Peachtree Hoops - Jan 31: Hawks 91, Sixers 85The place to read about/discuss the Atlanta Hawks.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/8811/peachtree-fave.jpg2015-02-01T08:00:02-05:00http://www.peachtreehoops.com/rss/stream/77199322015-02-01T08:00:02-05:002015-02-01T08:00:02-05:00Hawks find a way to extend streak against Sixers
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<figcaption>Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Atlanta Hawks saw a 15-point lead disappear late but found a way to extend their winning streak to 19 straight with a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. </p> <p>One of the most remarkable things about Atlanta's 40-8 start to the season has been their ability to focus in night in and night out no matter the opponent or the situation. Over a regular season that stretches 82 games, that is a rare occurrence. Good teams often suffer losses in those situations but great teams find a way to push through and still get the win.</p>
<p>That was the situation the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Hawks</a> faced Saturday against a tanking and undermanned <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a> team. Atlanta was coming off of an emotional win over Portland on Friday and was down two key players in <span>DeMarre Carroll</span> and Thabo Sefolosha. Atlanta jumped out to a sizable halftime lead but saw the Sixers come roaring back and take the lead in the game's final moments. Atlanta recovered thanks to some clutch play from <span>Al Horford</span> and Dennis Schröder down the stretch.</p>
<p>Following the game, <span>Mike Budenholzer</span> wasn't ready to make excuses for his team. He instead chose to credit the Sixers who have turned into a scrappy defensive unit.</p>
<p>"Tonight you saw a team that's really improved from the start of the season," Budenholzer told reporters following the game. "Philadelphia is growing and improving their defense. They did a lot of things that made it difficult for us tonight. Credit to them and their players. Our group found a way. I think we went down two in the fourth quarter late, and different people made some big shots. Al has been great at the end of quarters and at the end of games. Dennis hit a big shot. We are finding different ways to win, different players stepping up each night against a very good defensive team. We have to play a lot better going forward."</p>
<p>The Sixers are coached by <span>Brett Brown</span> who like Budenholzer is a disciple of <span>Gregg Popovich</span> in San Antonio. As a group Philadelphia's team is undermanned from a talent standpoint and a lot of that is self inflicted as they look for good positioning in the draft. However, Brown deserves credit for getting a less talented roster to play hard on most nights. Would be interesting to see what he could do with a more talented team.</p>
<p>Part of Atlanta's success this season has been their ability to get strong contributions from different players every night. That is going to be even more important in the coming days given their current injury situation.</p>
<p>"This was a rough game, said <span>Jeff Teague</span> who finished with 10 points and seven assists but was just 3-12 from the floor. "Guys are banged up and tired. We had to pull it off. I don't know how we did it, but we did it."</p>
<p>"We just found a way to win," said <span>Elton Brand</span> who finished with five rebounds in 11 minutes. "That's what we've been doing all season. They have some talented young players over there and they play hard. Coming into this game, we knew their record but we knew it wouldn't be easy. We lost that 15-point lead. They came back and took the lead, but we wanted to stay with it. That's what we've been doing all month and all season."</p>
<p>The Hawks pulled it off thanks to the steady play of Horford and a big three from Schröder in the games final moments. Horford hit a couple of big baskets and grabbed a couple of big rebounds late and finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and four assists.</p>
<p>"Al made a lot of big plays when the game got tight," Budenholzer said. "He was, defensively, at the rim and on the boards. He and Paul both can be really efficient in the pick-and-roll situation. Him and Jeff have a good working relationship. It's great to have multiple guys that you can put in that position, and hopefully give oursevles the best chance to have success at the end of games."</p>
<p>Philly took their first lead of the game with about three minutes remaining. Horford quickly tied things up and Schröder delivered perhaps the biggest shot of the game knocking down a clutch three-pointer to put the Hawks back in front.</p>
<p>"As a staff and as a group, we know how important shooting is," Budenholzer said. "We know how important confidence is. He works hard. He works every day. I'm on him a lot to attack. I'm on him to get to the paint. I'm on him to collapse the defense. I'm on him to find his open teammates. But we believe when you're open, you can take what the game give you. He's going to grow and he's going to hit big shots for us going forward. We're very confident in him."</p>
<p>"Huge," said Teague. "He played well. He played with a lot of confidence. We needed that lift badly. He made a big shot."</p>
<p>Schröder finished with 15 points and six assists on 6-11 shooting off the bench. He and little used <span>John Jenkins</span> accounted for 24 of Atlanta's 26 bench points.</p>
