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Written by Sports Network | Saturday, 21 November 2009 10:20 | Hornets News
(Sports Network) - The red-hot Atlanta Hawks take the NBA's best record into the Big Easy Saturday for a matchup with the New Orleans Hornets.
The Hawks won their seventh straight game and finished a four-game homestand in perfect fashion Friday when Josh Smith slammed home Mike Bibby's missed jump shot with 0.7 seconds left, giving Atlanta a 105-103 win over the Houston Rockets.
Smith, who sat all but 44 seconds of the fourth quarter due to foul trouble, was inserted into the game with 9.9 seconds left. Simultaneously, Carl Landry also came on for Houston and drew a foul on Al Horford under the cylinder with five seconds on the clock. He made both free throws to deadlock the game at 103 and set up the Hawks' heroics.
"My man and Bibby's man stayed close...and all I wanted to do is crash the boards. Just in case he missed I was there for the put-back," said Smith. "That's all that matters -- it just matters about that last shot. It was big for our team and it gave us the win."
Marvin Williams went for a game-best 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting while bringing down nine rebounds for Southeast Division-leading Atlanta, which improved to 7-0 at home this season.
Jamal Crawford dropped 21 points and Joe Johnson scored 19 with nine assists and six boards. Horford checked in with 17 points and six rebounds in the win.
The Hawks haven't won eight in a row since starting the 1997-98 season with 11 straight victories.
The Hornets, meanwhile, won their second straight game on Thursday when Peja Stojakovic nailed 7-of-11 three-point tries and recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds to carry New Orleans to a 110-103 victory over the Phoenix Suns in the Big Easy.
Darren Collison, filling in for the injured Chris Paul (ankle), scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, while Marcus Thornton and Devin Brown each chipped in 19 points for the Hornets, who have won back-to-back games under new coach Jeff Bower for the first time this season. Bower, the team's general manager, took over the head coaching duties after Byron Scott was fired last week.
Emeka Okafor finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
"Anytime you get late into a game in that situation, you have to grow (as a team). David West and Devin Brown helped me by talking to me throughout the game, and that takes a load off of me. At this point, we just had to focus and get the win," said Collison.
The Hawks have won three straight in the series, including a 121-98 rout in Atlanta earlier this month.
| Atlanta Hawks (11-2) at New Orleans Hornets (5-8), 7 p.m. |
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|---|---|
| 2009-10 Head-to-head record | Atlanta 1-0 |
| 2008-09 Head-to-head record | Atlanta 2-0 |
| 2007-08 Head-to-head record | New Orleans 2-0 |
| 2006-07 Head-to-head record | NO/Okla City 2-0 |
| 2005-06 Head-to-head record | Tied 1-1 |
| 2004-05 Head-to-head record | Tied 1-1 |
| 2003-04 Head-to-head record | Tied 2-2 |
| 2002-03 Head-to-head record | Tied 2-2 |
| Overall Head-to-head record | Atlanta 41-35 |
| Home Record: | Atlanta 7-0; New Orleans 4-2 |
| Away Record: | Atlanta 4-2; New Orleans 1-6 |
| Current Streak: | Atlanta (W7); New Orleans (W2) |
| Record vs. Southwest Division: | Atlanta 2-0 |
| Record vs. Southeast Division: | New Orleans 0-1 |
| Record vs. Western Conference: | Atlanta 6-1 |
| Record vs. Eastern Conference: | New Orleans 0-4 |
| 2009-2010 Meetings | |
| 11/14 - Atlanta, 121-98 (at Atl) | |
| 2008-2009 Meetings | |
| 11/05 - Atlanta, 87-79 (at NO) | |
| 03/09 - Atlanta, 89-79 (at Atl) | |
| 2007-2008 Meetings | |
| 11/30 - New Orleans, 92-86 (at Atl) | |
| 03/05 - New Orleans, 116-101 (at NO) | |
| 2006-2007 Meetings | |
| 01/10 - NO/Okla City, 96-77 (at Atl) | |
| 02/28 - NO/Okla City, 107-100 (at Okla City) | |
| 2005-2006 Meetings | |
| 11/18 - NO/Okla City, 95-92 (at Okla City) | |
| 01/07 - Atlanta, 101-93 (at Atl) | |
| 2004-2005 Meetings | |
| 11/12 - Atlanta, 96-95 (at NO) | |
| 04/05 - New Orleans, 96-86 (at Atl) | |
| 2003-2004 Meetings | |
| 10/29 - New Orleans, 88-83 ot (at NO) | |
| 11/03 - Atlanta, 90-80 (at Atl) | |
| 12/26 - New Orleans, 109-79 (at NO) | |
| 03/25 - Atlanta, 84-76 (at Atl) | |
| 2002-2003 Meetings | |
| 11/16 - Atlanta, 89-82 (at Atl) | |
| 11/27 - New Orleans, 106-94 (at NO) | |
| 01/11 - Atlanta, 87-80 (at Atl) | |
| 04/16 - New Orleans, 92-77 (at NO) | |
| Game Notes | |
| Note - Atlanta has won three straight after losing the last four meetings. | |
| Note - The Hornets have won six of the last 10 meetings. | |
| Note - These two teams have split the last 12 meetings. | |
| Note - The Hornets have won nine of 16 and 10 of the last 18 meetings. | |
| Note - These two teams have split the last 20 meetings. | |
| Note - The Hornets have won 12 of the last 22 meetings. | |
| Note - Atlanta snapped a three-game series road losing streak on 11/05/08. | |
| Note - Atlanta has lost seven of nine and 12 of its last 15 at the Hornets. | |
| Note - The NOH have lost two straight after winning their last two at Atlanta. | |
| Note - These two teams have split the last six meetings at Atlanta. | |
| Note - The Hornets have lost seven of 10 and eight of their last 12 at Atlanta. | |
| Atlanta last five games | New Orleans last five games |
| 11/13 - W at Boston, 97-86 | 11/11 - L at Phoenix, 104-124 |
| 11/14 - W vs. New Orleans, 121-98 | 11/13 - L vs. Portland, 78-86 |
| 11/16 - W vs. Portland, 99-95 (OT) | 11/14 - L at Atlanta, 98-121 |
| 11/18 - W vs. Miami, 105-90 | 11/17 - W vs. LA Clippers, 110-102 |
| 11/20 - W vs. Houston, 105-103 | 11/19 - W vs. Phoenix, 110-103 |
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