The Atlanta Hawks continued their recovery from a losing slide by taking their third straight victory last night, this time over the Brooklyn Nets 105-93.
The victory pulled Atlanta (37-29) within a game of Brooklyn (38-28) for fourth place (and first-round home court) in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks also pulled ahead of what had been a three-way tie with Boston and Chicago in the conference.
Al Horford put up another double-double, with 22 points and 11 rebounds. It was his third straight game with a double-double, after notching a 14/14 in a win over the Lakers and a 16/11 in a win over the Suns.
Josh Smith added 21 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks for the Hawks while making nine of fourteen shots from the floor. Dahntay Jones gave a spark off the bench, hitting six of seven shots for 13 points.
The game was close for three quarters, with the teams trading leads back and forth. The Hawks pulled away, though, with a 34-20 fourth quarter to ice the game and move further up in the standings.
Former Hawks Joe Johnson had a quiet 18 points for the Nets, making 7 of 16 shots. He also had three rebounds, three assists, and three turnovers.
The Hawks stumbled at the end of a six game road trip which sent them into a losing streak, as they lost six of seven games before this recent uptick. The Nets will get to begin their own long slog, with an eight-game, 17-day road trip that will tie for the longest road trip in team history - providing a great chance for the Hawks to pull ahead for that fourth spot in the conference.
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