Hawks snatch OT win

THE ATLANTA Hawks' penchant for going soft with a big lead nearly cost them another victory.

"We had things under control, but I think we got away from what was working for us," center Al Horford said. "They made plays. [Will] Bynum was great, and I think he was the one who that propelled them to tie the game. I'm just happy we won."

Josh Smith scored 31 points, Horford added 22 and the Hawks beat the visiting Detroit Pistons, 126-119, in double overtime on Wednesday night.

The Hawks blew a 22-point, fourth-quarter lead as Bynum and fellow reserve Charlie Villanueva scored a combined 26 of Detroit's 39 points in the final period of regulation.

Atlanta has won two straight and eight of 12. Detroit has lost seven of nine.

Bynum finished with 31 points, one less than his career high, and assisted on the last two baskets of regulation, when Andre Drummond's dunk cut the lead to two and Austin Daye's three-pointer gave the Pistons a 101-100 lead with 4 seconds remaining.

Horford followed by making just one of two free throws for the Hawks to force the first overtime. His second attempt bounced off the rim and into Daye's hands.

"It was tough because I had the opportunity to put the game away," Horford said. "It was important for me to move on to the next phase of the game and play in overtime. That's what I did, and we responded well."

After Jeff Teague's two free throws tied it at 108-all for Atlanta at the 1:05 mark of the first overtime, neither team scored again until Lou Williams hit a pair of free throws to give the Hawks a 110-108 lead early in the second overtime.

Bynum gave Detroit its last lead at 112-110 at the 3:03 mark. Atlanta never trailed after Teague's three made it 113-112 with 2:46 remaining.

"Look, we had opportunities to win the game," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "It just didn't fall for us."

At Denver, Corey Brewer matched his career high with 27 points and the Nuggets overcame a 40-point effort by Kobe Bryant to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 126-114, for their seventh straight win at home.

* At Phoenix, J.R. Smith sank a baseline 21-footer at the buzzer after a Suns turnover with a second to play, giving the depleted New York Knicks a 99-97 victory.

New York was without the NBA's No. 2 scorer Carmelo Anthony (hyperextended knee) and Raymond Felton (sprained finger). The Knicks said X-rays on Felton's right fifth finger revealed a fracture and the next course of action will be determined after his return to New York.

The Suns lost Goran Dragic in the final seconds of the first half when he was undercut by Smith on a layup attempt and fell hard to the floor. Dragic had bruises to his hip, back and wrist. Smith was called for a flagrant foul on the play.

* At Indianapolis, the game between the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls was postponed by a snowstorm that hit the area.

* At Charlotte, LeBron James had 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists as the Miami Heat handed the Bobcats their 16th straight defeat, 105-92.

* At Washington, Tristan Thompson's three-point play with 24.4 seconds to go helped the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Wizards, 87-84.

* At Orlando, Robin Lopez had a season-high 29 points and Greivis Vasquez scored 27 points as the New Orleans Hornets snapped an 11-game losing streak with a 97-94 victory over the Magic.

* At Minneapolis, James Harden scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, and the Houston Rockets rallied to win their fifth straight, 87-84 over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

* At Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings scored 25 points, Monta Ellis added 20 points and a season-high six steals, and the Bucks beat the Brooklyn Nets for the 13th straight time, 108-93. The Nets were without Deron Williams (wrist injury).

* At San Antonio, Tim Duncan scored 15 points and the Spurs rolled to a 100-80 victory over Toronto, snapping the Raptors' five-game winning streak.

In Raptors news, rookie Jonas Valanciunas is out 4 to 6 weeks while he recovers from a broken ring finger on his right hand.

* At Salt Lake City, Stephen Curry scored 23 points, David Lee added 18 and the Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz, 94-83.

* At Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge pumped in 28 points along with his 12 boards as the Trail Blazers handled the Sacramento Kings, xx-xx.

Denver forward Jordan Hamilton was fined $25,000 by the NBA because of a vulgar exchange with a fan during the team's 112-100 Christmas Day loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.