' trip is Tuesday at Phoenix (9 PM, SportSouth, 790 AM).

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Atlanta Hawks (99) at Seattle Sonics (90)
ATL (18-21), SEA (9-34)

Scoring by Quarters
ATL - 23/29/26/21 - 99
SEA - 14/17/28/31 - 90

Individuals
Scoring
ATL - M. Williams - 33
SEA - Wilcox - 18

Rebounds
ATL - 49 (Horford 16)
SEA - 41 (Wilcox 7)

Assists
ATL - 19 (J. Johnson 7)
SEA - 17 (Wilkins 4)

-- Marvin Williams poured in a career-high 33 points in his return to his hometown, and the Hawks rode his effort to a 99-90 win in Seattle on Friday.

-- The Hawks were ahead 23-14 after one, and increased the lead to as many as 24 ... Seattle made a late run to trim the deficit to nine late in the contest, but the Hawks closed it out.

-- Josh Smith added 14 points, Joe Johnson and Josh Childress had 13 each and Al Horford and Anthony Johnson put in 10 apiece.

-- Atlanta snapped an eight-game losing streak to Seattle, avenging a 126-123 double OT loss in Atlanta on Nov. 16 ... Earlier this season, the Hawks snapped a 12-game skid to Chicago.

-- In a head-to-head battle between two of the leading Rookie of the Year candidates, Al Horford had 10 pts and 16 rebs (his second straight double-double), while Kevin Durant finished with 17 pts on 7-21 FGs.

-- The Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak, and a six-game road losing skid ... Atlanta's last win away from home came on 12/21 at Washington.

-- Zaza Pachulia (6 pts/6 rebs) collected his first field goal since 12/26 vs. Indiana.

-- Seattle has tied a franchise record with 13 consecutive losses.

-- The Hawks' road trip rolls into Portland on Sunday (6:00 ET, SportSouth, 790 The Zone).

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I was surprised to learn this, but can you guess which team in the NBA has the longest current winning streak against the Hawks? If you said Seattle (only a reasonable guess because of the context of this post), you are correct. After their 126-123 double-OT win over the Hawks back in November, the Sonics have now won 8 straight in the series. I guess they've been a decent team the last few years (not including this year), so maybe it's not that crazy, but it sure feels like it.

This losing business is for the birds. It needs to end, and I say it does tonight. Reading Sekou Smith's article on the team's morale on its current road trip, I get the sense that the guys are staying positive. They know that even with the recent slide their playoff fate still rests very much in their hands, and if they can stay focus they can still make a mark this season.

Seattle has lost 12 straight games coming into tonight, which does give me a little pause; after all, the Hawks have a tendency to relax a little too much when a game looks like a sure victory. But, given that the team is currently 4 games under .500, I don't see motivation being an issue tonight.

What will be an issue tonight is stopping the awesome offensive force that is Damien Wilkins. Wilkins always seems to save his best performances for his uncle's franchise, including a career-high 41 at Philips Arena in November. He hasn't gotten a ton of burn lately, but I'm guessing he'll be in the mix tonight.

Game time is 10:30 ET, so plan on staying up late to catch all of this one.

Let's get this season back on track, whaddya say?

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The Hawks never gave up last night in the 107-100 loss at Denver, and for that I give them credit. But they just made too many careless errors to beat a team as talented as Denver, even missing Carmelo Anthony. If you are going to win on the road, you have to cut out the miscues.

It's a little hollow without a win, but nevertheless let's give it up to Josh Smith for accomplishing the first triple-double of his career. Smoove had arguably his best (statistical) game as a Hawk last night, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Oh, he also added on 5 blocks and 3 steals. But as was typical of the game, he also had 7 turnovers. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if anyone is able to accomplish the rarely-seen quadruple-double in the next 15 years, it's going to be #5 for the Hawks.

A frustrating loss that could have been a win, but no time to cry over spilled milk. The Sonics are up on Friday.

Onto the links:

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