The Atlanta Hawks have struggled early in the 2012 season, but they came up large on the west coast Friday night, beating the hapless Sacramento Kings 112-96.

Atlanta has been up-and-down so far, and the flu virus that has ravaged the team certainly hasn't helped. However, the Hawks showed the ability to dig deep and found a way to victory.

Coach Larry Drew was happy with his team's effort in a game bordering on must-win, according to yahoo.com.

''We can be a real up-and-down team, we know that,'' Atlanta coach Larry Drew said. ''We preach moving the basketball. We emphasize sharing the basketball and we did a really good job of that. Guys were finding each other all over the place and when we play like that we're a fun team to watch.''

Kyle Korver led the Hawks with 22 points, while Al Horford and Josh Smith combined for another 39 to propel the team to a much-needed win.

Atlanta was up early in the game, taking a 34-20 lead after the first quarter. The Kings then cut the lead to only two points at the half, before the Hawks were able to outscore Sacramento 28-14 in the third quarter to blow the game wide open.