Pistons remain hot while smashing the Hawks
Pistons tie a franchise record with 17 made three pointers from 29 attempts whilr beating the Atlanta Hawks by 36 points.
The Detroit Pistons started strong hitting on their first four attempts before the Hawks were able to fight back late in the first quarter to cut the lead to three.
That was as close as it would get the Hawks as Ish Smith lead the Pistons to a dominating overall performance. The Piston starters outplayed their Hawk counterparts so much so that they benched the entire starting line up to begin the second half.
The Pistons had eight players in double digits while the Hawks had just one starter hit double figures helped by the late scratch of leading scorer Paul Millsap due to injury.
Overall the Pistons were able to shoot nearly 54% from the field while holding the Hawks to just 36% shooting from the field. They dominated all aspects of the game and continue their fine form while jumping ahead of the Hawks in the standings.
A+. This was as good a performance you will see on the offensive end in particular from Caldwell-Pope. After scoring 15 points in the first quarter he finished with 23 points in 30 minutes going 5-8 from range. His dominance in the first half was the catalyst to the big lead the Pistons were able to build making the game all but over at the half time break. He was also able to restrict Kyle Korver to 7 Points from 8 shots although Korver did miss some shots he would normally make when in form.. SG. Detroit Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE
C. After a slow start, Morris was scoreless on just three attempts in the first half. He came out after the break and hitting timely jumpers finishing with 12 points. This came primarily against the second unit for what it’s worth.. SF. Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS
B+. Harris was his consistent self scoring 18 points on just 13 shots while also securing 7 rebounds. He was even able to pick up 2 blocks and was active on both ends.. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
A. Drummond dominated Dwight Howard finishing with 14 points and 14 rebounds in 28 minutes of action. He was active on both ends and was able to get into some good early positions on offense and took advantage. He limited Howard to just 2 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes.. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
SF. Detroit Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON. Inc. Only saw the final 3 minutes of action finishing scoreless with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
C. Baynes didn’t bring in a single rebound in 15 minutes and didn’t have a single field goal attempt. He was otherwise his usual active self particularly on defense with alot of his hard work not showing up on the stat sheet.. C. Detroit Pistons. AARON BAYNES
A+. Smith has really turned the corner the last four or five games but this performance was the pick of the bunch. He scored 11 points to go along with 5 rebounds and an impressive 13 assists. The most impressive part of the performance was the fact he turned the ball over just once when dishing out those assists. When watching the game it seems he is playing with alot more confidence when running the team. Most of his points came from open jumpers while hitting a single three pointer. If he can consistently hit those jumpers most teams are happy to give then the Pistons will be in a fine position in the remaining games until Reggie Jackson returns. In my opinion, this game was clearly his best as a Piston, and maybe his best of his career.. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH
A. The consistency Leuer brings off the bench has been a welcome addition to the squad. He finished with 16 points and 9 rebounds going 4-5 from behind the arc.. PF. Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER
Hilliard was solid in his 17 minutes of court time. He finished with 11 points and 2 assists while going 3-5 from range.. SG. Detroit Pistons. DARRUN HILLIARD. B
Inc. Only saw the final 3 minutes missing all 3 attempts. SG/SF. Detroit Pistons. MICHAEL GBINIJE
Udrih was again solid off the bench for the Pistons finishing with 11 points and 3 assists with the single turnover. The Pistons were able to remain in control of the game when Udrih entered the court and he did shoot 5-6 from the field in a mix of mid range jumpers and drives into the lane.. PG. Detroit Pistons. BENO UDRIH. B+
A. Van Gundy’s team was ready to play tonight. They lead by nearly 20 points for most of the night. When you’re hot, you’re hot, but give Van Gundy credit for taking the lead early and never letting go of it. It was mostly on the players tonight, but his substitutions were excellent.. . Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY