"All signs suggested the Pistons should have been pushovers for the Hawks.

Detroit is near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings while the Hawks are near the top. The Pistons are among the worst offensive teams in the NBA, are even worse on defense and their once-intimidating home building lacks life because of all the losing.

But lately at The Palace, the Pistons seem to drag the Hawks down to their level. It happened again Friday night until the Hawks recovered for an improbable 107-101 overtime victory over Detroit.

"It's an unbelievable win," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "It was just a gutsy performance. We were dead in the water, I thought."

The Hawks overcame a six-point deficit in the final 39.9 seconds to force overtime and dominated Detroit in the extra period for their third victory in their past four games. The Hawks improved to 2-1 on a five-game road trip that continues Sunday in New Orleans.

The Hawks looked sloppy and sleepy until playing with urgency in the second half. They trailed 46-35 at halftime, twice pulled within three points in the third quarter and tied the score 70-70 early in the final period.

Austin Daye's basket gave Detroit an 87-81 lead with 39.9 seconds to play, but Hawks forward Marvin Williams quickly answered with a 3-pointer. The Pistons tried to run off some clock before shooting, but Joe Johnson stole the ball from Rodney Stuckey and then made a fading 3-pointer to tie the score with 1.9 seconds to go in regulation."