<p>That bench is going to be tested going forward as the Hawks will be forced to deal with multiple injuries for the first time this season. Jenkins was up for the task on Saturday and showed that he is ready and able to contribute. Atlanta has six games remaining before the All-Star break which will provide the team and players with some much needed rest.</p>
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https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/2/1/7959029/76ers-vs-hawks-2015-mike-budenholzer-al-horfordKris Willis2015-01-31T21:51:15-05:002015-01-31T21:51:15-05:00Streak reaches 19 as Hawks outlast Sixers, 91-85
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<figcaption>Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>It was too close for comfort, but the Atlanta Hawks extended their record winning streak to 19 games with a 91-85 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. </p> <p>Injuries happen in the NBA, but the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> faced a challenge without two key cogs on Saturday night against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a>. In a game that virtually no one thought would be competitive, the Hawks were pushed to the limit, but Atlanta emerged with their 19th consecutive victory by a final score of 91-85.</p>
<p>In the early going, the Hawks were a bit sluggish, and it showed on the scoreboard. Philadelphia played stride for stride for the first six minutes or so, keeping the score knotted at 10-10 despite two threes from <span>Kyle Korver</span> to start the night, and worries festered about the Sixers hanging around for much of the night. However, things went sideways for the visitors in a hurry.</p>
<p>Atlanta raced to a 14-0 spurt over the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second, and it was largely due to incompetent offense from Philadelphia. The Sixers did not score for the final six minutes and 52 seconds of the first quarter, and overall, it was nearly an eight-minute drought while they simply could not connect from the field. Mercifully, the onslaught cooled a bit, but the Hawks put together another 12-3 run (including a three from <span>John Jenkins</span>) later in the second quarter, and that was enough to keep Atlanta safe with a comfortable 15-point halftime lead.</p>
<p>Admittedly, it was a less than ideal performance in the first 24 minutes for the home team, as the Hawks shot just 44% from the field in the half. <span>Paul Millsap</span> (10 points, 5 rebounds) and Kyle Korver (9 points on 3-for-4 from three) were standouts, but the story was the play of John Jenkins, who emerged from the bench for 14 minutes and 9 points on 4 for 5 shooting. It was tough to overlook just how ugly the offense was on the other bench, but 15 point leads don't grow on trees and the Hawks did enough to build one.</p>
<p>Philadelphia did not simply go away, though, as the Sixers mounted a quick charge in the second half. Atlanta fell victim to a 10-4 run out of the break, and the hits kept coming. Every time the Hawks would seem to quell the momentum from the Sixers, Philly would connect on another three-pointer, and the visitors came within a four-point margin at 68-64 before settling with a 5-point deficit at the end of the third quarter. All in all, Philadelphia shot 12 of 24 (and 6 of 12 from three) with 32 points in the quarter, and that felt like 70% given their earlier 34-point output in the first half.</p>
<p>The Sixers weren't done there, unfortunately, and Philadelphia climbed all the way to the <i>lead</i> in the final moments. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute connected on a jumper with 3:19 left to tie the game at 81-81, and in short order, <span>Nerlens Noel</span> follows with a dunk to give the Sixers their first lead of the entire evening. From there, though, the Hawks awakened.</p>
<p><span>Al Horford</span> finished at the other end to knot the score (on what should have been a three-point play), and Dennis Schröder connected on the biggest shot of the game on the following possession, swishing a three to give Atlanta a 86-83 lead with 1:35 remaining. At that point, it was the Al Horford show. The big man, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds on the day, snared a defensive rebound to close a possession, picked up an offensive rebound of a <span>Jeff Teague</span> miss on the other end, and converted an 18-footer that gave the Hawks a 5-point lead with 47 seconds remaining.</p>
<p>It wasn't a given that Atlanta would emerge victorious at that point, as Philadelphia closed within just three at one point, but when Kyle Korver sealed the win with free throws with just 4.7 seconds left, a sigh of relief occurred. The Atlanta Hawks escaped and despite an ugly showing at times, the streak lives.</p>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/1/31/7957599/hawks-vs-76ers-final-score-atlanta-philadelphiaBrad Rowland2015-01-31T21:19:13-05:002015-01-31T21:19:13-05:00Alley....Wait?!?<iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/OtjaFheJPug/embed/simple" width="480" height="480"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>Jeff Teague tries for the alley-oop but, hits a three pointer instead.</p></p></div>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/1/31/7958227/alley-waitAaronPerine2015-01-31T20:18:17-05:002015-01-31T20:18:17-05:00Hawks Movin'<iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/OtDFWgm6pJx/embed/simple" width="480" height="480"></iframe>
