Atlanta came out solid today, defying the predictions and notching the 88-83 upset of Detroit. "Somebody forgot to tell them they were underdogs," quipped Detroit coach David Smith after the game. "No question, they were the better team out there today and deserved this win. I thought we came in prepared, but that was just a lot better than we've seen Atlanta play for some time."

Credit has to be given to Atlanta coach Bob, who brought his team together after some tough losses earlier and has them playing at their best. "Some of the us really took those losses hard," said star Jackson. "But coach sat us down and showed us what we were doing wrong and what we needed to do to turn around. That was great to hear, and you saw the results today."

Atlanta was led by Jackson (14 points, 5 boards, 1 assists, a steal, 3 blocks), Peppers (22 points, 0 assists), Hamilton (23 points, a steal). Detroit was led by Armstrong (17 points, 5 boards, 3 assists), Newman (8 points, 12 boards, 3 assists), Fox (18 points, 3 blocks).

With the win, Atlanta jump to 21-23. They hold at #4 in the Southeast and stay at #8 overall in the Eastern Conference. With the defeat, Detroit stand at 25-17 and 15-7 at home. They stay at #1 in the Central and remain at #3 overall in the Eastern Conference.

box score Atlanta roster Detroit* roster