The AP reports: Josh Smith had 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Atlanta Hawks built an early lead before and beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-99 on Monday night. Atlanta led by 38 in the third quarter and seemed to be coasting to the victory. However, Memphis opened the fourth with 13 consecutive points, part of a 23-4 run that made the game more interesting, and forced Atlanta to put its starters back in the game… Al Horford and Joe Johnson scored 19 points apiece for Atlanta, and Mike Bibby had 17, Josh Childress 14 and Marvin Williams 12. Johnson also had eight assists and Bibby seven. Smith shot 11-of-13 from the field, part of Atlanta’s 56 percent effort on the night. Rudy Gay led Memphis with 29 points, while Juan Carlos Navarro and Kyle Lowry finished with 17 each.

The AP reports: Marvin Williams scored 27 points and Joe Johnson had 23 to help the Atlanta Hawks win their third straight, 114-109 over the New York Knicks on Sunday… Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 39 points—19 coming in the third quarter—but he was just 2-for-5 from the field in the fourth before his meaningless layup ended the scoring… Johnson, who had a season-high 13 assists, caught Al Horford’s pass from the right wing and laid in a short turnaround for a 105-94 lead with 3:42 remaining… David Lee finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut underwent a successful procedure this afternoon to reduce a displaced nasal fracture (broken nose), Director of Player Personnel Dave Babcock announced today.  The procedure was performed by Dr. Paul Lowenstein, M.D., at Elmbrook Hospital in Brookfield, WI.
Bogut sustained the injury in the fourth period of Wednesday night’s game in Atlanta.  He left the game to receive treatment and did not return to action.
Bogut will be required to wear a protective mask for the remainder of the season, but will not play tonight against the Orlando Magic.  After tonight, he will be listed as day-to-day.
In 68 games this season (all starts), Bogut has averaged 13.9 points, a team-high 9.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 1.76 blocked shots.  Among Eastern Conference centers, Bogut ranks second in scoring, second in double-doubles (32), third in blocked shots and fifth in rebounds.

The AP reports: Mike Bibby scored 30 points and the Atlanta Hawks held on after nearly blowing two huge leads, beating the Chicago Bulls 106-103 to strengthen their hold on the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot. Ben Gordon, who scored 16 of his 18 points in the final period, had a chance to force overtime but his final shot rimmed out as the horn sounded… Joe Johnson scored 19 points for the Hawks, including a towering shot from the baseline over two defenders to make it 101-98 with 1:32 remaining… All five Atlanta starters scored in double figures, with Marvin Williams and Joe Smith both contributing double-doubles. Williams had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith went for 12 and 10. Luol Deng scored 19 points to lead the Bulls, who got points from all 11 players who saw minutes but were beaten on the boards.

The AP reports: Joe Johnson scored 28 points, Josh Childress added 20 and the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 115-96 on Wednesday night to maintain the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta also escaped a major scare when X-rays of Bibby’s left thumb came back negative… Andrew Bogut led the Bucks with 27 points and nine rebounds, but the 7-foot center left the game after Marvin Williams accidentally hit him in the face midway through the fourth… Michael Redd finished with 20 points for Milwaukee, which has lost seven straight on the road.

The AP reports: Drew Gooden scored a season-high 31 points and matched a season best with 16 rebounds Tuesday night as the Chicago Bulls held on in the fourth quarter for a 103-94 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls, one of several teams chasing the Hawks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, led by 12 after three quarters before Atlanta rallied within two with just more than six minutes left. Ben Gordon’s 3-pointer with 1:27 to go gave the Bulls a 97-90 lead, and he added two free throws with 28 seconds left. Gordon finished with 16 points. Josh Childress scored 22, including eight in the final quarter, to lead Atlanta. Mike Bibby added 18.

The Atlanta Hawks have signed guard Jeremy Richardson for the remainder of the season, effective March 9, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Billy Knight. Richardson, signed earlier to two 10-day contracts with Atlanta, has appeared in nine games with the Hawks, averaging 3.0 ppg (.478 FG%, .556 3FG%) in 6.6 mpg. Richardson has also seen action earlier this season with Memphis (three contests) and San Antonio (five games).

The Atlanta Hawks’ Al Horford and the Houston Rockets’ Luis Scola today were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.
Among rookies, Horford is ranked first in rebounds with 10.6 rpg and double-doubles with 16. He set career highs of 20 rebounds on Feb. 6, vs. Lakers, and 20 points on Feb. 29, vs. New York. In addition, Horford recorded seven double-doubles, including three straight to finish the month.  He also became the first Hawk to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Alan Henderson did it on Nov. 26, 2002.
While helping lead his team to a 13-0 record for the month, Scola led all rookies in field goal percentage with .629 percent. He is ranked 15th overall in the NBA this season in field goal percentage with .530.  In addition, Scola was ranked third among West rookies in scoring with 11.7 ppg and recorded a career-high five steals vs. Memphis on Fe. 29, 2008, setting the most by a Rockets player in a game this season.
Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month were the Los Angeles Clipper’s Al Thornton, Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young, Seattle’s Kevin Durant and Toronto’s Jamario Moon.