Kings at Hawks: Another Late Game Collapse by Sacramento Leads to a Hawks win 100-98

Joe Johnson scored a season high 36 points, including the game-winning free throws with .6 seconds left. The Kings had a chance to tie or go ahead after the free throws, but a bad play call cost them the game. It seemed like the Kings were going to try to go for a lob to Tyreke Evans at the rim to tie the game, but the lob by DeMarcus Cousins sailed way over the rim and out of bounds.

Other than that final play, Cousins had probably his best game of this road trip, scoring 20 points, grabbing 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks as well. He had some trouble late though dealing with Al Horford, who had a new career high 7 blocks, to go with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Hawks came out on fire in the 4th quarter, going on a 17-4 run before the Kings were able to muster any sort of resistance. The Kings were able to catch up and tie the game on a Tyreke Evans layup with 11.6 seconds left, but Evans fouled Johnson with .6 seconds left on the ensuing possession.

For the Kings this ends a bad 6 game road trip where they only won once despite having some good chances to win at least five of them (the Boston game was the only blowout). They return home to play Portland on Wednesday.

Kings at Hawks: Udrih Helps Kings Withstand Atlanta's Run, End Quarter Still up Nine, 82-73

Well it looked like Atlanta was going to get back into this game and even take control. They got within three off of more Joe Johnson domination, but every time the Hawks made a push, the Kings had an answer in Beno Udrih.

Udrih now has 17 points on 8-14 shots, as well as 3 rebounds and 2 assists. He was forced to take most of the scoring load as Evans went out early with 4 fouls. DeMarcus Cousins also helped, scoring mostly inside to score 8 points in the quarter and have 18 at the half.

Sacramento has been playing a huge lineup with Dalembert, Cousins, Landry and Donte Greene all in at the same time to combat Atlanta’s own length and size. It has really helped this game, although it has meant that the only outside shooter the Kings have on the floor is Udrih.

For Atlanta, they still aren’t getting much offensive help outside of Johnson or Horford. Mike Bibby is the only other Hawks player in double digits with 11.

Kings at Hawks: Sacramento Dominating on the Glass and Inside, Lead Hawks 62-53 at the Half

The Kings have gotten out to a solid league on the road against a very good Hawks team, mostly by using their size. The Kings are absolutely killing Atlanta in rebounds, especially on the offensive glass. Sacramento has 11 Offensive Boards and 30 Total, while Atlanta only has 16. Jason Thompson and Donté Greene both have 4 offensive boards. The Kings had 40 of their 62 points in the paint, 16 more than the Hawks.

Sacramento also has some balanced scoring with four players (Evans, Cousins, Udrih, Thompson) in double figures, with Thompson the high scorer with 12 points.

The Hawks are being kept in this game by their stars Al Horford and Joe Johnson. Horford was great in the first quarter, and finished the half with 15 pionts, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Johnson had 14 of his 18 points in the 2nd, hitting from outside or inside, and also finding his open teammates (4 assists).

Sacramento is doing a good job of taking Jamal Crawford out of the game, as he only has 5 points. Crawford killed Sacramento the last time they played. Still, he’s liable to go for 20 in a half any night, so you can’t leave him.

An upset tonight would be a great way to end this road trip for Sacramento, and a much needed morale boost.

Sacramento Kings at Atlanta Hawks: Kings Look to End Disappointing Road Trip on a Good Note

(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks hope to bounce back from their first home loss in seven weeks when they welcome a road-weary Sacramento Kings team to Philips Arena.

The Hawks dropped the opener of a brief two-game homestand on Saturday when Aaron Brooks scored half of his 24 points in the final quarter, as Houston beat Atlanta, 112-106, ending the Hawks' 10-game home winning streak.

Joe Johnson had 30 points and seven assists for the Hawks, who hadn't lost at Philips Arena since November 22 against Boston. Al Horford ended with 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for Atlanta, which also had a five-game overall win streak broken. Josh Smith contributed 21 points and 12 boards in defeat.

"I wish we could win every game, but it's not going to happen," Hawks guard Mike Bibby said. "They kept fighting and when their shots were going down ours weren't."

The Kings, who are finishing up a six-game road trip tonight, fell to 1-4 on their trek Saturday in Auburn Hills when Rodney Stuckey scored eight of his 19 points in the final 4:37, as the Detroit Pistons rallied past Sacramento, 110-106.

Tyreke Evans finished with 25 points, 11 assists and five boards for the Kings. Jason Thompson ended with 22 points and seven rebounds and DeMarcus Cousins chipped in 14 and eight. Sacramento ended a 12-game road losing streak with a win at New York on Friday.

"That's a hard one," Kings head coach Paul Westphal said. "We did so many good things and we couldn't come away with a win because we couldn't guard them effectively, ever, during the game and they guarded us effectively in the third quarter. On top of that we shot free throws like a junior high school tonight. You have to make your free throws to win a shoot-out."

Atlanta has topped Sacramento six straight times, including a 108-102 win in California's capital back on Jan. 4. The Hawks will be shooting for the home- and-home sweep of the series for a third consecutive season this afternoon.