> WORRYWART: Hawks coach Mike Woodson worried himself sick before Friday's game about Mike Bibby's sprained left thumb.

Despite the go-ahead from the Hawks medical staff and a specialist, Woodson wasn't sure his starting point guard would be ready to play against Chicago at Philips Arena.

"I don't know if he can catch the ball with that thumb," Woodson said. "If he can't go, we'll have to go with Acie [Law IV]."

Bibby who missed 36 games this season after surgery to repair a torn ligament in the same thumb, made his first six shots from the floor and first two from the free-throw line and had scored 18 points before he missed his first shot, a deep jumper, with 3:38 to play before halftime.

With his thumb wrapped tighter than usual, Bibby operated just fine. He tied his season-high for points (24) three minutes into the third quarter and finished with 30 points, eight assists and three rebounds.

> 24: Joe Johnson played every minute of the first half against Chicago's smothering and physical defense three nights after he played all 48 minutes against that same kind of defense in a loss to the Bulls in Chicago. He played more than 30 consecutive minutes Friday night before getting a breather with 5:36 to play in the third quarter. He had struggled scoring to that point (5-for-16 from the field), but he made up for it with seven assists to help the Hawks build their lead to as many as 22.

> BENCH POWER: Chicago's Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni were particularly effective off the bench, outworking the tired Hawks' starters in the third and fourth quarters. Gordon scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth.

NEXT FOR HAWKS

> Who: vs. Knicks

> When: 4 p.m. Sunday

> TV; radio: Fox Sports Net; 790 AM