DETROIT –

With the focus on trying to gain home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the Atlanta Hawks cannot afford a slip-up when they host the resurgent Detroit Pistons on Friday.

The Hawks are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference but sit just 1 1/2 games behind third-place Indiana with a back-to-back coming up against two of the league’s worst road teams in Detroit and Charlotte. The Pistons have won three straight and five of six.

Detroit started its 5-1 stretch by beating Washington on March 26 and toppled the Wizards again Thursday night. Tayshaun Prince scored 14 points Thursday – his sixth straight double-digit game – and has averaged 19.0 points during that span. Guard Rodney Stuckey returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury and scored 15 points off the bench in less than 19 minutes.

The Pistons are looking to match their longest winning streak of the season (Feb. 3-10).

Atlanta broke out of a mini-slump by hammering league-worst Charlotte by 27 points Wednesday. Josh Smith continued his sensational play with 24 points and nine rebounds despite sitting out the fourth quarter. Smith is averaging 26 points in his last nine games.

The Hawks’ bench combined for 52 points, helped by the return of guard Jannero Pargo. After missing 10 games due to an appendectomy, Pargo returned to the rotation and scored 12 points in 15 minutes.

Atlanta is the only team in the league to beat Chicago, Miami and Oklahoma City this season.

Pistons F/C Ben Wallace surpassed 7,000 career defensive rebounds Wednesday, becoming the 21st player to reach that milestone.

The Hawks have beaten Detroit six straight times at home.

Tayshaun Prince made a driving left-handed shot with 24.3 seconds remaining, and the Detroit Pistons held on to beat the Atlanta Hawks 86-85 on Friday night.

Detroit wasted a 12-point fourth-quarter lead and trailed by one after Jeff Teague’s layup with 36.6 seconds to play, but Prince answered and Atlanta’s Joe Johnson missed a contested shot from the left corner in the final seconds.

Josh Smith came up with the rebound for the Hawks and sank a fadeaway that was immediately waived off for coming after the buzzer. The call was upheld after a video review.

Greg Monroe scored 20 points and Jason Maxiell added 19 for Detroit. Smith led the Hawks with 21 and Johnson scored 18 in his first game back after missing four with left knee tendinitis.

In late January, the Pistons blew a six-point lead with less than 40 seconds remaining against the Hawks and lost in overtime.

They nearly wasted a terrific defensive performance in the second half Friday, but Prince was able to connect on his shot from about 7 feet in the final minute.

The Hawks made their first nine shots of the game and led 50-41 at halftime after Teague blocked Monroe under the basket to end the second quarter.

The Detroit big man quickly returned the favor in the third, stuffing the 6-foot-2 Teague when the Atlanta guard tried to drive to the basket. The Pistons held Atlanta to 12 points and only two field goals in the quarter and took a 67-62 lead into the fourth.

It was 75-63 after a perimeter shot by Jonas Jerebko, but the Hawks chipped away. Atlanta cut the lead to two on a 3-pointer by Smith, but Maxiell jumped high to dunk home a miss by Prince with one hand, making it 84-80.

Maxiell went 9 of 11 from the field and added 12 rebounds. Monroe was 10 of 14.

With the Pistons clinging to an 84-83 lead, Prince missed. Monroe came up with the ball but quickly lost it, and Teague went the other way for a layup, forcing Detroit to score one more basket for the win.

Prince scored 17 points and Rodney Stuckey had 11 for the Pistons. Jerebko added 10.

Marvin Williams scored 16 points for Atlanta.

NOTES: Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva was active but did not play. He’s been out since Jan. 4 because of a right ankle problem. … Atlanta was playing the third game of a six-game road trip. … The Pistons shot 56 percent from the field, but turned the ball over 20 times.

Atlanta guard Joe Johnson is back in the lineup after missing four games because of left knee tendinitis.

Johnson returned for Friday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons. He’s averaging 17.6 points per game to lead the Hawks.

