Hawks 99 Thunder 88

by Hoopinion on Dec 24, 2008 12:10 PM EST

Team	Poss	Off Eff	eFG%	FT Rate	OR%	TO%
OKC	88.8	0.99	40.1	16.5	39.6	13.5
ATL	88.8	1.11	51.3	22.8	25	10.1

Between Joe Johnson's triple-double and Al Horford's 1000th rebound, it was a big night for round numbers. That being said, I don't think either Johnson or Horford played as well as Josh Smith and Marvin Williams*. It was Smith's unexplained absence from the court six minutes into the third quarter that coincided with Oklahoma City's run which culminated in a one-point lead for the Thunder. To be fair, Oklahoma City's run also coincided with the conclusion of their bizarre decision to force the ball to Desmond Mason in the low post. PJ Carlesimo might be gone but his curious offensive ideas still linger. At least in their new city, with their new name, and their new coach we were spared a second quarter featuring Johan Petro posting up.

*Larry disagrees with this in part.

The late scare in third quarter was but a distant memory by the game's conclusion as Joe Johnson bossed the fourth quarter (4-8 FGA, 6 assists, 4 rebounds) turning around what had been one of his lesser performances (4-15 FGA, 5 assists) through three quarters. It wasn't Johnson alone, though. Williams and Smith combined for 12 points on 6 shots and the Hawks, as a whole, remembered to guard Kevin Durant. Scotty Brooks' decision to use Joe Smith rather than Chris Wilcox down the stretch certainly made that last item simpler to achieve.

Joe Johnson:

"I didn't shoot well, but at the same time I was able to do other things. My teammates were making shots. I was just trying to crash the boards, get rebounds and just make plays. It's cool, but it's not the biggest thing on my list. Don't get me wrong. A triple-double is sweet. It's a great accomplishment because it lets you know you've been active on both ends of the court. I was just trying to be aggressive and make plays.''

Marvin Williams: