Pistons can’t hang on, fall to Hawks 118-115

In a game that saw 23 lead changes, the Detroit Pistons (27-28) came up short in Sunday’s 118-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks (18-39).  Atlanta center Dewayne Dedmon finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.  But it was his lone 3-pointer that sealed the upset.

One step forward.  Two steps back.

The Detroit Pistons fell to under .500 again on Sunday afternoon, thanks to a 118-115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.  Andre Drummond led all scorers with 25 points, 15 rebounds and two assists.

But it was Atlanta center Dewayne Dedmon who stole the show.

Dedmon finished with 20 points, 13 rebounds and three steals.  His 3-pointer from the right wing with 56 seconds remaining gave the Hawks a 112-107 lead.  It was Dedmon’s only 3-point field goal attempt on the night, and served as the unofficial nail in the coffin.

The Pistons have now dropped their last two games in disappointing fashion.

Detroit got off to a sluggish start in the opening quarter.  They committed five turnovers in the period, and trailed the Hawks 28-23 after 12 minutes of play.  It was Reggie Bullock‘s seven first quarter points that kept the Pistons within single digits.

Atlanta have several chances to pull away in the second quarter.  The Pistons had trouble switching on defense, resulting in a number of open looks in the corner for Atlanta’s shooters.  An Ersan Ilyasova triple at the 3:52 mark put the home team in front 49-40.

But the Pistons would close the first half on a 10-2 run.  Bullock scored five points in the final 30 seconds, including a reverse layup off a backdoor cut.  Detroit would head to the locker room up 56-55 at the break.

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Blake Griffin struggled mightily throughout the game.  He scored 23 points on 7-of-21 shooting, and went just 3-of-10 from beyond the arc.  Griffin was able to body his way inside when isolated.  But he wasn’t able to finish at the rim consistently.

A pair of Malcolm Delaney free throws with 1:25 to play in the third gave the Hawks an 82-73 lead.  Detroit would rally once more, ending the quarter on a 7-0 run.

The Pistons made their first five field goals to start the final period.  But Atlanta responded on almost every ensuing possession.  Both teams exchanged leads until the final minute and a half.  Dedmon’s put back layup with 1:34 to go gave Atlanta a 108-107 advantage.

That’s as close as the Pistons would get.  They were forced to foul Hawks’ point guard Dennis Schroder twice, who easily sank four straight free throws.

Detroit will have to shake this one off quickly.  They return to action Monday night when they host the New Orleans Pelicans at Little Caesars Arena.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Detroit.