Quick Thought:
Winning is so much better than losing. It might not have been the blow out victory that some people might have wanted but it never did feel like the Hawks lost control of this one.
Summary:
The Hawks won this game by matching Minnesota on the backboard and actually out rebounded the NBA's top rebounding team 40-39. The Hawks also held a 15-12 advantage in offensive rebounds. Kevin Love had a big day with 22 points and 17 rebounds but was no match for the Hawks front line of Al Horford and Josh Smith. Hoford tallied 28 points and 10 rebounds while Smith tossed in 23 points and 10 rebounds as well. At first glance I don't think the Hawks defended the way coach Drew would like for 48 minutes but they proved in a stretch to start the third quarter that they could control the T-Wolves whenever they wanted to and forced Minnesota into committing 21 turnovers.
Three Stars
Al Horford - 28 points and 10 rebounds including a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line. Horford looked like the most dominant player on the floor.
Josh Smith - 23 points 10 rebounds and did a nice job battling with Kevin Love the entire game.
Mo Evans - seemed to solidify the the second unit scoring 9 points on 3-5 shooting. His defense seemed to spark a second unit that has disappeared during the Hawks recent losing streak.
The losing streak is over