Those pesky Hawks

And I mean it. They took a 30-27 lead after the first quarter, slumped a bit in the second, allowing the Bees to take a 59-50 lead at the half, and then fought back in the third to pull within one, tying it at 80 in the fourth. And then Atlanta had just enough of a cold spell to allow the Hornets to roll up ten points in a row. The Hawks rallied and kept rallying, but the Bees prevailed, 107-100, in a game that was shortened to 47 minutes, 59.7 seconds by the premature release of streamers from Loud City. Not that it mattered at that point.

Joe Johnson started out hot — twenty points in the first half — but didn't get many shots in the second. Still, he led all scorers with 27. Josh Smith had 17 points and blocked five shots.

All five Hornet starters got double figures, and three of them got double-doubles: Chris Paul (24 points, 13 assists), Tyson Chandler (18 points, a season high, and 13 boards), and David West (17 points and 14 boards). Devin Brown was hot beyond the arc, getting four of five treys and 19 points. Desmond Mason dropped in 16.

March looks difficult: 15 games, 11 against playoff-bound teams. I'm not worried; they were 9-4 in February, and they were still adjusting to having most of the regulars back. And who knows? We may see Peja by the end of the month.

Posted at 9:37 PM to Net Proceeds