Atlanta played well in Johnson’s absence, beating Milwaukee, Oklahoma City and Indiana before losing 89-86 at Miami on Wednesday.

Detroit’s Charlie Villanueva is active Friday, but it was unclear if he would play. Villanueva hasn’t played since Jan. 4 because of a right ankle problem.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Read More: Joe Johnson (G – ATL), Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks might have to play without Joe Johnson again Friday night against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Johnson is a game-time decision, according to a report from the Hawks public relations staff. Johnson has been suffering with tendinitis in his knee for a while now and if he misses Friday’s game, it will be the fifth straight game the Hawks play without their best player.

In the four games Johnson has missed so far, Atlanta is 3-1, with its most recent loss coming at the hands of the Miami Heat. Until the injury, Johnson was averaging 17.6 points a game for the Hawks, who hold a 23-16 record as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Friday’s game between the Hawks and Pistons is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.

For updates on the Atlanta Hawks and the Joe Johnson injury, visit Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.

Joe Johnson scored 28 of his 30 points after halftime, including
a tying 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left in regulation, and the
Atlanta Hawks stunned the Detroit Pistons 107-101 in overtime
Friday night.

Atlanta forced overtime with a pair of late 3-pointers. Marvin
Williams made one with 33.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter to
cut the lead to three, then Johnson stole a pass inside and brought
the ball up the court. Johnson looked like as if might have hurt
himself, but he kept the ball and sank a tough 3-pointer over
Rodney Stuckey to tie it.

The Hawks started the extra session with a 12-2 run, including
3-pointers by Williams and Josh Smith.

Greg Monroe scored 22 points for the Pistons and Brandon Knight
added 20.

Johnson was 1 of 9 from the field in the first half, but he
recovered in a big way, surpassing 14,000 points for his career and
continuing a strong stretch for him since the Hawks lost Al Horford
earlier this month to a torn pectoral muscle.

The Hawks are now 10-1 when Johnson scores at least 20
points.

Atlanta rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to tie it in
the fourth quarter, but Jason Maxiell’s three-point play after an
offensive rebound put the Pistons ahead 73-70 and started what
looked like a decisive 8-0 run.

But the Pistons couldn’t hold on, starting a stretch of seven
games in nine days on a sour note. Detroit had a chance to win it
even after Johnson’s big 3-pointer in the final seconds of the
fourth, but Knight’s last-second shot didn’t come close.

Maxiell led all scorers with 12 points in the first half.
Detroit led 46-35 after Monroe’s three-point play with 0.5 seconds
left in the second quarter. Neither team was shooting all that
well, but the Hawks turned the ball over 11 times in the half.

Detroit was playing without Tayshaun Prince (family reason) and
Ben Gordon (sore shoulder).

Atlanta guard Jeff Teague left in the second half with a left
ankle injury.

Williams finished with 22 points and eight rebounds for the
Hawks, and Smith had 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

NOTES: Austin Daye, who scored a career-high 28 points for the
Pistons in a loss to Miami on Wednesday night, finished with 12 on
Friday. His baseline shot with 39.9 seconds left gave Detroit an
87-81 lead, but the Hawks scored the last six points of regulation
… Johnson has 14,010 points.

As an Atlanta Hawks fan, I believe my hometown team is close to making that breakthrough of getting past the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Additionally, it appears head coach Larry Drew is looking to fill spots on the roster and building depth at the small forward position.

Marvin Williams started the 2010-11 season as the starting small forward, but injuries and inconsistent play has opened the door for someone else to take his place.

Tracy McGrady’s signing is one response and another response is Jerry Stackhouse who can provide experience and depth coming off the bench.

I don’t know Marvin Williams’ future, but he could be a candidate for amnesty and if that is the case, the void at small forward has to be filled.

Josh Smith has been interchangeable between the small and power forward positions and had recently lost 30 pounds, but his future is up in the air as well with trade rumors still persisting.

