• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Hawks, Thunder square off in OKC

Dec 31, 2010 - 3:55 PM (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks will open a four-game road trip tonight by visiting Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Hawks are coming off their ninth straight win in Dixie on Wednesday when Josh Smith and Al Horford dominated the paint with a combined 43 points and 25 rebounds, as Atlanta posted a 103-93 decision over the Golden State Warriors.

Smith had 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Horford totaled 21 points and 15 boards. Joe Johnson chipped in 16 points and eight assists for the Hawks, who have won four of five overall. Mike Bibby ended with 15 points.

"We had to do it against a team like this," Smith said of Atlanta's dominant inside play. "They had a couple bigs out and our main focus from the get-go was to try and get the ball to me and Al and be able to create for others. I think we got away from it a little bit, but we went back to it later on."

Forward Marvin Williams left Wednesday's game in the third quarter with an injured back and has been listed as day-to-day.

The Hawks, who will also visit the LA Clippers, Sacramento and Utah on their trek, have lost six of eight on the road and are 9-8 overall as the visitor on the year versus 12-5 at Philips Arena.

The Thunder, meanwhile, opened a brief two-game residency in winning fashion on Wednesday when Durant tallied a game-high 27 points and Oklahoma City used 23 forced turnovers to upend New Jersey, 114-93.

Russell Westbrook totaled 17 points and seven assists, while James Harden scored 11 points for the Thunder, who have alternated wins and losses over the past seven games.

"I thought it was a good offensive game, I thought the ball was really moving," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "Our hands were very active tonight. Our defense was solid and we were forcing turnovers."

The Thunder swept the home-and-home series with the Hawks last season after Atlanta did the same in 2008-09.