Atlanta 127, Toronto 120 | Apr. 2, 2008 | Philips Arena

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• The Atlanta Hawks won their second overtime game of the season in fantastic fashion Wednesday in a 127-120 thriller over the Toronto Raptors to increase their hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
• Atlanta, at 35-40, is now four full games ahead of Indiana (31-44) and New Jersey (31-44).
• Six players scored in double figures with the backcourt of Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby accounting for 54 points. Johnson's 28 led all players on the night and both players connected on a combined 21-of-39 field goals.
• Josh Smith, who hit two big threes in OT, finished with 24, along with nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
• Bibby and Johnson had double-doubles with 12 and 11 assists. It was Bibby's fifth of the year and Johnson's ninth.
• Al Horford also turned in a double-double -- his 22nd of the year -- with 14 points and 12 boards.
• Bibby's three with :05 seconds remaining tied the game at 107, before T.J. Ford's last-second tip-in was disallowed, sending the game into extras.
• The Hawks overcame a 17-point deficit, its second biggest comeback of the year (second to a 21-point deficit at Minnesota).
• Atlanta hosts Philadelphia Friday at 7:30 (790 AM, FSN).

Photo Of The Night

It seemed like Toronto needed this many defenders to stop Joe Johnson (and it still wasn't enough)

What You Really Need To Know
If the Hawks end up making some noise in the postseason, I think we'll all look back on this game as the one that gave the team the confidence in themselves to take it to the next level. Toronto rolled to a 17-point lead in the third quarter, but the Hawks never gave up in rallying to pick up their fifth straight win and move closer and closer to a playoff berth. It was a huge win for Atlanta, which never led in the second half until Mike Bibby's 3 tied it to send it to overtime. The Hawks showed the kind of toughness they'll need in the playoffs, and with their 9th win in 11 games, showed they just may be ready to make some noise once they get there.


Fantasy MVP: Joe Johnson/Mike Bibby
I have to declare a tie tonight, as the Hawks backcourt each put up numbers worthy of MVP status. JJ showed no signs of slowing down in the season's last month, lighting up the stat sheet for 28 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds, while Bibby went for 26 points, 12 assists, 6 assists, and 3 steals. Just an incredible night for the Hawks starting backcourt.


Momentum Changer
The Hawks had the ball down 3 with 11.8 left in the game, and got two open looks at a game-tying 3-pointer. Both missed, but the ball went out of bounds off Toronto to give the Hawks one more chance with 3.5 seconds on the clock. The ball went into Mike Bibby in the corner, and Mike Bibby did what Mike Bibby does - hit clutch shots. Frankly, I can't think of five other players in the league I'd rather have shooting the ball with the game on the line than Bibby. Bibby's trey sent the game to overtime, and the Hawks took care of business from there.

What Went Right

• Talk about heart. The Hawks were down 17 points in the third quarter when Toronto couldn't miss a shot and everything was going in the Raptors favor. But Atlanta never stopped fighting, chipping away slowly but surely but never even tying it until Bibby's 3 sent the game to overtime.
• The Hawks played the definition of team ball tonight, dishing out 35 assists (the Hawks best ever at Philips) as 6 players scored in double-figures and Zaza Pachulia had 9. Everyone who played can take some credit for this win, they all had a hand in it.
• I'll say this for Josh Smith - the kid's got confidence. Shooting 22% from downtown coming into the game, Smoove went 3-3 from beyond the arc, two of which came at critical moments during overtime. Josh started out slowly, but came on strong down the stretch to finish the night with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
  
• Defensively, the Hawks did a great job in overtime defending the high pick-and-roll between TJ Ford and Chris Bosh. They never let either of them get an easy look, and Josh Childress' block on a Ford fadeaway late in OT made sure the Hawks kept their lead for good.
• The Hawks won in part tonight thanks to doing all the little things, as they outrebounded the Raptors (47-37), had more steals (7-5), and made their free throws (21-25, 85%). 

• Toronto was on fire for most of the game, and it didn't seem to matter what the Hawks did defensively they were going to score. The Hawks have really picked up their scoring of late, but they'll need to find a way to get more stops down the stretch to avoid any slip-ups.
  

“The Hawks are worthy of great fans… I was at the game against Toronto and the Atlanta Hawks gave me my money’s worth! As fans we MUST be involved in the game for us to make it past the first round! GET UP ATLANTA… there are other great sports teams in Atlanta besides the Braves.”

Kevin B, Dalton, GA

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