Jerry Stackhouse, a two-time All-Star, is the latest player to be signed and Hawks fans are generally optimistic and hope Stackhouse has something left to give the Hawks in this lockout shortened season.

Stackhouse did turn 37 this year and even though he isn’t the same player from ten years ago that had a 29.3 per game scoring average with the Detroit Pistons, he is a capable defender and is a decent mid-range shooter, especially if left open.

Stackhouse has played in over 900 regular season games and participated in 78 playoff games.

Stackhouse was on that 2006 Dallas Mavericks’ team that came very close to a NBA title against the Miami Heat which featured Dirk Nowitiski and Jason Terry.

During the 2006-2007 season, Stackhouse had shot a career-high from behind three-point line during the regular season and averaged 14 points per game during the playoffs.

Stackhouse played four years in Dallas, but this was the last time he had received a lot of minutes However, even past the age of 30, he has proved he has something left.

The following are some of Stackhouse’s highlights:

June 10, 2006: Jerry Stackhouse scored 19 points and had a four-point play during the decisive run in Dallas’ 99-85 victory in Game 2 of the 2006 NBA Finals over the Miami Heat.

May 15, 2006: Jerry Stackhouse scored 26 and was 10-for-19 from the field along with being a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the three-point line as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Tim Duncan-led San Antonio Spurs in overtime, 123-118.

April 3, 2001: Stackhouse scored a career-high 57 points as a member of the Detroit Pistons against the Chicago Bulls.

1997-2002 : Here’s a look at Jerry Stackhouse highlights from the Detroit Pistons

2004-2008 : Here’s a look at Jerry Stackhouse highlights from the Dallas Mavericks

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ATLANTA (AP)—The Atlanta Hawks have signed two-time NBA scoring champion
Tracy McGrady to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.

McGrady is with the Hawks for the team’s first practice on Friday, wearing
No. 1. His contract is believed to be for the veteran minimum.

The 6-foot-8 McGrady is expected to provide depth at shooting guard and
small forward. His signing has added to speculation the team will not be able to
re-sign high-scoring sixth man Jamal Crawford.

The 32-year-old McGrady, a seven-time All-Star, has been slowed by various
physical problems in recent years. He averaged 8.0 points last season for the
Detroit Pistons, his third team in the past two years.

He won back-to-back scoring titles with the Orlando Magic, including his
career-best average of 32.1 points in 2002-03.

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks have signed two-time NBA scoring champion Tracy McGrady to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum.

McGrady is with the Hawks for the team’s first practice on Friday, wearing No. 1. His contract is believed to be for the veteran minimum.

The 6-foot-8 McGrady is expected to provide depth at shooting guard and small forward. His signing has added to speculation the team will not be able to re-sign high-scoring sixth man Jamal Crawford.

The 32-year-old McGrady, a seven-time All-Star, has been slowed by various physical problems in recent years. He averaged 8.0 points last season for the Detroit Pistons, his third team in the past two years.

He won back-to-back scoring titles with the Orlando Magic, including his career-best average of 32.1 points in 2002-03.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Teams aren’t technically allowed to come to agreements with free agents just yet, but Tracy McGrady is reportedly locked in to join the Atlanta Hawks nonetheless. But, before anyone engages in the usual snark-fest that ensues whenever McGrady’s name comes up, they should honestly consider the terms and return on this deal.

McGrady may not have the ability to dribble-penetrating ability that Atlanta so desperately needs, but he’s an incredibly cost-efficient addition capable of hedging against the seemingly inevitable loss of Jamal Crawford. The Hawks aren’t in a position where re-signing Crawford makes financial sense; they already have $66 million in salary committed for this season and $62 million committed next year, meaning that Crawford’s deal would likely push a solid — but firmly non-contending — team over the luxury tax line. Even beyond the practical consideration of overpaying a dwindling, inefficient scorer like Crawford, the financial realities for a tax-averse team like Atlanta make a re-signing a virtual impossibility.

