Atlanta

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.

Jesse Hill Jr., 86, a civil rights leader and businessman who became the first black president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, died Monday. Mr. Hill had a close relationship with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and helped make sure his legacy would be remembered, according to Steve Klein, a spokesman for the King Center, where Mr. Hill served as chairman of the board of directors from 1979 to 1993. Mr. Hill was born in St. Louis. He graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Mo., with a degree in mathematics and physics, and earned a master's in actuarial science from the University of Michigan.

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Falcons wanted to make a statement. Boy, did they deliver one Sunday to the defending Super Bowl champions. Coming off an ugly loss and criticized for failing to impress even when they won, the Falcons turned in their most well-rounded performance of the season with the playoffs approaching. Matt Ryan threw three TD passes and the defense handed New York its first regular-season shutout since 1996, routing the Giants, 34-0. "We love the haters, man," said Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel, who had the first of two interceptions against Eli Manning.

ATLANTA - The Falcons sent a message to all the skeptics with a resounding victory Sunday over the defending Super Bowl champions. Matt Ryan threw three touchdowns passes as the defense handed the New York Giants their first regular-season shutout since 1996 in Atlanta's 34-0 win. Julio Jones caught a couple of scoring throws from Ryan, who broke his own franchise records for completions and passing yards in a season. The Penn Charter grad finished 23 of 28 for 270 yards. The Giants, meanwhile, were 0 for 3 on fourth down and missed a short field goal.

ATLANTA - Drew Brees lost twice Thursday night. He and the New Orleans Saints fell, 23-13 to the red-hot Falcons (11-1), and the star quarterback saw the end of his NFL record streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He had thrown a TD in 54 straight games, but was plagued Thursday night by five interceptions to an Atlanta team that was motivated by four straight losses in their NFC South rivalry with New Orleans. In the loss, Brees finished 28-for-50 for 341 yards as the Saints fell to 5-7. His Falcons counterpart, Matt Ryan, was 18 for 33 for 165 yards and one touchdown pass, a 17-yard pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez early in the second quarter.

The Phillies' pursuit of B.J. Upton is over, and it did not end well if you believe he was the team's primary free-agent target. Upton, the youngest of the elite centerfielders on the free-agent market, will play next season with the Atlanta Braves after signing a five-year, $75.25 million deal. That was the news late Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Houston reliever Wilton Lopez was in Philadelphia for a physical that likely will be a prelude to a trade that sends minor-league prospects to the Astros.

ATLANTA - Jason Heyward was in the audience as B.J. Upton was introduced Thursday as Atlanta's new centerfielder. That made manager Fredi Gonzalez smile as he realized he didn't have to worry so much about finding the third starter in his outfield. "Shoot, we may not even need a leftfielder," Gonzalez said. "With him playing center and Jason, who just won a Gold Glove, in right, it's going to be fun watching these guys cover some ground in the outfield. " Upton was given a No. 2 Braves jersey after finalizing a $75.25 million, five-year contract - the biggest ever given a free agent by the franchise.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Atlanta Falcons stumbled into a hole, only to find a way to escape again. Penn Charter grad Matt Ryan threw for 353 yards and overcame two critical turnovers by leading another late touchdown drive to rally the Falcons to a 24-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Ryan teamed with Julio Jones on an 80-yard TD midway through the third quarter, but the NFC South leaders found themselves trailing, 23-17, after the Bucs marched for a touchdown, then forced a fumble by Ryan to set up a field goal that put the Falcons in pursuit mode with 10 minutes to go. Michael Turner's 3-yard TD run put Atlanta ahead for good with 7 minutes, 55 seconds left.

FORMER WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist Chamique Holdsclaw is in custody after being accused of shooting into a woman's car after using a bat to break its windows. Atlanta police said Thursday that the incident happened Tuesday after Holdsclaw followed 29-year-old Jennifer Lacy to her car. Lacy plays for the Tulsa Shock. No one was injured. Lacy identified the 35-year-old Holdsclaw as an ex-girlfriend and both played for the Atlanta Dream in 2009. Holdsclaw was in custody Thursday night in Fulton County Jail.