Hawks escape Charlotte in overtime

It was a performance in the style of Michael Jordan, the basketball legend who attended the game in his capacity as the Bobcats' new owner. Jordan, watching from the first row behind the Charlotte bench, could only shake his head as the Philips crowd of 17,697 went bananas and the Hawks mobbed Johnson, one of a select few NBA stars to wear Jordan's shoe line.

"Mike, he's a great guy," Johnson said. "He's been a great mentor to me since I came to Brand Jordan. But it is kind of sweet to get a win."

The Hawks ran their home win streak to five and improved their record to 44-24. They are four games behind Southeast Division-leading Orlando with 14 games to play. Their magic number to clinch their third consecutive playoff berth is one.

Charlotte, which looms as a potential playoff opponent, fell to 35-33.

"They play hard for 48 minutes. They don't back down to anybody," said Johnson. "We know if we match up with them, it's going to be a dogfight."

Before the fourth quarter, Johnson appeared off his game on offense. He missed his first nine shots, not making a basket until 10:51 remained in the fourth quarter, and committed five turnovers. He finished with 18 points, making seven of his last 12 shots, to tie for the team high with forward Josh Smith.

The Hawks, too, appeared off their game. They turned the ball over 17 times, about five over their league-leading average, which Charlotte converted into 20 points.

They trailed 76-66, their largest deficit of the game, with 8:58 left in regulation.

"We had an ugly game, but that's how it's going to be sometimes," Johnson said.

Down 10 points, the Hawks surged, scoring 11 of the next 13 to draw within 78-77.

Center Al Horford was at the center of the rally, setting screens, grabbing rebounds and scoring at the basket. Among them was a crucial putback of his own missed free throw.

"I just tried to make an effort to try and get it," said Horford, who finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds for his team-leading 29th double-double. "They just let me go through, and I appreciate it."

However, Charlotte scored the next four points to restore its lead to 82-77 with 3:55 to go. The Hawks scrambled again, forging an 84-84 tie with 35.4 seconds left on a floater by Johnson. After Bobcats center Theo Ratliff missed a jumper with 23.9 seconds left, the Hawks missed their own opportunity to win in regulation. After a botched handoff from Jamal Crawford to Johnson, Smith missed a 3-pointer from the baseline. It was the rare 3-point attempt that wasn't a quarter-ending heave for Smith, who had vowed to not attempt a 3-pointer all season.

In overtime, Johnson scored seven of the Hawks' nine points. The final two came after Charlotte guard Raymond Felton drove to the basket against Smith with 3.8 seconds left for a 92-91 lead.

On the game-ending play, guard Mike Bibby had the option to pass to either Crawford or Johnson. With Crawford covered, Bibby passed to Johnson from the left sideline. Johnson dribbled to just inside the 3-point line and swished a jumper over a double team.

"Joe's a pro," Woodson said. "He's an All-Star. You expect him to make shots when it counts."