Atlanta Hawks C Al Horford made up for getting into foul trouble in the season opener, by rescuing the Hawks at the First Union Wachovia Wells Fargo Center on Friday night. Big Al played the whole 12 minutes and finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the field with four boards in yet another quarter where the high-octane Hawks surpassed the 30 mark in points scored (that's four of five for those keeping score. They had 29 or something in the fourth quarter on Wednesday).
The Hawks rose up to the enthusiasm of the sparse crowd in Philly and came out of the game flat, while the Sixers connected on their first five shots to take an 11-2 lead. (Shame on the Hawks for not coming out ready to play. They should be used to this by now... The atmosphere reminded me of those home games against a team like Golden State at Philips Arena). Coach Larry Drew quickly called a timeout and the Hawks chipped away at the Philly lead.
Atlanta started to dominate the post against the Philly and the buckets started to fall inside. The Hawks finished the quarter shooting 59-percent on the field and dished nine assists in the frame. The 76ers were also solid from the field, connecting on 60-percent of their shots to remain in this one.
Elton Brand lead the Sixers with eight points. Andre Iguodala had seven and Jrue Holliday added six for Philadelphia.