Rapid Reaction: Atlanta Hawks 117, Detroit Pistons 100

The Detroit Pistons fell to the Atlanta Hawks in their home opener, following an uninspiring second half effort. Atlanta forced Detroit to take bad shots, and controlled the paint tonight.

The Detroit Pistons were outmatched tonight. The Atlanta Hawks have one of the youngest and more promising rosters in the NBA, and tonight that was put on display. Trae Young torched the Pistons defense scoring 38 points and dishing out 9 assists on 52 percent shooting. John Collins was an unstoppable force in the low post, with 18 points and 10 rebounds of his own.

Detroit lacked effort guarding the paint tonight, as well as the pick and roll, and closing out on perimeter shots. Near the end of the game, the Pistons committed turnovers on three consecutive possessions, and this was a reoccurring theme tonight as unadvised passes were continuously made.

Relying on Derrick Rose to do what he does best and get inside to score can be an efficient form of offense for small increments of time throughout the game. However when the Pistons can’t generate any other form of offense, and look to Rose to get the job done, it won’t work out. That isn’t a slight against Rose, it’s about how Atlanta did a tremendous job of adjusting to defend any interior looks Detroit was getting tonight, and that’s a large majority of what Rose does on offense.

Players of the game

For Atlanta – Trae Young. This almost goes without say, as in the first quarter he rattled off a quick 16 points before checking out of the game, which included a pull up three from the Pistons half court logo. He scored 26 points in the first half, and despite being held to just 12 in the second, he was just as effective when he was playing away from the ball, and Detroit had no answers for him.

For Detroit – Derrick Rose. Truly one of the only bright spots from tonight’s game, Rose opened the game with 18 points on 9 of 10 shooting. He finished with 27 points on 68 percent shooting in 25 minutes played. Even when the offense appeared to be stagnant, for a majority of the game Rose was there to provide the necessary spark to keep Detroit in the game.

Key moment

As soon as the second half started, the Hawks were immediately putting multiple bodies in the paint on defense in order to stop Detroit from feeding Andre Drummond. The Pistons first half game plan was pretty simple – pass the ball around the perimeter and create an open look for Drummond in the low post, then dish it to him. It was working, and Detroit was staying within reach and even lead at one point.

However with 7:56 remaining in the game, Drummond only had one shot attempt in the entire second half. Atlanta did a remarkable job of forcing Detroit to take shots on bad looks, and prevented any inside action from taking place.

Nick’s notes

Tonight was a disappointing effort on both ends of the floor. While admittedly in the first half the offense was firing on all cylinders, the Pistons defense was abysmal and allowed Atlanta to win the game. The biggest concern I have is the amount of minutes that Christian Wood played tonight, which was zero.

More from PistonPowered

• Which Detroit Pistons could save Team USA in the Olympics?
• Detroit Pistons could have major roster churn after 2023-24 season
• The best Detroit Pistons to wear each uniform number
• Full Detroit Pistons NBA 2K24 ratings
• Detroit Pistons: Who will sign the remaining NBA free agents?

Thon Maker played 19 minutes tonight, and although he did have some solid defensive possessions, the idea that he may have had a more significant impact on the outcome of the game in contrast to Wood is beyond me.Wood sizes up with Collins in a way that – at least to me – seems like he could have at least seen a couple of Maker’s minutes tonight.

I was relieved to see Langston Galloway create a small impact on defense while guarding Young, although his final stat line may not do him much justice. Luke Kennard‘s shot was on point during the first half, but faded in the second. Reggie Jackson is very clearly dealing with some injuries, which is discouraging considering he’s coming out of a healthy off season after playing in all 82 games last season.

It’s a game like tonight where Detroit misses Blake Griffin‘s size and athleticism. The Pistons were the first team to play their first two games on a back to back since 2017, and it’s frustrating that they matched up against such a good Atlanta Hawks team.