Hawks close preseason with 92-75 win over Bobcats
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Josh Smith had 21 points and six rebounds and Joe Johnson added 12 points, three rebounds and five assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to a 92-75 victory over Charlotte Bobcats in a preseason game Thursday night.
Thursday's game was the second game of the teams' two-game preseason series. The Bobcats beat the Hawks 79-77 in Charlotte on Monday.
Al Horford had seven rebounds to go with six points, and Vladimir Radmanovic added 11 points and three rebounds for the Hawks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The energy level was much greater tonight," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "I thought our starters did a good job picking up energy in times where we got a little lackadaisical."
Corey Maggette led the Bobcats with 18 points and five rebounds. Rookie Kemba Walker, the ninth overall pick in the draft, had eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
D.J. Augustin had nine points and three assists, and Matt Carroll added nine points and three rebounds.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Hawks led 49-46 at the half, then outscored the Bobcats 22-12 in the third quarter. The Hawks scored 46 points in the paint to the Bobcats' 34, and had 23 second-chance points to their 10.
"We executed well tonight and that's about it," Bobcats coach Paul Silas said. "We didn't rebound well, we didn't defend well and the basic thing, we didn't bring any energy tonight."
Bismack Biyombo, the seventh overall pick, had one point, two rebounds and four turnovers in slightly less than 16 minutes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Veterans Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse, whom the Hawks signed as free agents, are still getting their legs under them. McGrady, first off the bench, had four points; Stackhouse had two points and an assist.
Rookie Ivan Johnson added 15 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes.
Notes: Rookie Donald Sloan started at point guard for the Hawks after Jeff Teague sprained his left ankle in Wednesday's practice. ... Free agent guard Willie Green, signed earlier Thursday, did not dress for the game. He played in 77 games for the Hornets last season. ... The Bobcats were without forward Tyrus Thomas, who left Monday's game with a sprained left ankle. Coach Paul Silas said he wasn't sure Thomas would be ready for Monday's season opener against the Bucks.