The Detroit Pistons beat the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Sunday for their sixth consecutive victory. Neither team scored under 30 points in any quarter. With defensive stops coming at a premium, the execution down the stretch in a tight game was crucial. Detroit came out on top in this area to secure the win.
The Pistons held their largest lead, 120-108, at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but the Hawks fought back on defense to cut the deficit to four. Georges Niang, Clint Capela, and Dyson Daniels combined for five steals/blocks in 3.5 minutes. Atlanta grabbed a 140-139 lead on Daniels’ driving layup, but Dennis Schröder finished a tough and-one, giving Detroit a two-point lead with 30 seconds to go.
On the next possession, Trae Young could not hit an open floater, forcing Atlanta to foul Malik Beasley, who knocked down two free throws to make it a two-possession game. Young took matters into his own hands to draw a foul on Isaiah Stewart under the basket; however, the Pistons challenged the call and won, closing the book on a wild offensive contest.
Both squads shot at least 50% from the field and made 20 triples. The biggest discrepancy on the stat sheet was in two-point shooting; Detroit shot 35-53 from inside the arc, and Atlanta finished 27-51.
Cade Cunningham dominated the first half with 29 points and 10 assists. He finished with 38 points, 12 dimes, and a career-high seven triples on 10 attempts. Atlanta responded by doubling the Pistons star in the second half, but Malik Beasley, Schröder, and Tim Hardaway Jr. took advantage. Beasley made six triples for 24 points, while Schröder had 16 points and seven dimes. Hardaway scored 18 points on 6-10 shooting from deep.
Young led his squad with 38 points and 13 assists. Niang collected his second-highest-scoring game of his career- 27 points on 7-14 shooting from downtown. Zaccharie Risacher continued his strong run for 19 points, six boards, two steals, and two blocks, while Daniels totaled 24 points (10-14 FG) with four steals.
The Hawks are back in action on Monday at home and Wednesday on the road against the Miami Heat. Miami sits just one game ahead of Atlanta for the eighth seed.
