> BIBBY STILL LIMPING: The bruised right heel that Mike Bibby suffered in his first game with the Hawks, a Feb. 19 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, has never fully healed. And with rookie point guard Acie Law IV going down with an injury of his own a night later, Bibby hasn't had much time to rest. But with every game critical to the Hawks' teetering playoff hopes, coach Mike Woodson said there's basically no way he can give Bibby the time needed to rest his heel properly. "It's really not fair to Mike," Woodson said. "He's out there on one leg a lot of times trying to deal with guys like Baron Davis [on Tuesday] and then Chris Paul [on Wednesday] the next. That's a tall order for anyone to deal with when they're 100 percent healthy."

> TECHNICALLY SPEAKING: Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson was whistled for a technical foul with 4:59 to play in the third quarter for shouting at an official. It's one of the few times the ultra-low-key Johnson has even said anything to an official during the game, let alone blasted one of them hard enough to get a technical.

> MISSING PERSONS: The Hornets played without All-Star David West, who had a sprained ankle. He has scored in double figures in 35 straight games. Veteran swingman Bonzi Wells missed the game with a sore Achilles.