Hawks 108, Nuggets 104
ATLANTA - Ty Lawson lost the ball off his foot with 35 seconds in the game and Josh Smith scrambled to grab it, then finished with a dunk and drew a foul to seal a 108-104 win for the Atlanta Hawks over the Denver Nuggets Wednesday at Philips Arena.
Al Horford had 25 points and 12 rebounds to lead the rusty Hawks (10-5). Smith, after a 4-point, 4-rebound first half, rebounded himself to finish with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Lawson came out blazing to start the game and again to start the second half, scoring a season high 32 points - and was a perfect 5 for 5 in 3-point shots -- to lead the Nuggets (9-9). Danilo Gallinari added 16 points and Corey Brewer came off the bench for 19 points.
The Nuggets, who were averaging 16 turnovers a game, committed 13 turnovers in the first half but managed to hang around the Hawks all night.
The Hawks had not played since a 113-111 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last Friday, and it showed in a lack of early energy that picked up only when Zaza Pachulia came off the bench for 11 points in the second quarter.
NOTES: Hawks coach Larry Drew is constructing his lineups by feel rather than attempting to match up against specific opponents. "Sometimes you've got to roll the dice. Sometimes it's good to go with your gut and see if they adjust to you or see if it just works." ... Drew said the starting guard combination of Jeff Teague and Devin Harris should produce more pick and rolls. ... Kyle Korver, who had started all but one of the Hawks' games -- he missed last Friday's game versus the Cleveland Cavaliers with back spasms -- was away from the team for the birth of his first child. The betting is that, boy or girl, the baby's name will start with a "K." ... John Jenkins has been recalled from s short stint in the D-League; he was assigned there because the Hawks had a stretch of off days and didn't practice over the weekend. ... The Nuggets were without Kosta Koufos, who was back at team hotel with the flu. Timofev Mozgov got the start at center. ... Nuggets coach George Karl says that Wilson Chandler (left hip rehab) is maybe two weeks from playing, possibly longer. ... Asked about Danilo Gallinari's poor shooting, Karl noted that he shoots great in practice and in the gym but that his success hasn't translated to the court. Yet. ... The nameplates above the Nuggets' lockers use their nicknames -- A.I. (Andre Iguodala), C-Brew (Corey Brewer), Q (Quincy Miller) and so on -- with two exceptions: Andre Miller and Danilo Gallinari, whose nameplates are their last names.
