Hawks snap Jazz winning streak

The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Utah Jazz at the Phillips Arena on Wednesday night 100-93 behind 31 points from Joe Johnson.  In addition to solidifying their hold on the 4^th place spot in the Eastern Conference, the Hawks ended the Jazz’s 12 game winning streak.

In addition to his 31 points, Johnson added 9 assists for the Hawks who improved their record to 23-7 at home.  Al Horford and Josh Smith each posted a ‘double/double’ for Atlanta—Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Horford added 13 points and 12 boards.  The Hawks also got a boost from their bench, particularly reserve guard Ronald Murray who chipped in 16 points.   After the game, Smith commented that the win served as a validation for his team:

"This shows everybody in the world the Hawks are for real. They have to take the Hawks seriously. Utah is an outstanding team. We played the best in the West and were able to beat them."

Deron Williams led Utah with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while Mehmet Okur added his own ‘double/double’ with 14 points and 10 boards.  Paul Milsap just missed a ‘double/double’ with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Carlos Boozer and Ronnie Brewer each scored 14 points in the losing cause.   Williams lamented his team’s failure to execute down the stretch in his postgame comments:

"We had stretches where we played well and where we played bad throughout the game. They got a lot of transition baskets at the end of the game, and that got the crowd into it."

The Jazz played last night in Indiana, but head coach Jerry Sloan wasn’t going to use fatigue as an excuse:

"No, we didn't run out of gas. We didn't come with gas early. Nobody cares what you did last night; you just come and play hard."

Despite the 12 game winning streak, Utah’s postseason position is far from secure.  Only a game and a half separates 3^rd place Houston from 8^th place Dallas, with the Jazz tied with New Orleans for 4^th.  While the Jazz have been one of the best teams in the NBA at home, they’ve struggled on the road.  Their impressive 28-6 mark at Salt Lake City’s Energy Solutions Arena stands in stark contrast to their 13-18 record away from home.  The current road trip doesn’t get any easier for Utah, as they’ll have to face the #3 and #2 teams in the Eastern Conference as they play in Miami on Saturday and Orlando on Sunday.  They’ll return to Salt Lake City on Tuesday for a game against the Washington Wizards.

Atlanta, meanwhile, will play their next three games at home as they try to open up some ‘breathing room’ between themselves and 4^th place Miami.  They’ll host the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday afternoon and the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.