Josh Smith scored 30 points and 13 rebounds to guide the Atlanta Hawks past the Charlotte Bobcats for their second straight win.
"I just wanted to play aggressive but also play in the flow of the offense," the Associated Press quoted Smith as saying. "I didn't want to feel like I had to put pressure on myself on both ends of the court. I was just wanted to keep playing aggressive, but also play under control."
With the victory over their division rivals, the Hawks also snapped a six-game road losing streak. Smith said nothing was discussed in the locker room or during the trip to Charlotte about the poor record.
"I don't think we noticed it," Smith said. "When I heard that at the beginning of the game I was surprised. But we didn't want to have any added pressure on hands. Our main focus was to get back on track."
Kyle Korver added 21 points and made five three-pointers for the Hawks, while Ivan Johnson had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Jeff Teague finished with 10 points and six assists against the Bobcats.
Atlanta made 43 out of 87 attempts from the floor, whereas the Bobcats had only 31-of-76. The Hawks hit 12 three-pointers, while Charlotte had six.
"We're not a good 1-on-1 team," Korver said. "When we move the ball we have shooting, we have speed and we have athleticism."
For the Bobcats, Ramon Sessions lead the scoring with a season-high 27 points. Kemba Walker scored 11 and Ben Gordon finished with 15 points.
The Hawks' win was more satisfying because they clinched the victory in the absence of Al Horford, Devin Harris, Zaza Pachulia, Anthony Morrow and Lou Williams.
"Obviously with no Al Horford I was a little concerned about our big man play but that was answered tonight," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "I thought Ivan Johnson stepped in and did a phenomenal job.
"He was a presence on the floor. He scored. He rebounded the ball. He took a charge. He came in and gave us a big, big lift tonight."
Atlanta got off to a good start in the game as they outscored the Bobcats 28-20. Charlotte outscored the Hawks 26-25 in the second quarter, but Atlanta entered the second half with a comfortable seven-point margin.
The Hawks extended the lead to 17 points midway through the third quarter behind Smith and Korver. Atlanta outscored Charlotte 26-21 to go into the fourth quarter with a 12-point advantage.
"When Josh plays that type of game he is one of the best all-around players in this league," Sessions said. "You know he can post up, make passes and hit jump shots.
"He was playing well tonight from all aspects of the floor. He is tough to guard when he is like that because he is really a small forward but he can also post up so he is a tough matchup."
Both the teams scored 25 points apiece in the fourth quarter and the Hawks won the game by 12 points.
"The frustration is high," said Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap whose side have not won at home since Nov. 21. "When you're in charge, and I'm in charge, that frustration has to be handled the right way.
"We're doing certain things here and unfortunately we're going to have nights like this."
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