“You have to shoot the shots that are there for you,” stated Mike Bibby. Without a doubt those shots where there.

Scoring a season high of 27 points against the Detroit Pistons, Mike Bibby rained on Phillips Arena giving the Atlanta Hawks another win underneath their wings with a final score of 85-78.

In the first half, the Hawks were 50% from behind the three. Early in the second quarter, the Hawks created a 13-0 run started with Bibby’s five three’s in the second quarter. He went six-for-six behind the three.

In the first quarter on both ends of the court each team had an answer to the others basket. However, once the third quarter began, the Hawks took the lead for good.

Joe Johnson, Al Horford, and Josh Smith also came with their A game. Joe Johnson set the tone for the third quarter with a lay-up, off of The Pistons’ missed jumper. Johnson finished the game with 19 points and seven assist. Horford also showed his intensity on the floor finishing the game with a double double, 11 points and 11 rebounds. Josh Smith enaded the game with 11 points.

Although the Pistons trailed by 18 points in the beginning of the second half, the slowly made a comeback pulling within six points, a basket made by Rasheed Wallace late in the fourth, but it was too late.

Last season, The Pistons swept the four-game series with the Hawks, before the Hawks acquired Mike Bibby.

For The Pistons, Rodney Stuckey and Rasheed Wallace both had 20 points a piece. With 16 points Richard Hamilton was ejected from the game with 1:13 left in the game. He received the technical foul after he received a blow to the head and began walking back to the Detroit bench. Official Rodney Mott administered the technical foul.

The Atlanta Hawks play again at home in Phillips Arena on December 23, 2008 at 7:00pm against The Oklahoma City Thunder.