Now, with Marvin Williams out with an injury, Crawford has stepped up again to fill the void. Jamal averaged almost 27 points on the road trip, and Hawks fans know that his points are never quiet. With his long range shots, his shifty moves with the ball, and his ability to score in bunches, Crawford is a dream come true for a highlight editor for SportsCenter.

CHECK OUT JAMAL’S INTERVIEW ON NBA TV FOLLOWING THE HAWKS WIN IN UTAH

JOE & MO

Joe Johnson’s brilliant play the last three games might fly under the radar, but JJ is used to that by now. He averaged over 28 points per game and shot 63% from the field the last two nights combined. Joe seems to have found his rhythm for the first time this season, and when he gets in the zone there is little a defender can do.

Mo Evans also played his best game of the year last night, at least in terms of statistics. He scored a season-high 13 points, including three shots from behind the arc. He got to the line, grabbed a few boards and clogged up the passing lanes during his 22 minutes of action.

Three things worth noting:

1) The Hawks have been extremely blessed with good health this season. They have only had 15 games missed due to injury this season (yes, that is a stat), while the second lowest team total at the All-Star break was 32 (Minnesota). Atlanta has only had two games where they missed one of their top-six. Marvin missed a game in December against New Jersey and Jamal missed a February game against Miami.

2) Adversity builds character and creates opportunity for others to “step up” and take on a bigger role. Last season Marvin averaged 26 points and 8.5 rebounds in the two games Joe missed (both Hawks wins). Williams got to the line 34 times in two games as Atlanta used him as the primary option on the offensive end. 

3) If you are going to have issues with injuries, this is pretty good timing. The Nets are 2-8 over their last ten games, while the Raptors are 1-9. It is also safe to say that the Hawks have matched up well with these teams so far this season. They enter tonight 4-0 with and average winning margin of 26.5 points (126.5-100).

Finally, don’t be surprised if Coach Woodson plugs Mo Evans into the starting line-up and keeps Crawford as the spark off the bench. Evans was 18-7 as a starter last season (18-6 if you discount the season finale where many of the regulars rested).

With the current Highlight Factory homestand, the Hawks look to improve on the best home record in the east. New Jersey and Memphis are both in last place in their respective divisions, the Nets were handled as such.  The Jazz are always a game opponent and the Grizzlies are on fire right now, but the Atlanta defense has put games away early as of late. Coupled with the rest the team has gotten this week, the defense should be fired up to repeat the success of this winning streak.

2 GAME ROAD BUMPS

Beware of the Grizzlies.  They are winners four out of their last six, knocked of Dallas Cleveland and Miami, and gave Boston a run for their money.  Zach Randolph has gone crazy in the right way and Rudy Gay and Mike Conley are on a roll.  

The Jazz while not a good road team…still have Deron Williams.  Mehmet Okur is a matchup issue for any team.  This one should be fun.

NUMBERS OF THE WEEK

0-The number of minutes Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Mike Bibby have played in the fourth quarter the last two games

-The number of three pointers taken by Josh Smith in the month of December.

-The number of free throws made by Mike Bibby this month(and the Hawks still are destroying  opponents)

4- Number of wins in current Hawks streak

10-Number of 100+games the Hawks have had at the Highlight Factory

ROOKIE WATCH

Jeff Teague looks good as he has had a bunch of minutes because of the beat downs handed out.  The Hawks are scoring nearly 120 points per game the past three games.  Teague has averaged 22 minutes in the last two.  He has shown aggressiveness offensively but is still tough on defense and knows that is how he will stay on the floor. “If you want time playing for coach Woodson, you have to get after it defensively and that is what I’m trying to do every time I get an opportunity.” 

MO’ED DOWN

Mo Evans has shown up in a big way this week, dropping threes, scoring in bunches, playing tough defense and running the floor. He really wants to play more but has accepted his new role and patiently waits to check in at the scorers table.  It says a lot that he was able to lead the team in scoring Marvin Williams was out sick.  Good for Mo.

MARIO WEST UPDATE

Hard working man extraordinaire, D-League star and all around good guy, Mario West will join me for an interview soon. I want to catch up with the former Hawk and fan favorite to get his take on his time with the Hawks and see how his new basketball life is going.  If you have any questions for him, post them and will pick one or two for the interview.

That was until recently. In the last three games Mo is averaging over 18 points a game along with five rebounds. During that stretch he has shot an incredible 67% (20-of-30) from the field and 73% (11-of-15) from behind the arc. When Mo has it going he doesn’t seem to miss much.

Evans filled in tonight for Marvin Williams and wasn’t shy about being assertive in the early action. He had 12 of his 22 points in the first period.

While it was the first time all year that the Hawks had to deviate from their opening night starting lineup, having to go with Mo is not something they are completely unfamiliar with. Last season Evans started 25 games filling in for Marvin and Smoove, and Atlanta was 18-7 in those contests. At one point the Hawks won 11 straight with Mo in the starting lineup.

The Hawks have won four in a row and have looked dominant offensively the last three games. Marvin should be back next game and Evans will return to his role in the much improved second unit.  He isn’t going to maintain his pace of 18 points a game (he doesn’t demand enough touches to do that) but right now the Hawks are thankful for some serious Mo.