Johnson and Crawford help Hawks beat Kings

Nov 5, 1:46 am EST

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)—Jamal Crawford(notes) welcomes his role as the sixth man for the Atlanta Hawks.

Crawford came off the bench to score 26 points and help Atlanta beat the Sacramento Kings 113-105 on Wednesday night.

“These guys already had a good five that took them to the second round of the playoffs last season and the season before that,” Crawford said. “I understood what it was going on coming in and was just happy with that. I just had to be a part of what was going on. I wasn’t going to disturb (the starters).”

Joe Johnson(notes) scored 26 points while Marvin Williams(notes) and Mike Bibby(notes) each added 13 for the Hawks (4-1), who grabbed a season-high tying 47 rebounds.

“Jamal is a proven scorer in this league,” Johnson said. “He’s not a starter, but he can still get 20 points. It’s really no difference, he just coming off the bench doing it now.”

Crawford said he was not stranger to being a reserve in the league.

“Early in my career I’ve been a sixth man,” he said. “But here it’s an adjustment that my coaches and teammates have made it very, very easy for me.”

Kevin Martin(notes), who was playing with bruised right wrist, had 29 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Thompson(notes) added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Kings (1-3).

“We couldn’t stop them,” said Sacramento coach Paul Westphal. “We couldn’t stop them pretty much the whole game. The really executed well and went to their big time players. All of them.”

The Kings jumped out to a 7-0 start before the Hawks came back to take a 19-18 lead on a basket by Maurice Evans(notes) at the 2:39 mark of the first quarter. From there, Crawford scored Atlanta’s last seven points to give the Hawks a 26-24 advantage to end the period.

Crawford made six of seven shots from the field, including two 3-point shots to finish with 14 points in 15 minutes in the first half.

After seven lead changes to begin the third quarter, the Hawks led 76-72 after Josh Smith(notes) completed a three-point play with 4:22 left in the period. The Kings countered with a 10-3 run capped off with a 3-pointer by Beno Udrih(notes) to make the score 84-79.

Martin had 25 points going into the fourth quarter, but the Kings, who were ahead by four, allowed the Hawks to surge back to a 93-92 lead after Bibby made a 3-pointer with less than 10 minutes to play.

Johnson’s jumper with 3:20 left extended the lead to seven.

Martin finally scored his first basket of the fourth on Sacramento’s next possession, but it was too late. Crawford answered with a 3-pointer that put the game away.

Updated Nov 5, 1:46 am EST
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6 Comments

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  1. <i>mr_ramey23</i>
    6. Posted by mr_ramey23 Thu Nov 5 2:20pm EST

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    I disagree... Crawford is a prototypical 6th man who provides instant offense off the bench if either Mike Bibby or Joey is struggling, starting Crawford would completely disrupt the rotation and also increase the likelihood that he'd just starting shooting every time down the floor and not get every one involved since he's not really a point guard. I think Woodson should keep everything the same, it seems to be working so far.
  2. Anonymous Hero
    5. Posted by Anonymous Hero Thu Nov 5 9:33am EST

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    I can't even disagree with any of your comments because they are all accurate! One thing to add to it is that Mike Woodson needs to learn how to utilize his players strengths! With the lineup that tcpullen posted, that lineup could maximize the output of their starters and also have a defensive presence. Horford, Smith, and Zaza on the boards would automatically increase rebounding efficiency. Smith being a slasher would increase his fg% and could punish other 3's in the league, as well as JJ and JC punishing other 2's and 1's in the league. If they are gonna beat the top 3, they have to execute better on the defensive end and play tough defense for 4 quarters! They showed last night that they can play lock down defense when they want in limiting the Kings to 15 points in the 4th. If they could only play that way for 4 quarters, the Hawks could be a threat to anyone!! GO HAWKS!!!!!
  3. The Judge
    4. Posted by The Judge Thu Nov 5 8:38am EST

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    Hawks are playing some good ball right now, but they are not built to win a championship yet. They need much more power on the glass and a greater defensive presence in the paint. Horford is good, but he's a power forward at best, and they can't get past Cleve, or Boston or Orlando yet. But they'll have a good season, make the playoffs, and probably get bumped out in the second round depending on the matchups. If they wind up in a 5 vs 5 scenario again they'll make it to the second round.
  4. <i>tcpullen</i>
    3. Posted by tcpullen Thu Nov 5 6:44am EST

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    I agree with you supreme beatzz.. I think the hawks can win a championship if they change their line up.
    PG-Jamaal Crawford
    SG-Joe Johnson
    SF-Josh Smith
    PF-Al Horford
    C-ZaZa
    Teams cannot guard Crawford and Joe Johnson and they can't keep Josh Smith and Al Horford off the glass board. Josh and Al will lead the league in blocks and rebounds this season. This young team is capable of wearing down every team in the league if they play smart fundamental basketball.
  5. daryl s
    2. Posted by daryl s Thu Nov 5 4:51am EST

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    For the hawks to reach their full potential Marvin Williams is gonna have to be more aggressive. He's gotten off to a very slow start. He needs to show us that he's worth that 5 year $40 million contract that he signed over the summer. He settles for that broke jumper of his way to often. I'd like to see him become more of a slasher scorer. Other wise he's trade material. He goes to sleep during big games.
  6. SUPREME BEATZZ
    1. Posted by SUPREME BEATZZ Thu Nov 5 3:31am EST

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    FIRST!!! Joe Johnson and JC could not be stopped!!! The way Joe closed out, he need to satrt doing that every game and watch how the Hawks can easily become a Championship team. When he and Jamal on the floor at the same time, they RUN NUMBERS!!! Mite be the most dominate back court in the NBA if Jamal started! They can play with anybody if DAMNIT they ACT LIKE IT!!
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Top Performers

 Top Performers
 Atlanta
J. Johnson Joe Johnson
11-22,  26 Pts
8 Rebs, 4 Assists
 Sacramento
K. Martin Kevin Martin
11-22,  29 Pts
11 Rebs, 2 Assists

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