<div class="source source-img"><p><p>The Atlanta Hawks find Kyle Korver on the wing for three.</p></p></div>
https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/1/31/7958053/hawks-movinAaronPerine2015-01-31T17:58:57-05:002015-01-31T17:58:57-05:00Carroll, Sefolosha out against Philadelphia
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<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Atlanta Hawks will be without both DeMarre Carroll and Thabo Sefolosha, in addition to Shelvin Mack, for Saturday night's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a> survived the loss of their two primary small forwards on Friday night, and Saturday evening will bring another challenge for the team. Earlier in the afternoon, the team announced that both <span>DeMarre Carroll</span> (left Achilles strain) and <span>Thabo Sefolosha</span> (right calf strain) have been ruled out for the game against the <a href="https://www.libertyballers.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia 76ers</a>.</p>
<p>Carroll was a late scratch prior to Friday's game against Portland, while Sefolosha exited after less than three minutes of game time. With <span>Shelvin Mack</span> (who has also been ruled out) already on the shelf, <span>Mike Budenholzer</span> leaned heavily on <span>Kent Bazemore</span> (40 minutes) and <span>Kyle Korver</span> (39 minutes) in order to secure that victory, and Bazemore will get the start alongside Korver on Saturday night.</p>
<p>Fortunately for Atlanta, the Sixers do not present the type of overall challenge of a team like Portland, but in the same breath, much of their talent is showcased on the wing in the form of players like <span>K.J. McDaniels</span>. It will be interesting to see how Budenholzer handles his short-handed rotation, and an increase in two-point guard lineups (hello, Dennis Schröder) or big lineups featuring <span>Mike Scott</span> or <span>Paul Millsap</span> at the small forward spot could be in the cards. In addition, <span>John Jenkins</span> could see the floor for his first extended action in some time, and it wouldn't be a surprise if Budenholzer elected to lengthen the use of his bench to include <span>Mike Muscala</span> and/or <span>Elton Brand</span>.</p>
<p>Looking toward the future, Mike Budenholzer indicated that Thabo Sefolosha will be out "a while" in pregame, with an official update to come. The status of DeMarre Carroll is up in the air, but Budenholzer wondered aloud if Carroll's injury would be "more of the short-term" variety.</p>
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https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/1/31/7957459/76ers-vs-hawks-demarre-carroll-thabo-sefolosha-injuryBrad Rowland2015-01-31T10:00:03-05:002015-01-31T10:00:03-05:00Hawks face Sixers seeking 19th straight win
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<figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Atlanta Hawks face the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, and the prize at the end of the evening could be a 19th consecutive victory.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Atlanta Hawks</a> did it again on Friday night, outlasting the <a href="https://www.blazersedge.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Portland Trail Blazers</a> for the team's 18th straight victory. On Saturday, the Hawks will battling letdown possibilities and high expectations, as <span>Mike Budenholzer</span> and company welcome the <a href="https://www.libertyballers.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia 76ers</a> to Philips Arena.</p>
<p>As they enter Saturday night, the Sixers are actually playing some of their best basketball of the season. Philadelphia has won back-to-back games, including a home win over Minnesota on Friday night, and regardless of their talent deficiencies, this is a team that is well-coached and willing to put out maximum effort on a nightly basis.</p>
<p>With that on the table, this is a game that the Hawks should win. Atlanta prevailed by a 18-point margin back on January 13 in Philadelphia, and they did so without <span>Jeff Teague</span>, <span>DeMarre Carroll</span> and Paul Millsap. Saturday's night may be nearly as sparse from a roster standpoint, as both Carroll and <span>Thabo Sefolosha</span> are dealing with injury issues, and Mike Budenholzer has shown a willingness to rest some of his starters in back-to-back situations against inferior opponents.</p>
<p>The Hawks notoriously play these things close to the vest, so we likely won't know much about the roster until closer to tip-off. Still, Atlanta should be considered a heavy favorite barring a mass "rest day" for the starting five, and with both teams on a back-to-back, aesthetically pleasing basketball could be at a premium.</p>
<p>Every night at Philips Arena feels like an event right now, and when that can be said about a Sixers game in late January, you know the Atlanta Hawks are rolling. Stay tuned.</p>
<h3>Game Info</h3>
<p><b>Game Date/Time:</b> Saturday, January 31, 7:30 p.m. ET</p>
<p><b>Location:</b> Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia</p>
<p><b>TV: </b>SportSouth</p>
<p><b>Radio:</b> 92.9 "The Game" FM</p>
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https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2015/1/31/7953045/76ers-vs-hawks-preview-start-time-tv-radioBrad Rowland