Any given night, right? Isn't that what we always tell our kids when they play sports? It doesn't matter the opponent; if you play your best you always have a chance to beat anyone.

Well, last night was another reminder of just that, as the Hawks beat the Wizards 100-97 at Philips Arena despite missing Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, and Speedy Claxton. Oh, and having lost six-straight games. And playing a Wizards team that has fairly owned the Hawks of late, winning nine of the last ten in the series, including two one-point wins in DC this season.

I admit it. I wrote us off. I was planning on live-blogging last night's game, but with the injuries and the way things were going for us of late, I just didn't have the heart to give a blow-by-blow of a twenty-point blowout.

Well, shame on me - that's what I get for jumping to conclusions. It would have been a great game to live-blog too, as the depleted Hawks really put on a very inspiring performance in beating down a very good Washington squad.

First things first, we have to give a tip o' the cap to Zaza Pachulia, who carried the team for several stretches last night on his way to a career-high 27 points and 12 rebounds. There was a time this season where ZP really seemed like his confidence was shaken, but that appears to have passed. He was pretty much unstoppable in the post last night, repeatedly getting past his defender for layups or drawing a foul to get to the line.

Everyone who played last night deserves mention, but I'd also like to single out Salim Stoudamire and Solomon Jones, each of who put up strong performances in their first extended action in a long time.

If Joe is really going to be out for as long as it appears (3-4 weeks at best with a hematoma under his calf muscle), the team is going to have to find various ways to replace his production. Last night was truly a team effort, and I applaud the guys for believing in themselves even if the rest of us didn't.

Here is a photo gallery from the night. I'm on my way down to practice, so I hope to talk to Zaza about last night's career performance.