Atlanta Hawks Fall To Detroit Pistons 118-95
The Atlanta Hawks fell to the Detroit Pistons 118-95 Wednesday night. What went wrong?
I guess you can’t win them all. It’s best to say that when there’s nothing else to say. The Atlanta Hawks struggled last night, losing to the Detroit Pistons 118-95. It was a bloodbath right from the start.
The Pistons came out of the gates clicking on all cylinders. They outscored Atlanta 42-18 in the first quarter and never looked back. Atlanta had trouble stopping Detroit’s offense, and Atlanta’s offense looked like they were stuck in mud. That’s not a good combination.
I had predicted in Wednesday morning’s preview that the Hawks would win this game on the strength of their defense and rebounding. That prediction fell flat on its face. The Pistons won the rebounding battle 60 to 32, absolutely crushing the Hawks on the glass. It was actually quite shocking.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
Dwight Howard finished the game with just four points and three rebounds. This Mike Budenholzer quote from Chris Vivlamore’s recap in the Atlanta-Journal-Constitution says it all.
"“I can’t remember the last time (outrebounded) 60-32,” Budenholzer said. “It’s just indicative. They were just better than us.”"
Detroit’s offense also couldn’t be stopped. The Pistons shot 49.5 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Reggie Jackson led the way with 26 points on 10-for-20 shooting and 2-for-4 from three-point range.
Tobias Harris chipped in 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting and 4-for-6 from outside. All five Pistons starters scored at least 13 points. The early onslaught seemed to knock the Hawks back a bit. They never recovered from the early deficit.
Tim Hardaway Jr. spoke about that, also in Vivlamore’s recap.
"“We just didn’t come ready to play,” Hardaway said. “Give them credit. That’s what happens when they come out, make a couple of open shots and then started making tough ones. It really sucks the air out of you.”"
The Hawks shot just 38.5 percent from the floor, and a dismal 6-for-25 from three-point range (24 percent). The starting five combined to shoot just 2-for-11 on three-point attempts. Paul Millsap still had a solid game, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists on 7-for-17 shooting.
Dennis Schroder also had 13 points and six assists on 5-for-11 shooting. Their efforts were not enough. Once they fell behind the game was over. By the end of the game Mike Budenholzer had removed the starters to save their minutes. No Hawk played more than 27 minutes.
These things just happens sometimes in the NBA. Some games you get blown out. It’s happened before and it will happen again. The best thing to do is put this game in the rear-view mirror.
After a day of the rest, the Hawks head home to Phillips Arena on Friday night. They’ll take on the Chicago Bulls, who have had struggles of their own lately. Of course, the Pistons came into this game struggling and they unleashed a dominating performance. The only thing I know is that I know nothing.
Next: Malcolm Delaney Settling Into His Role
Grades will return following the game against the Bulls. They have taken a one game hiatus due to the debilitating nature of this loss. Carry on, Hawks fans.