Johnson scores 25 to lead Hawks past Lakers 109-92

by Paul Newberry(AP)

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford got plenty of help off the Atlanta bench and the Hawks handed Los Angeles its second straight loss, breezing past the Lakers 109-92 Wednesday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points but only eight in the second half as Los Angeles lost back-to-back games for just the fourth time this season. The Lakers won twice on a five-game road trip and missed a chance to possibly clinch the Pacific Division title before heading back home.

The Hawks, who came into the night tied with Boston for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, won their ninth straight at home — their longest such run since a 20-game streak at the old Omni during the 1996-97 season.

Johnson hit five 3-pointers but the bench did the best work. The always-reliable Crawford scored 14 points, Maurice Evans had 18 and the Hawks' reserves outscored the Lakers bench 48-22, also getting a double-double from Zaza Pachulia.

Atlanta went ahead for good on Crawford's 3-pointer with 1:35 left in the first quarter, stretched it out to 55-45 by halftime and was never seriously threatened over the final two quarters, pushing the margin as high as 18 points.

Evans went 7 of 9 from the field, his only two misses coming from outside the arc. Pachulia scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, his first double-double since March 29, 2009, also against the Lakers.

Bryant called it a night with 2 1/2 minutes to go, heading to the bench after a turnover and watching the rest of the game with a towel draped over his shoulders.

The attendance-challenged Hawks drew a full-house-and-then-some crowd of 20,190, a team record since their move to Philips Arena in 1999. Among those sitting courtside were Hall of Famer Julius Erving and Atlanta rapper T.I., who was recently released from a halfway house after serving prison time on a weapons charge.

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Joe Johnson scores 28 as Hawks win in Utah for first time since 1993

SALT LAKE CITY — The last time the Atlanta Hawks celebrated a victory in Salt Lake City, Joe Johnson was a star player in an Arkansas Boys Club grade-school league.

Yep, it's been a while. Now an NBA all-star, Johnson scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to help the Hawks win in Utah for the first time in 17 years, beating the short-handed Jazz 105-100 on Monday night.

The Hawks hadn't won in Utah since Feb. 13, 1993, when Dominique Wilkins scored 43 points to lead Atlanta to a 121-112 victory.

"It's about time," Johnson said. "The last time our team won here, I was just a little kid watching Dominique and dreaming I might play in the NBA someday."

The Hawks knew all about the drought.

"The streak was brought to our attention before the game, so we wanted to come out early and establish ourselves," Johnson said. "We wanted to make sure they knew it wasn't going to be the same type of game they are used to seeing out of us."

Johnson made a three-pointer with 2:28 left that gave the Hawks a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

"Joe hit a big shot in one of our isolations, which we needed," Atlanta coach Mike Woodson said. "Other than that, it was pick and rolls down the stretch for us and we really executed well."

Josh Smith added 18 points and Jamal Crawford, who had 17, followed Johnson's long jumper with a steal and two free throws as the Jazz lost for just the third time in 20 games.

"They all passed the ball and they've all got the ability to shoot the ball out on the floor, so you're really put in a tough situation with how much help you can give inside," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

Playing without Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, the Jazz stayed close until the final minute, but allowed the Hawks to shoot 54 per cent.

"We can't make excuses," said Paul Millsap, who led the Jazz with 14 points. "Losing Deron and Andrei just gives other guys the opportunity to step up. We just have to do a better job down the stretch." Read More

source: canadianpress