Pistons win streak ends at five in loss to Hawks
Final. 97. 64. 112. 125
On the Pistons’ seventh game of their nine game home stand, Detroit’s win streak will end at five. On the trail end of back-to-back nights for the home team, the Pistons ran out of gas and couldn’t score against the Hawks, who are second in the NBA in opponent field-goal percentage. That Atlanta defensive effort was evident all night as Detroit shot 39 percent as a team.
REGGIE JACKSON. D. Reggie led the Pistons in scoring through the first half, including a deep-range 3-pointer and an and-1 on back-to-back possessions. He stayed relatively quiet throughout the game as his play was needed though he was nearing foul trouble. He had just 11 points and had the lowest Detroit plus/minus with -18.. PG. Pistons
D+. KCP’s hustle play to lay out his body for a steal to lead to a Tobias Harris dunk gave the Pistons their first spark of the game. But his tenacious defense got him in trouble early as he picked up two fouls in the first quarter. He picked up his third foul before halftime, but had a clean sheet for the third quarter as his contributions helped the Pistons remain close. However, he had the most missed shots out of any Piston with 10.. SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE
D-. Johnson couldn’t get anything going in the first half, committing two turnovers. He failed to find a rhythm from behind the arc, ending 1-for-5 from there.. SF. Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON
SF. Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS. C-. Morris started off the game solid on defense, but also started off cold shooting from the floor, attempting heat-check shots when he needed to take other shot options. He ended up connecting on two 3s, but shot 25 percent from the floor.
C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. A-. Andre didn’t make his first field goal until halfway through the second quarter, but dominated on the glass, grabbing nine boards in that span. He had a stellar performance in the unsatisfactory overall team result, earning another double-double with 19 points and 17 rebounds. His scuffle with Schroder in which Drummond was called for a cheeky technical foul got the crowd back into the game, but the Hawks ultimately dominated the night.
B+. Baynes continues to be a solid backup center in the waning games of the season. He contributed 15 points and seven rebounds, giving the Pistons a dependable scoring option down low in Drummond’s absence.. C. Pistons. ARON BAYNES
D-. Tolliver was out muscled by Kris Humphries when the two matched up. His circus behind the back pass to Andre Drummond helped the Pistons cut the deficit to under 10 before the Hawks went on another time prior to halftime. He struggled mightily from distance and was blocked on two 3-point attempts.. PF. Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER
Pistons. STEVE BLAKE. C. After a dust up between Drummond and Hawks guard Dennis Schroder, Blake’s rebound on the next possession gave the Pistons momentum to cut the deficit back to single digits. Outside of the hustle play, he managed just three points but dished out six assists.. PG
B+. Harris got off to a slow start but was Detroit’s best player on the night, tallying 13 points in the third quarter alone. He stuffed the stat sheet with 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Harris, however, did struggle on the defensive end, allowing Paul Millsap to score 23 points.. PF. Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY. C+. Van Gundy had his squad keep the game relatively close all night, but fatigue most likely was a factor in the Pistons’ shooting woes. Van Gundy just didn’t have an answer for Paul Millsap, however, and the only way Millsap was stopped was when his head butt with Baynes left a gash over his eye that required medical attention.. Head Coach