The Atlanta Hawks got some very bad news when they learned that All-Star forward Joe Johnson's right elbow needs surgery. No worries. They went out onto the court, shared the basketball and ran all over the Memphis Grizzlies once again.
Al Horford had 20 points and Josh Powell and Jamal Crawford added 16 each off of the bench as the Hawks cruised to a 112-109 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Philips Arena.
Mike Bibby added 15 points, including a pair of key three-pointers down the stretch for Atlanta, which has won four straight games.
About 20 minutes into this one, the Hawks learned the bad news -- their perennial All-Star forward is going to miss at least four-to-six weeks recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his injured right elbow. Atlanta went out and played their best team game of the year.
The Hawks recorded a season-best 33 assists on 42 field goals, hit 21-of-26 from the charity stripe and sported six players in double figures to outlast a Grizzlies team that upset the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
Memphis cut the Atlanta lead to 106-102 on a pair of free throws by Zach Randolph with 1:12, but Bibby erased most doubt by nailing a three-pointer to reestablish a seven point cushion. The Grizz whittled the lead down to as little as two on Rudy Gay's bucket with 2.9 seconds left, but Crawford split a pair of free throws to give Atlanta the win.
Marvin Williams had 15 and Josh Smith added 13 for Atlanta, which improved to 5-5 at home this season.