Wilkins does in Hawks By SEKOU SMITH The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 02/11/06 Seattle — It was just like old times Friday night at Key Arena. The Hawks were on the floor and a Wilkins was playing lights out basketball. The only problem for the Hawks is that Damien, the son of Gerald and nephew of Hawks legend and vice president Dominique Wilkins, helped finish off the Hawks in a 99-91 Seattle win. Damien Wilkins, a second-year guard the Hawks and every other team passed on in the 2004 NBA draft, scored 13 of the Sonics' final 16 points, including 11 straight during the crucial, game-deciding fourth quarter run, to help the Sonics rally for the win. The former Georgia star came finished with a career-high 26 points, all off the bench, against the team he grew up watching intently while his uncle starred for the Hawks. More than just points, though, Wilkins came up with three steals and seemingly every timely rebound in final two minutes of the game. He even assisted on the true backbreaker, Luke Ridnour's 15-foot jumper that gave the Sonics a 96-89 lead with 45.6 seconds to play. The Hawks (15-33) led by five points with just under nine minutes to play but were unable to hold of Wilkins and his friends, including All-Star guard Ray Allen, who added 22 points. Al Harrington matched Wilkins' 26 points and Joe Johnson added 17. But the Hawks turned the ball over too many times at critical stages and were pounded on the boards, the Sonics held a 49-37 rebounding edge. He was the difference in a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams take what appeared to be commanding leads in the final 15 minutes of the game. The Hawks took a lead, 78-76, for the first time since early in the second quarter when Josh Childress dropped in a layup, off a no-look pass from Joe Johnson, as the third-quarter buzzer sounded. Trailing 69-62 with three minutes to play in the quarter, the Hawks used steady defense and a quick-passing game on offense to grind their way back into the game. They scored the final six points of the quarter to finish off the 12-minute comeback. For a nearly six minute stretch in the second quarter the Hawks' future was on the floor. Woodson went with a lineup of Salim Stoudamire, Childress, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Esteban Batista. But they couldn't stretch a tw0-point lead. They played hard but couldn't get out of each other's way long enough to stretch a slim lead before the Sonics caught back up and finally snatched back control of the game, 44-40 on a steal and fast break dunk from Wilkins with 4:02 to play before the break. Wilkins provided the energy and sticky fingers on defense that helped the Sonics take a 52-44 lead. He sank two free throws with 8.6 seconds to play before halftime, after another steal and being fouled on a fast break layup attempt, securing the eight-point cushion. Wilkins started the second half in place of Sonics forward Rashard Lewis, who suffered a quadriceps injury 12 minutes in and did not return. It certainly helped that Joe Johnson could never get going. He made just one of his eight field goal attempts before halftime but he did have six assists. The Hawks matched the Sonics with 26 points in the paint in the first half. But they were beaten badly on second chance points (14-6) and the Sonics doubled them on fast break points (12-6). The Hawks actually shot a better percentage from the floor in the first half, .463 percent to .413. But the Sonics had the edge inside and out. Power forward Nick Collison sliced his way through the Hawks' interior defense for 15 points and seven rebounds by halftime while Allen added 12 points, including a 2-for-4 effort from beyond the 3-point line. If not for the hot shooting off the bench from Childress (10 points on 4-for-6 shooting) and Stoudamire (7 points on 3-for-4 shooting) and Al Harrington's early efficiency, he drained six of his 10 first-half shots and finished with 14 points, the Hawks might have been in even more trouble at halftime. 資料來源 http://www.ajc.com/hawks/content/sports/hawks/stories/0211hawks.html --

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