The Atlanta Hawks got a big effort from their frequent All-Star center in a 104-96 win over Minnesota yesterday. They also got a surprising lift from a player not even on the Hawks' roster 24 hours before tip-off.
Al Horford brought his A-game with 28 points and 10 rebounds, hitting 12 of 20 shots. He also had three blocks and two steals. His point total was a season high as the Hawks exploited the absence of Kevin Love, out with a hand injury until March.
Pargo was signed Sunday to fill the void left by Lou Williams' devastating torn ACL injury, which will knock him out for the rest of the season. Pargo's 16 points off the bench were a welcome addition, and surprising as Pargo had not been on any NBA team's roster since November 14. He had been playing pickup ball in Chicago to stay close to game shape before getting the call from Atlanta.
Pargo stepped in as if no time was lost, making four of five three-pointers and adding four assists and a steal in his 25 minutes of action.
John Jenkins got the start at shooting guard, but was held scoreless in 14 minutes of action. Fellow rookie Mike Scott came off the bench and had 11 points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes of playing time.
The Hawks, now 23-18 at the halfway point of their season, will face the Charlotte Bobcats in Charlotte on Wednesday night. The Hawks would currently be the six-seed in the Eastern Conference, 4.5 games behind Miami in both the Southeast division and the Eastern Conference.
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