RECAP: Hawks 104, Wolves 96

FINAL

 (17-21) 96 – 104 (23-18)

Key Performers:

A. Horford (ATL): 28 pts, 10 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk
J. Barea (MIN): 14 pts, 3 reb, 7 ast
[FULL BOX SCORE]

Who needs a guaranteed contract? Freshly signed off his 10-day contract, Jannero Pargo lit up the Timberwolves in the fourth quarter, sparking a Hawks comeback behind his 14 points in the final frame. Al Horford also got some shots up, finishing with 28 points and 10 rebounds. When asked about his newest teammate, Horford said, “It’s a relief to be able to have a guy like that… He was a great teammate last year, and I’m happy to have him back.” This win improves the Hawks to 14-7 at home, and 23-18 overall. The Wolves, meanwhile, have dropped six of seven, and are dealing with even worse injury issues than the Hawks.

Reaction Grades: [assessed 0-10]

Josh Smith: Smoove struggled in the first half, but was extremely helpful in the 2nd. He keyed the team’s improved defensive effort, and help force Kirilenko into six turnovers. On offense, he played Horford’s complement, dishing several great passes to Al late in the game, and focused on taking good shots. Five turnovers is no bueno, though. 7.5/10

Al Horford: With Pekovic out of the lineup, Horford absolutely dominated. Stiemsma was able to frustrate him a bit in the first half, but Al kept taking the best looks, and was extremely aggressive on his post moves. His 21st double-double on the year ties him for sixth in the NBA. 10/10

Jannero Pargo: Pargosanity!! Signed only hours before the game, Jannero delivered in the absence of Devin and Lou, scoring 16 points, and shooting 4-5 from behind the arc. Jannero seemed extremely happy to be back in a Hawks uniform, and it looks like his teammates had the same sentiment. Besides his 16 points and four assists, Pargo also committed zero turnovers, sparking the quip, “I want to come in and not hurt my team.” Well, Jannero, you did that… and then some. 9/10

Kyle Korver: Korver was to the third quarter as what Pargo was to the fourth. He scored 14 points in the third, six of which were back-to-back threes early in the period that got the Hawks back to within four after being down 14 at halftime. He did have a hard time defensively at time, as he was guarding Barea and Ridnour a lot, which doesn’t play into his strength as an off-ball defender. 8/10

Jeff Teague: JT didn’t take a shot in the 2nd half, which was probably for the best; he was 2-7 in the first, and really was having trouble finishing in the lane. However, he did hit some great passes, and finished the game with 10 assists to lead the team. Like Josh though, he also had five turnovers. 7.5/10

Zaza Pachulia: I thought the Hawks would have been able to do things with the Zaza/Stiemsma matchup, but that didn’t exactly work out. He had zero rebounds, and only had one shot attempt. (which he made) He did have three assists, though! #PointZaza 4/10

John Jenkins: By the end of the game, I had kind of forgotten that this was Johnny’s first start… Not because he was playing that well, but because he wasn’t and was out of the game in favor of Pargosanity by that point. He was a non-factor in this one, but his starting spot had him a little nervous before the game, so I’ll chalk up this performance to that. 2/10

Anthony Tolliver: He had two critical three-pointers in this one, but that was about it. 4/10

Mike Scott: This game could have gotten ugly if it wasn’t for Mike Scott. The Hawks were down by as many as 18 in the first half, but Mike’s effort on the boards and in the paint allowed the Hawks to stay in the game. He didn’t do much in the other half of the game, but the 11 & 7 effort was easily the best game of his career so far. 7/10

Ivan Johnson: Ivan wasn’t doing much before he was dunked on by Derrick Williams. (which conveniently didn’t count due to a shot clock violation. However, after that, he was more aggressive than usual, and was able to get six easy points in the paint after strong drives to the rim. That extra burst of aggressiveness must have left him extremely thirsty, as he didn’t play after this short stint. 6/10

Larry Drew: According to himself (and the players), LD ripped the team at halftime, and the Hawks actually responded to it by starting off the third quarter with a 10-0 run. Starting Korver and Scott in the 2nd half were clearly the correct decisions, and riding Pargo for the fourth quarter worked as well. 8/10

The opposition: The Wolves are even more decimated by injuries in the Hawks are, but they still came out strong and gave a great effort. Their fatal flaw: 13 turnovers in the second half of the game, which led to 20 points for the Hawks. When you are already down several players, you can’t have that many mistakes. 6/10

Next: Atlanta at Charlotte, Wednesday, January 23rd