ATLANTA -- Al Horford scored 20 points and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 112-109 on Wednesday night after learning star Joe Johnson will have elbow surgery and miss four to six weeks.
The Hawks had six players score in double figures, including a season-high 16 points off the bench by Josh Powell, to overcome the loss of Johnson, the team's four-time All-Star and top scorer. The Hawks have won four straight.
Mike Bibby, who had 15 points, hit three 3-pointers in the last 5 minutes after Memphis by one. Bibby's last 3, with 17 seconds remaining, came after Horford and Josh Smith grabbed offensive rebounds to extend a long possession.
Rudy Gay led Memphis with 23 points, including a 3-pointer and another basket in the final 10 seconds.
The Hawks announced at the start of the game Johnson will have arthroscopic surgery to remove a "loose body" from his right elbow.
An improbable layup by Mike Conley, with the ball dropping from the top of the backboard with 4:38 remaining, pulled the Grizzlies within 95-94. Bibby answered with a 3-pointer for Atlanta before drawing a charge on Conley seconds later.
Conley had 22 points. Zach Randolph, with 19 points and 19 rebounds, and Pau Gasol, with 16 points and 10 rebounds, had double-doubles for the Grizzlies.
Jamal Crawford had 16 points and eight assists for Atlanta. Marvin Williams had 15 and Smith had 13.
Johnson said the elbow has caused discomfort "off and on" this season.
"It just got unbearable yesterday," Johnson told The Associated Press.
Maurice Evans, who started for Johnson, had nine points.
The Hawks were looking for someone to fill the scoring void left by Johnson's absence. The first-half surprise was Powell, who had 14 points while making 7-of-8 shots from the field. Powell's previous season high for a full game was 10 points.
The Grizzlies led 44-43 before Powell began a hot streak in which he scored 10 points in the final 4:41 of the second period to give Atlanta a 63-57 halftime lead.
The Hawks stretched the lead to 86-76 at the end of the third quarter. The Grizzlies opened the final period with eight straight points to cut Atlanta's lead to two points.
Smith was charged with four turnovers in the third period as Tony Allen had a string of three straight steals. After Allen's second steal of Smith's pass, Smith hustled and blocked Allen's layup. Allen responded with his third steal from Smith for a basket.
-- NOTES: Johnson arrived shortly before the game and wore a suit as he sat on the bench. ... The 63 first-half points were a season high for Atlanta. The Hawks set another high with 33 assists for the game. ... Atlanta, which opened the season with a 119-104 win in Memphis on Oct. 27, swept the two-game season series. ... The Hawks have five straight home wins in the series. The Grizzlies' last win in Atlanta came on Nov. 12, 2005, and they are 3-13 all-time in Atlanta.
Wednesday
May 21st, 2025
9:23PM
