Atlanta at Sacramento

[Real Deal]

TIME: 9:00 PM ET

TV: NBA TV

[Built Ford Tough]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- After publicly asking management to trade him a few days ago, Josh Smith gave the Atlanta Hawks too many reasons not to on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings.

 

A disgruntled veteran who has played all eight seasons with Atlanta, Smith scored 19 of his 28 points in the second half for the Hawks, who defeated the Sacramento Kings for the eighth straight time with a 106-99 victory.

 

Angered after failing to make the Eastern Conference All-Star team and blaming it on no backing from the team, Smith told the Hawks he would like to be on another team when the trade deadline arrives on Thursday.

 

Smith had plenty to say about leaving the Hawks previously, but didn't want to discuss it after another excellent overall game. He made 13 of 23 shots and added six rebounds, three rebounds, three assists and three blocks in 39 minutes.

 

"I'm here. I have one more year on my contract. We'll see what happens," Smith said, refusing to elaborate. "I'll just keep doing what I'm doing."

 

And that may be fine with the Hawks, who have been benefiting from Smith's strong play in March as they try to pick up wins despite continuing to be beset with injuries. Smith is averaging just under 26 points in six games in March. For the season, he's averaging 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game.

 

"Josh has really been Superman for us," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "He's been playing a lot of minutes and doing it at both ends of the floor. He's playing absolutely super."

 

The shooting of Smith was instrumental in helping Atlanta assume the lead for good with a strong third quarter. And the Hawks never trailed again in avoiding a third straight loss

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracker/recap/NBA_20120311_ATL@SAC