AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Hawks forward Josh Smith, with his 27-point, 14-rebound performance, was no surprise against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. However, the play of teammate Mike Bibby was unexpected, especially on the offensive end.
In a 94-79 victory, the veteran guard enabled Atlanta to overcome an early 15-point deficit by pushing the pace, getting to the basket and controlling the tempo. Bibby scored 17 points, his most since he had 19 against New Jersey on Dec. 19. He also added seven assists and six rebounds. He felt inspired.
"I have been letting myself get down a little too much and I let it affect the way I played," Bibby said. "No one really expects me to go to the basket anymore so I just tried to make an effort to make things happen."
Without Bibby's production the Hawks probably wouldn't have ended their losing streak at two games. This was supposed to be one of their relatively easy games on an important road trip, but it didn't look that way early on.
The Pistons, playing out a miserable season in front of another sparse crowd at The Palace, had more zip than the Hawks. They beat them on the boards, created and made open shots and had Atlanta reeling.
The Hawks finally woke up with an offensive outburst in the second quarter before wearing down the Pistons with defense. The Hawks erased a 15-point deficit with 33 points in the second quarter and held the Pistons to 28 points after halftime.
"We went through a bad stretch but we were able to regain our composure," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "That's the sign of a good team, especially on the road."
Atlanta rebounded from ugly home losses to Philadelphia and Charlotte . The Hawks' season-long, seven-game road trip continues Wednesday night in New York.
Smith had a game-high 27 points and 14 rebounds for the Hawks. Atlanta forward Marvin Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds in reserve.
"I don't expect anything different," Bibby said. "When he is out there flying all over the court that is when we are at our best."
The Hawks trailed 27-20 after a quarter, despite shooting 62 percent from the field. They gave the Pistons plenty of extra chances with five turnovers and allowing six offensive rebounds.
With Atlanta's bench players struggling, Detroit's lead swelled to 41-26 in the second quarter. The Hawks finally responded when the starters returned, got some stops and started running.
The Pistons led 48-38 when Atlanta scored seven consecutive points in less than a minute. The run included a layup by Bibby, Joe Johnson's 3-pointer on a break started by Al Horford, and a Horford basket in transition on a pass from Bibby.
Charlie Villanueva's 3-pointer, Detroit's seventh in nine attempts, made it 51-45. Atlanta closed the half with an 8-0 run that featured a steal by Williams, leading to his two free throws and two baskets from Smith.
"Our guys came back and fought back and took the lead at halftime," Drew said. "I really felt good at that point that we were at least going to be around until the end."
Bibby, who had seven points, four assists and a steal in the second quarter, started the second half with a 3-pointer and then assisted Johnson for another as Atlanta opened with another 8-0 run. The Hawks were up 80-70 early in the fourth quarter.
In the previous meeting between the teams, Detroit outscored Atlanta 39-19 in the final period behind Tracy McGrady's four 3-pointers and posted a 103-80 victory. This time the Hawks pulled away by holding the Pistons to seven points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, and 11 in the period.
