The Hawks took care of business against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night at State Farm Arena with a 130-105 victory. Unlike their last couple of games, Atlanta fans could actually relax, as the Hawks put this game out of reach early in the fourth quarter.
Clint Capela returned to action, after missing the previous three with a right calf-strain. Capela immediately went to work scoring 8 points in the first quarter, including multiple alley-oop plays, set up perfectly by his running-mate, Trae Young. Capela made his presence on defense known with an emphatic block on Pistons’ rookie, Jalen Duren’s dunk attempt in the opening minutes. Unfortunately, Capela experienced cramping in his calf during the game. Hopefully for Hawks fans, he recovers normally and avoids any missed time.
Detroit opened up an eight-point lead in the first taking advantage of lackluster perimeter defending by Atlanta. Detroit leaned heavily on guard, Killian Hayes, and forward Bojan Bogdanovic, for scoring. The Hawks countered with a efficient offense to cut the Detroit lead to just two entering the second quarter.
Dejounte Murray created havoc on the defensive end for Atlanta, generating multiple steals for easy fast-break points. Midway through the second quarter, Atlanta was winning the turnover discrepancy with one turnover compared to seven from the Pistons. Atlanta took advantage of these fast-break opportunities, totaling 21 fast-break points for the game. Murray entered half-time with 16 points and 2 steals, and Young dished out 8 assists to go along with 11 points. For the Pistons, Bogdanovic led the way with 15 with his side trailing by three at half-time.
The Hawks wasted no time coming out of the half to increase their lead to nine, forcing a timeout from Detroit Head Coach, Dwayne Casey. After setting up his teammates with perfect passes in the first-half, Young hunted for his own shot with 15 points of his own in the second-half. The Hawks’ offense exploded for 35 points, while their defense clamped down on Detroit, allowing only 18 points in the third quarter. Atlanta entered the final frame up by 14 and would not look back.
Bogdan Bogdanovic struggled with his three-point shot for the first three quarters, but caught fire in the fourth knocking down three consecutive triple’s. Atlanta jumped out to a 24-point lead with under 10 minutes left, which allowed Head Coach, Nate McMillan, to clear the bench and give the starters a much-needed rest. Atlanta outscored Detroit 70-42 in the second half.
Young tallied 26 points, on 9-15 shooting, with 13 assists, while only committing one turnover. Murray also added 26 points, on 10-18 shooting and 4 steals. Capela finished with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 19 points. Onyeka Okongwu added another strong performance with 12 points and 9 boards.
Veteran-scorer, Bojan Bogdanovic, led the young-Pistons with 23 points. Hayes added 17, Jaden Ivey dropped 15 points,, and Duren finished with 13 points with 8 rebounds. These were the only double-digit scorers for Detroit, emphasizing the Hawks’ stifling defense in the second-half.
The Hawks gave their fans an early-Christmas present with a win. Atlanta now gets a much-needed couple days of rest, not playing until Tuesday when they head to Indiana to tango with the Pacers. Tip-off for that one is at 7:30 p.m. eastern from the Indiana’s’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
