After a strong start in the beginning of the game, the Atlanta Hawks (14-7) were unable to detain the Golden State Warriors’ (16-8) offense and fell 115-93 at Phillips Arena Saturday night.
This loss cuts the two-game winning streak the Hawks, while it gives the Warriors a 6-1 record on their seven-game road trip.
“This was probably one of our worst games all year,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said at the post-game conference. “It was vital that we brought in energy tonight and we didn’t have it.”
Despite having Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Lou Williams and Ivan Johnson finish with double figures, the Hawks failed to repeat the offensive performance that had been leading them to victories on the previous games.
Josh Smith, who had been named the East Conference Player of the Week, only provided three points, converting only one field goal out of 12 attempts.
“If you’ve ever played basketball you know you’re going to have games where you’re not going to make shots and tonight was my game,” Smith said. “I’ve playing well offensively for a long time and it was bound to happen.”
On the other end, the Warriors had five players who finished in double figures, led by David Lee’s 20 points and 11 rebounds.
“They beat us in every phase,” coach Drew said. “There was just nothing we did right.”
The game started out close with big performances by Horford for the Hawks and guard Stephen Curry for the Warriors.
But by the second quarter, the visiting team began to slip away and finished the half 62-49 with three-pointers coming from Curry, Harrison Barnes and Jarrett Jack.
The Hawks could never come back into the game as by the end of the third quarter, the Warriors’ lead grew to as high as 27.
“They just made shots,” Smith said. “Their team came out on fire.”
According to the power forward, the best thing to do is to “erase “ the bad game and work on it the next practice, as they have to focus on their next game, where they will have to hit the road to play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
