Andre Drummond dominates, gets benched for fourth quarter of loss to Hawks

125. 82. 64. Final. 93

C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. A-. Drummond (13 points and 18 rebounds) controlled the interior on both ends. He dominated the offensive glass and altered several of Atlanta’s looks at the rim. For three quarters. Maybe Stan Van Gundy was concerned about Drummond’s free-throw shooting (3-for-12 today), but sitting Drummond for the entire fourth quarter seems like an overreaction.

GREG MONROE. B-. Monroe (16 points and 20 rebounds) boosted his numbers while playing the entire fourth quarter in Drummond’s absence, posting six points and nine rebounds in the final period. Early, Al Horford’s athleticism advantage showed, but Monroe increase his energy and produced a decent showing in the matchup. But Monroe was too sloppy (six turnovers) and too often slow to get back defensively as he complained about calls. To be fair, Monroe wasn’t the only Piston to cough up the ball. Detroit had 19 turnovers.. PF. Pistons

BRANDON JENNINGS. F. Jennings (1-of-10 shooting, five assists, three turnovers) did a decent enough job beating the Hawks’ traps, but once he got into the clear in the mid-range, he struggled with his next move.. PG. Pistons

F. Caldwell-Pope lost track of Kyle Korver multiple times, which was both frustrating (you had one job!) and understandable (Korver moves superbly off the ball, and Atlanta passes well enough to take advantage). The Pistons need better perimeter defense, though I’m hopeful that can come from within as Caldwell-Pope improves his recognition with experience. On other end today, Caldwell-Pope went cold, shooting 4-of-15, including 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.. SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE

D. Singler (five points on 2-of-7 shooting with four rebounds) didn’t capitalize on the momentum he built against the 76ers. Will Van Gundy change the starting lineup? I’m not sure where he’d turn.. SF. Pistons. KYLE SINGLER

Augustin (eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, three assists, three turnovers) fared better than Jennings when he escaped against Atlanta’s trapping defense. Once he beat the first line of defense, he just kept driving toward the rim and then made a play from the paint.. PG. Pistons. D.J. AUGUSTIN. B-

Meeks’ shooting (4-of-11 overall, 3-of-7 on 3s) was whatever, but with three assists and one turnover, he was the only Piston who had multiple assists without committing multiple turnovers, truly helping Detroit’s offense function better with him on the floor. I’d prefer he defend better, but at least he did something positive other than shoot.. SG. Pistons. JODIE MEEKS. C+

CARON BUTLER. F. Butler missed a couple jumpers and made a bad pass, and that was it. His 7:56, all in the first third of the game, were his second-fewest minutes of the season – ahead of only the Pistons’ last game.. SF. Pistons

Tolliver provided hisusual energy and floor spacing (2-of-5 shooting, all 3s). Through not fault of his won, that wasn’t enough today.. PF. Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. C+

D. Jerebko’s minutes had dipped to seven and eight in Detroit’s last game. They were up to 18 today. I’m not sure why. He finished with five points on 2-of-7 shooting and three rebounds.. PF. Pistons. JONAS JEREBKO

Why didn’t Drummond play in the fourth quarter? Why didn’t Jennings – whose late heroics have rescued multiple times lately – get a chance in the final period until 3:26 remained and the Pistons are already down 10? Why did the Pistons look so unprepared for Atlanta’s traps? There’s little shame in losing to the Hawks, who’ve now won 13 straight. I just don’t understand why this one went down the way it did.. Head Coach. Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY. D