Hawks Vs. Hornets: Jeff Teague Scores 24 In Atlanta's 94-72 Win Over New Orleans

Atlanta Hawks point guard Jeff Teague's 24 points ended up being huge for the Hawks in a game that saw their top two scorers (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith) combine to put up just 15 points on Sunday versus the Hornets. Sure they won the game by 22 points, but getting scoring outbursts by Teague have become the norm when one of the stars has a down game.

Jason Walker over at Peachtree Hoops thinks that Teague could be in the running for Most Improved in 2011-12, thoughts?

Game Balls: Jeff Teague! Teague was in the middle of the two largest Hawks runs, 27-6 in the first quarter and 20-2 in the third, and it’s no coincidence they ended close to or exactly when he left. Teague was 9-11, 24 points, 4 assists, 4-4 from threes, a steal and a single turnover. Oh yeah, he was huge and without his offense, I don’t think it goes down the same way, even against a terrible offensive team like New Orleans.

Here are the next five games for the Hawks, interesting tests coming up with two teams who Atlanta could potentially matchup with in the first round of the playoffs against Philadelphia and Indiana. Atlanta's trip to Toronto will finalize their five-game road trip in which they are 3-1 thus far.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

The Atlanta Hawks have won 8 of their last 10, have continued to deal with more injuries and yet they continue to persevere. Sitting with a 15-6 record with the third of the season almost over, its time to praise the work of Larry Drew and general manager Rick Sund for putting together a well-rounded roster with a blend of talent, youth and cagey veterans capable of winning in a variety of ways.

The Hawks sit at No. 7 in this week's NBA Power Rankings posted by SB Nation's Tom Ziller, and the words of Ziller have proven to be prophetic, "They just keep on winning..."

One point of personal focus from me about the Hawks has always been their point guard, and lack there of. When they selected Jeff Teague in the draft, many were skeptical if the combo guard from Wake Forest could make the full-scale transition to point guard in the league.

Now in his third year, Teague is averaging 13 points and 5 assists, and he's the best point guard the Hawks have had since the days of Mookie Blaylock. Teague deserves a ton of credit and the Hawks will need him now more than ever to keep their winning ways a rolling.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

The Atlanta Hawks closed the third quarter with a 24-3 run and held the Hornets without a field goal for just over nine minutes while cruising to a 94-72 win.

Atlanta started fast building a 27-11 lead at the end of the first quarter. New Orleans closed the gap in the second and the beginning of the third quarters before the Hawks put them away with the big third quarter run. Jeff Teague returned from an ankle injury on Friday to tie his career-high with 24 points in just 29 minutes of action. Teague hit 9-11 shots and was a perfect 4-4 from three-point range while also handing out four assists.

Marvin Williams added 14 points including 3-4 shooting from long range. Willie Green scored a season-high 16 points off the bench against his former club hitting 6-11 field goals and four threes. Atlanta wins despite Joe Johnson combining for 15 points on 7-25 shooting. The duo did combine to do a good job on the glass with Johnson grabbing a team-high nine boards and Smith finishing with eight.

Emeka Okafor led the Hornets with 13 points and eight rebounds. Jarrett Jack added 10 points while Greivis Vasquez added 10 points and eight assists off the bench. Trevor Ariza finished with nine points in the loss.

Atlanta improves to 15-6 on the season and 3-1 on their five-game road trip. The Hawks will finish up their trip on Tuesday in Toronto.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops and Hornets fans should stop by At The Hive. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

The Atlanta Hawks closed the third quarter with a 24-3 run that has them once again comfortably in front of the New Orleans Hornets 76-52. Jeff Teague has matched a career-high with 24 points through three quarters. Teague is 9-11 from the field, 4-4 from three-point range, and also has four assists.

Marvin Williams has turned in another solid performance with 14 points, three assists and three steals. Willie Green has nine points off the bench in just six minutes of action including a buzzer-beating three to close the third quarter. Atlanta's shooting percentage has climbed to 47 percent and the Hawks hold a 32-24 advantage on the glass.

Emeka Okafor leads the Hornets with 11 points and seven rebounds through three. Jarrett Jack has 10 points and four assists. Trevor Ariza has nine points and three boards for the Hornets.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops and Hornets fans should stop by At The Hive. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

The Atlanta Hawks took a big first quarter lead and carry a 46-35 lead into halftime over the New Orleans Hornets. Jeff Teague got the start in the game despite suffering an ankle injury Friday night and leads the Hawks with 15 first half points. Teague hit 6-7 shots in the first half including 3-3 from beyond-the-arc.

Marvin Williams added nine points, three assists and two steals in the first half. Willie Green came off the bench to score eight points in just four minutes of action. Joe Johnson had a tough shooting half finishing with six points on 3-11 shooting. Atlanta hit 46 percent of its shot attempts in the first half and holds a 20-17 rebounding advantage at the intermission.

Emeka Okafor leads the Hornets with 11 points and seven rebounds at the break. Trevor Ariza has seven and Jarrett Jack five. Greivis Vasquez came off the bench to score four points and dish out six assists. New Orleans hit 39 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half but turned the ball over eight times leading to 11 points for the Hawks.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops and Hornets fans should stop by At The Hive. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Jeff Teague returned from an ankle injury on Friday to lead the Hawks to a big 27-11 lead over the New Orleans Hornets at the end of the first quarter. Teague hit all four of his shots including three from beyond-the-arc to pace the Hawks with 11 first quarter points.

Marvin Williams added six points for the Hawks while five other players had two points each. Josh Smith added five rebounds and a couple of blocked shots before heading to the bench with two personal fouls.

The Hornets actually closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to get within 14 at the quarter's end. Jarrett Jack scored five points and had two assists for the Hornets. Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor each scored two points. Okafor grabbed three rebounds in the first quarter.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops and Hornets fans should stop by At The Hive. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

Jeff Teague is in the Atlanta Hawks starting lineup against the New Orleans Hornets after suffering an ankle injury in Friday's win against the Detroit Pistons. Teague left the game in Detroit after landing on Greg Monroe's foot and went to the locker room where he had the ankle taped. He temporarily returned to the bench before the ankle stiffened up and did not return to the game.

Teague took part in Saturday's practice and Larry Drew said prior to Sunday's game that he would return to the starting lineup. If Teague experiences any issues with the ankle, then Drew will likely turn to Kirk Hinrich and Jannero Pargo as options at the point.

Teague has played in all 20 games for the Hawks this season and is averaging 12.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

For more on Jeff Teague's injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more news and analysis on the NBA head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

The Atlanta Hawks have continued to defy expectations after dealing with injury woes in this 2011-12 season. With a 14-6 record and just a half game behind the division leading Miami Heat, the Hawks have found new ways to win under the tutelage of second-year head coach Larry Drew.

However, a point of concern in recent games have been the slow starts by the Hawks versus lesser opponents.

"Sometimes you don’t look at an opponent how we would like at a Chicago versus how we look at a team like Detroit that has obviously struggled. Sometimes that factors into it. As a team we are going to have to figure it out, particularly our starters, when we get off to slow starts it takes a little bit of a wake-up call to get us going. Sometimes it’s going to be a situation where it’s going to be too late. We want to be a team that comes out and plays hard start to finish, whether it’s the first quarter or the third quarter. We’ve done that, but we haven’t done it on a consistent basis." -- Larry Drew

The Hawks will look to be aggressive versus the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday, as Atlanta looks to keep winning in the highly competitive Eastern Conference.

For more on this game Hawks fans should head on over to Peachtree Hoops and Hornets fans should stop by At The Hive. For more NBA news and analysis be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.

After defeating the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, Atlanta improved to 14-6 on the season and are just a half game behind the Miami Heat for first-place in the NBA's Southeast Division. Even more impressive is the Hawks 7-2 record without the injured Al Horford who went down earlier this season with a torn pectoral muscle and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.

The Orlando Magic have lost two straight and have fallen a game behind the Hawks in the division. The Charlotte Bobcats season continues to spiral as they have lost eight games in a row and have fallen to 3-18.

For more on the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more NBA news and analysis head on over to SB Nation's NBA page.

Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague is listed as day-to-day with an injured ankle that he suffered during the third quarter of Atlanta's 107-101 overtime win over the Pistons on Friday night. Teague took part in practice on Saturday but will likely be a game-time decision for the game against the Hornets on Sunday.

"He was out here getting some shots up," Drew said. "He's moving around on it pretty good. They are still treating it. It will be a day-to-day decision."

Teague suffered the injury when he landed on the foot of the Pistons' Greg Monroe on a drive to the basket. He limped to the bench and later to the locker room where he had the ankle taped. He briefly returned to the bench before finally giving Larry Drew the nod that he couldn't return because the ankle had started to stiffen up.

Kirk Hinrich subbed in for Teague and played the remainder of the game in only his second game back from off season shoulder surgery. If Teague is unable to go on Sunday then Hinrich and Jannero Pargo are likely to man the point for the Hawks.

For more on Jeff Teague's injury and the Atlanta Hawks be sure to check out Peachtree Hoops. For more news and analysis on the NBA head on over to SB Nation's NBA Basketball page.