Detroit Pistons continue their winning roll, defeat Atlanta Hawks 111-104

The Detroit Pistons recorded their fourth win in a row and 9th for the season as they downed the Atlanta Hawks 111-104 on the back of a clutch fourth quarter from Reggie Jackson.

Reggie Jackson has often been criticised for his “hero ball” antics but Jackson’s fourth-quarter confidence proved to be the difference maker in the final quarter for the Detroit Pistons against the Atlanta Hawks.

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With the game tied at 100 points apiece and 53 seconds left in the game, Jackson hit a huge three with the shot clock about to expire to wrestle back the lead.

30 seconds later he pulled up from even deeper range to find the bottom of the net again and finally put the game out of reach for the scrappy and competitive Hawks.

Jackson finished the night with 22 points, 6 assists, 2 steals and just a single turnover to lead the Detroit Pistons to victory.

It was a confidence-inspiring return to the fourth quarter performer fans had come to know and love two seasons ago.

However, Jackson wasn’t the only point guard putting up big numbers on the night for the Pistons.

Ish Smith was a spark off the bench, providing great penetration, pushing the pace and even knocking down a nice looking triple.

Smith managed 17 points and 5 assists in just 18 minutes of action.

The story of the first-half was all about Andre Drummond.

We knew coming into the game that Atlanta would struggle to contain him thanks to the mounting injury toll on their big men.

Sure enough, lone centre Dewayne Dedmon picked up two early fouls and had to sit, leaving Drummond to feast on the Hawks.

Drummond put the league on triple-double watch with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in just the first 24 minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, he slowed down a little in the second-half but still managed to hit two huge clutch free throws down the stretch and finish with 16 points, 20 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 blocks.

His streak of 12 or more rebounds in each game to start the season has now reached 12.

Tobias Harris (16 points, 8 rebounds) and Avery Bradley (20 points) were their usual brilliant best on the night and were big factors in stretching the lead out in the first-half.

However, Stan Van Gundy will be frustrated with the way his team let the Hawks back into the game after being so dominant early on.

Kent Bazemore was impressive in leading the fight-back and was almost automatic with the ball in his hands in the fourth quarter.

Bazemore dropped 22 points shooting 50 percent from the field and from three-point range.

His backcourt partner, Dennis Schroder, had a respectable night too and can hold his head up high in the loss.

Schroder notched a double-double with 17 points and 11 assists and just like Bazemore, he shot 50 percent from the field.

It was ultimately the Hawks’ turnover issues that put them down by so much early in the game and forced them to have to fight so much harder in the second-half.

They finished the game with just two more turnovers than the Pistons (17-15) but it was much more lopsided early on.

Turnovers in the first half lead to so many easy transition baskets for the Pistons, who ripped away 11 steals for the night.

With their win over the Hawks, they move to a 9-3 record and now hold the equal second-best record in the league with the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors.

They’re just one game back of the NBA-best Boston Celtics.

Next: Pistons find themselves in elite company

The Pistons end their homestand against the Miami Heat on Sunday as they look to keep an unblemished record over this five-game stretch.