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Bibby's shot sinks Hawks at wire
By SEKOU SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/08/05
The Hawks need to invite the Sacramento Kings to town more often. They just need to lose the invitations for Mike Bibby and Chris Webber.
Bibby and Webber's combined 59 points overshadowed the Hawks' relentless pursuit of win No. 6 as the Kings escaped Philips Arena on Friday night with a 100-97 win.
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Bibby's 19-footer over Antoine Walker with 11.7 seconds to play was the final dagger for the Hawks, losers of six straight games. Bibby finished with a game-high 31 points and Webber added 28 points for the Kings, who never could shake the Hawks.
Even in the game's final two minutes, with the Kings holding on to a comfy 97-91 lead, the Hawks wouldn't go quietly.
Predrag Drobnjak scored a layup with 1:33 to play to cut the lead to 97-93. And Al Harrington spun for a fastbreak dunk 30 seconds later to cut the lead to two points. But Tyronn Lue's 3-pointer from the wing with 34.5 seconds to play rolled around the rim and the Kings grabbed the rebound and, finally, control of the game.
"Really, it was that shot Bibby hit that did it," said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who scored a career-high 16 points, 12 on wicked dunks. "Antoine [Walker] was right in his face. He just made a big shot. And sometimes that's life.
"These are the types of game you live to play in, against great teams and at this fast pace. We just came up short."
Hawks coach Mike Woodson pointed to his team's failure to finish quarters strong, a recurring theme for his squad, as the opening the Kings needed to snatch the game away.
"I didn't want to get into a shootout with this team," Woodson said. "We talked about that at the start of the game."
Still, the Hawks managed to handle the Kings for much of the night. And even when they appeared to be on the verge of being knocked out by one of the Kings' trademark runs, they battled back.
"We were there all night," Harrington said. "It was just too much Bibby and too much Webber. They've been doing it for years. And when they needed those guys, they hit the big shots. And we didn't make the big plays when we needed them."
Smith led the charge throughout the first two quarters with eight points, four rebounds, three steals and one gravity-defying block of a Maurice Evans dunk attempt.
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By SEKOU SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/08/05
The Hawks need to invite the Sacramento Kings to town more often. They just need to lose the invitations for Mike Bibby and Chris Webber.
Bibby and Webber's combined 59 points overshadowed the Hawks' relentless pursuit of win No. 6 as the Kings escaped Philips Arena on Friday night with a 100-97 win.
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Bibby's 19-footer over Antoine Walker with 11.7 seconds to play was the final dagger for the Hawks, losers of six straight games. Bibby finished with a game-high 31 points and Webber added 28 points for the Kings, who never could shake the Hawks.
Even in the game's final two minutes, with the Kings holding on to a comfy 97-91 lead, the Hawks wouldn't go quietly.
Predrag Drobnjak scored a layup with 1:33 to play to cut the lead to 97-93. And Al Harrington spun for a fastbreak dunk 30 seconds later to cut the lead to two points. But Tyronn Lue's 3-pointer from the wing with 34.5 seconds to play rolled around the rim and the Kings grabbed the rebound and, finally, control of the game.
"Really, it was that shot Bibby hit that did it," said Hawks forward Josh Smith, who scored a career-high 16 points, 12 on wicked dunks. "Antoine [Walker] was right in his face. He just made a big shot. And sometimes that's life.
"These are the types of game you live to play in, against great teams and at this fast pace. We just came up short."
Hawks coach Mike Woodson pointed to his team's failure to finish quarters strong, a recurring theme for his squad, as the opening the Kings needed to snatch the game away.
"I didn't want to get into a shootout with this team," Woodson said. "We talked about that at the start of the game."
Still, the Hawks managed to handle the Kings for much of the night. And even when they appeared to be on the verge of being knocked out by one of the Kings' trademark runs, they battled back.
"We were there all night," Harrington said. "It was just too much Bibby and too much Webber. They've been doing it for years. And when they needed those guys, they hit the big shots. And we didn't make the big plays when we needed them."
Smith led the charge throughout the first two quarters with eight points, four rebounds, three steals and one gravity-defying block of a Maurice Evans dunk attempt.
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