• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Hawks start season with rout of Nets

Dec 28, 2011 - 5:06 AM Newark, NJ (Sports Network) - Six Hawks scored in double figures in their season opener, as Atlanta destroyed the sluggish New Jersey Nets, 106-70.

Vladimir Radmanovic had a team-high 17 points, Marvin Williams chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds and Zaza Pachulia totaled 13 and 11 for the Hawks, who went 44-38 last season and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

MarShon Brooks netted 17 points on the second night of a back-to-back for the Nets, who recovered from a 21-point deficit on Monday to beat the Wizards but didn't have the legs for a repeat performance.

Deron Williams had 10 points on 3-for-11 shooting and committed six of New Jersey's 18 turnovers.

"We came out and put up a stinker," the star point guard said. "We have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. We're learning on the fly."

This was the final home opener in New Jersey for the Nets, who move to Brooklyn next year.

Marvin Williams hit a pair of three-pointers to help Atlanta score 11 of the game's first 13 points. Radmanovic netted nine points on a quarter-ending 13-2 run that pushed the lead to 28-11.

The Nets shot just 5-of-22 (23 percent) from the field in the opening frame, and while their shots fell a little more frequently in the second, the Hawks still maintained control.

Jeff Teague beat the halftime buzzer with a 31-footer for a 52-30 advantage, and the margin grew to as high as 29 in the third quarter, which ended with the visitors holding a 77-55 cushion.

Both teams emptied their benches over the final 12 minutes, and even Atlanta's reserves were more effective.

"We applied pressure pretty much the whole game. Our bench picked up right where our starters left off," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said. "It though it was a total team effort."

Game Notes

Atlanta had lost 16 of its previous 18 games in New Jersey....Kris Humphries, coming off a 21-point, 16-rebound performance in the Nets' opener, had 11 and six on Tuesday...The Nets shot 31 percent from the field, compared to Atlanta's 44-percent shooting effort...Atlanta's double-digit scorers included: Teague (13), Tracy McGrady (12) and Joe Johnson (11)...The Hawks scored 30 points off turnovers.