> STAR JOHNSON: Hawks coach Mike Woodson has a question for all those people who were critical of his captain around the All-Star break.

"Where are they now?" he said, shaking his head. "Where are they now?"

Joe Johnson made his second straight All-Star Game last month. But he was struggling at the time, before the Mike Bibby trade, as defenses geared up to stop him with two and three defenders on a nightly basis.

In the Hawks' last eight games, though, he's been destroying the competition. In the seven games prior to Sunday's game against the New York Knicks, Johnson averaged 29.1 points and 6.1 assists, making better than 52 percent (75-for-144) of his shots from the floor and better than 58 percent of his shots (25-for-43) from beyond the 3-point line.

"He's trying to will this team into the playoffs," Woodson said. "His focus has been as good as I've seen it, on both ends of the floor. And I think having Mike has really given him a different look in terms of how teams are defending him.

"But he's been on top of his game here lately, and if we're going to do what we need to do [for the postseason], that's the way it has to be every night."

Johnson was on his mark Sunday, finishing with 28 points, 11 assists and four minutes in 42 minutes in the Hawks' 109-98 win over the Knicks.

> STREET CLOTHES: Hawks reserve guard Salim Stoudamire sat out Sunday's game with a sore right ankle. Stoudamire didn't even dress out, having aggravated an injury suffered in last Monday's 123-112 loss in Orlando, in which he scored 16 points in 17 minutes and shot 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

> MORRIS SIGHTING: Former Landmark Christian star Randolph Morris hasn't had much to write home about during his first full NBA season since leaving Kentucky.

But he did make an extended appearance against his hometown team Sunday, playing a season-high 18 minutes and even starting the second half. He finished with eight points and one rebound before fouling out with 3:29 to play in the third quarter.

For the season, Morris is averaging 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds, having appeared in just seven games.