Such is the reality for a franchise that presented Joe Johnson with a golden effigy on the first day of free agency last season, invested in Marvin Williams to the tune of $8 million a year, and took every shortcut there is to take in team construction.

All of which makes McGrady — who will join the Hawks on a one-year, minimum salary deal — an oddly reasonable signing. McGrady didn’t score quite as much as Crawford did last season, but that’s largely because he didn’t dominate the ball in the fashion Crawford often does. The hazard of employing Crawford is the same as it’s ever been: he tends to control the ball whether his team intends for him to or not, and they’re forced to live with the ill-advised jumpers that seem to always result. McGrady is a bit more prudent, as he used significantly fewer possessions while making a greater percentage of his shots than Crawford last season. The scoring output wasn’t the same on a per-game basis, but McGrady’s rounder skill set (he averaged 5.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds per 36 minutes last season) helps to off-set some of what Atlanta will lose in pure scoring volume.

Thanks to his age and injury history, McGrady is an easy target for criticism. But he actually put together a pretty solid — if quiet — campaign for the Detroit Pistons last season, complete with a bit of a defensive turnaround. McGrady’s defensive reputation is rather putrid, but last season he held his positional opposites to a below average Player Efficiency Rating (PER) and made a dramatic difference in his team’s defensive performance*. That one-year performance could be a bit flukey, but regardless, I find it hard to believe that McGrady could possibly be a lesser perimeter defender than Crawford.

For the league minimum, this is very likely the best the Hawks could possibly do. McGrady isn’t what he once was (and certainly isn’t Crawford), but this is a smart, economical move for a team with such a cluttered cap sheet.

(H/T to ESPN.com’s Tom Haberstroh)

Tracy McGrady is planning to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing a source with knowledge of Grady’s intentions, reported that the former two-time league scoring champion will sign for the veteran’s minimum.

McGrady resurrected his career with the Detroit Pistons last season, averaging 8.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 72 games.

Injuries had limited him to 65 games over the previous two seasons with the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.

The 32-year-old McGrady averaged at least 24.4 points for seven consecutive seasons and has a career average of 20.4 points per game.

Tracy McGrady, who played for the Detroit Pistons last season, has agreed to a 1-year, veteran-minimum deal with the Atlanta Hawks, a source close to the situation told

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith.

McGrady, a 6-foot-8 shooting guard, averaged 8.0 points and 23.4 minutes per game for the Pistons, appearing in 72 games and starting 39.

McGrady, now a 15-year-veteran, has been hampered by injuries over the past few seasons.

But he told the Free Press last week. “I am back, I have my athleticism, my knee is a lot stronger, my body is in shape. I have no restrictions. Everything will fall into place.”

McGrady is three years removed from microfracture surgery on his left knee.

Before his health issues, McGrady, 32, was a star with spectacular dunks as a normal part of his game. He showed flashes of that form last season, bringing occasional stability to the lineup.

Updated Aug 29, 2011 2:43 PM ET

NEW YORK (AP)

The New York Knicks hired former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson on Monday as an assistant to Mike D’Antoni.

Though frequently considered a defensive specialist, Woodson made clear during a conference call that he can help D’Antoni in many roles.

”I’m just a coach that’s looking for an opportunity. I have experience and I’m just excited about the opportunity,” Woodson said. ”That’s all a coach in this league can ask for.”

Woodson led the Hawks to three playoff berths in his six seasons in Atlanta, but was let go after they were swept in embarrassing fashion by Orlando in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.

He interviewed for the Detroit job that instead went to Lawrence Frank and also was a candidate in Houston, but now will try to help D’Antoni address the Knicks’ struggles on the defensive end.

Yet D’Antoni also tried to downplay the notion of a ”defensive specialist.”

”I don’t know where that came from, other than people writing about it,” he said. ”But he’s a good coach.”

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