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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- Count Dikembe Mutombo among those who believe in
first-year coach Lon Kruger.
|  | | Atlanta's Lorenzen Wright and Golden State's Marc Jackson battle for possession. |
"We came in with a great strategy from the beginning of the
game," Mutombo said after leading the Atlanta Hawks to a 107-96
victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.
"Coach said we had to pound them inside and take advantage.
When you get the ball inside, you have to go to the basket."
Mutombo, one of five Hawks to score in double figures, finished
with 20 points -- his best effort since he scored 24 in a victory
over Denver on March 28, 1999.
Roshown McLeod added 18 points, and Jason Terry and Lorenzen
Wright each scored 17 for Atlanta.
The Hawks, who had lost four of their last six, led by as many
as 14 on Mutombo's layup late in the second quarter.
"If Dikembe ever scores 20, we're going to win every game,"
Terry said. "I told him before, 'If you can handle it like that on
the inside, it will free up a lot of us on the outside.' We didn't
have to work as hard. I thought we made it a point to go inside
early and often."
Marc Jackson scored 22 points for the Warriors, who have lost
three straight and four of five. Antawn Jamison added 19, and Bob
Sura 18 for Golden State.
"There are no excuses," Jamison said. "We're just not doing
it. Offensively, we have to find a way to score points. We do a
tremendous job getting up for a lot of playoff teams, but we have
to do that every night."
Sura's 3-pointer with 5:14 to go in the third quarter brought
the Warriors within two, 70-68, but they never got closer. Golden
State coach Dave Cowens was clearly irked with his team's effort.
"I didn't like the game," Cowens said. "I thought we took a
step backwards. We looked a little confused. We had too many people
thinking separately, rather than together."
Wright's three-point play with 4:30 remaining put the Hawks up
103-93.
Alan Henderson scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth
quarter. His 6-foot jumper in the lane made it 100-89 with 6:21
remaining.
"I thought our guys stayed aggressive," Kruger said.
"Dikembe, defensively, and Alan had a stretch there in the fourth
quarter. It was terrific to see him getting back to form."
Mutombo, who leads the NBA in rebounding with 13.9 per game,
pulled down a game-high 10, though the Hawks lost the overall
battle 41-39. Atlanta is 2-13 when it gets outrebounded.
Game notes
Sura, who went 0-for-1 in the first half, scored 16 points
in the third quarter on 6-for-6 shooting. ... Forward Chris Mullin scored
10 points in his first action since going on injured reserve Dec. 6
with torn cartilage in his left knee. ... Guard Brevin Knight, acquired
Jan. 2 from Cleveland, started for the first time for the Hawks,
replacing Matt Maloney. ... Commissioner David Stern watched from
one of the luxury suites. ... Atlanta improved to 9-9 at home. ...
Forward Chris Crawford, on the injured list since Dec. 12 with a sprained
left ankle and banged-up right toe, expects to return Monday when
the Hawks visit Indiana.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Golden State Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Atlanta 107
Golden State 96
Portland 83
Charlotte 70
Orlando 101
New Jersey 87
Houston 76
New York 75
Milwaukee 102
Dallas 94
Phoenix 93
Indiana 85
FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Antawn Jamison Official Site
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