Hawks Hand Nuggets 14th Straight Loss

March 7, 1998 / 12:00 AM EST / CBS/AP

When the Atlanta Hawks signed guard Drew Barry to a 10-day contract on Jan. 20, the former Georgia Tech standout figured to be practice fodder and perhaps play in mop-up situations.

Instead, Barry has found an important role.

Playing on his college floor, Barry had a career-high 10 assists, hit both of his shots and came up with several turnovers as he provided a spark in Atlanta's 115-94 win over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

With Eldridge Recasner out indefinitely, Barry has 26 assists in the last five games, scored five points or more in four games, and has run the Hawks' offense effectively. Atlanta has won five of its last six games.

"Drew's doing a great job," teammate Christian Laettner said. "We're in the same club now - guys who come off the bench. Drew's very aggressive. He's careful handling the ball. He spots the open man. He is really passing the ball well."

Barry, a former CBA player just signed by the Hawks for the rest of the season, said,"I'm just so happy to be here and getting minutes in the serious parts of the game. I've been blessed. I just try not to turn the ball over, push the ball and try to energize the team when I'm out there."

Barry is one of only three players to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists three years. At this time a year ago, he was riding buses and playing for Fort Wayne in the minor leagues.

Laettner, replaced in the starting lineup by Alan Henderson, scored 21 points, and the Hawks had a season-high point total to hand the Nuggets their 14th straight loss.

"A lot of great players have come off the bench," coach Len Wilkens said. "John Havlicek did it. Fred Brown did it. They impacted their teams, and Christian is doing that too. It has worked out terrific for us since the All-Star break."

"I'm very comfortable with the sixth man role," Laettner said. "I still have to do my job, which is make us win. I just try to be aggressive."

Tyrone Corbin scored 19 points and Mookie Blaylock 18 for the Hawks.

The Nuggets, who are 5-56, must win five of their remaining 21 games to avoid tying the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for fewest wins in an NBA season.

Johnny Newman led Denver with 23 points, and Dean Garrett added 18.

The Nuggets, whose last win was Feb. 10 against Boston, dropped to 0-34 against teams with winning records and set a club record by failing to score 100 points for the 14th consecutive game.

"Offensively, we played a little better," Nuggets coach Bill Hanzlik said. "And we played decent defense in cutting a 16-point lead to three at halftime. But we had mental breakdowns in the second half. There were times when we needed to do something and we didn't. We need a break. We're going to take Saturday off, even though I don't like to taka day off before a game."

Garrett summed up Denver's performance:"We're just not getting it done, that's all. Just not getting it done."

Atlanta's Dikembe Mutombo had 15 points and 13 rebounds against his former team.

The Hawks led 46-30 midway through the second period, but Denver made a 19-6 run to close to 52-49 at halftime.

Denver's Harold Ellis made a layup early in the third period to make it 56-54, but Atlanta then went on a 17-7 run, sparked by Brown's six points and Blaylock's four points and three assists.

Notes: Atlanta is 20-5 against opponents with losing records, but only 15-19 against winning teams. ... Blaylock is shooting 40 percent from the field since returning from the injured list Jan. 20. ... The Hawks have a nine-game home winning streak against Denver. ... Atlanta's Steve Smith missed the game with a sore knee. He plans to practice Saturday and will try to play Sunday against Cleveland. ... Denver's Tony Battie has failed to score in double figures in seven of his last eight games. ... The Nuggets have been held under 70 points four times this season. Prior to this season, Denver had scored under 70 a total of four times since joining the NBA in 1976. ... Denver's 14 straight losses ties for the second-longest streak in club history.