Pistons-Hawks Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 25 2012 1:46PM

Road victories have been difficult to come by for the Detroit Pistons, and the few they've earned have not come against top-tier competition.

They're coming off one such win but will visit a much better opponent and a city where they haven't won in nearly five years as they face the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

The Pistons (9-21) had dropped six straight before sweeping a home-and-home series with woeful Washington, winning for only the third time in 16 road contests with Saturday's 96-87 victory.

"We just got to continue to build our habits," coach Lawrence Frank said. "It's obviously good to taste wins especially when we've lost a bunch in a row."

Charlie Villanueva tied his season high with 19 points Wednesday and Rodney Stuckey added 18 for Detroit, which posted its only other road wins over sub-.500 teams Philadelphia and Cleveland.

"It was very important for us to get these two wins and hopefully we carry that momentum into the next game," Villanueva said. "We need to keep playing the way we've been playing as far as locking down on the defensive end and rebounding the ball. We've been doing that well these past couple games."

Tayshaun Prince twisted his right ankle when he landed on a defender's foot after a jumper Saturday and sat out practice Monday. He is a game-time decision for this contest, though he hopes the three-day break will provide enough time to heal.

"I didn't do anything (in practice), but I should be all right by the game," Prince told the team's official website.

Prince was given the night off the last time Detroit faced the Hawks, a 116-84 road loss April 18. The Pistons have averaged 88.3 points in losing eight straight at Atlanta since Feb. 12, 2008.

The Hawks (16-9) will be seeking a sixth victory in the last seven overall meetings and are coming off a 92-75 win over Chicago on Saturday.

Atlanta had all five starters score in double figures and hit 49.4 percent from the field, playing like a different club than the one that shot 39.2 percent in a 99-80 loss to Philadelphia on Friday.

"I wish I had the answer to that, to be perfectly honest," coach Larry Drew said. "I don't care what our strategy is, or what the game plan is. If we don't play with good energy we're not going to be successful.

"That's the thing that will have you pulling your hair out ... it was a complete opposite."

Al Horford had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks, who had dropped their previous two home games.

"What I've learned with this team is that until we're on the floor and we get going, we really won't know how we're feeling," said Horford, who averaged 8.3 points and shot 25.7 percent in the previous three games.

"It's just a matter of us coming out with that energy, and I think our backs were against the wall. We needed to come out strong."

Lou Williams added 16 points in his first start since the 2009-10 season, but he may head back to the bench if DeShawn Stevenson (back) can return.

Atlanta won three of four meetings with Detroit last season despite Horford missing all of them while recovering from a torn pectoral muscle.

Hawks edge Pistons in 2 OTs

By GEORGE HENRY
Posted Dec 27 2012 12:09AM

ATLANTA (AP) The Atlanta Hawks' penchant for going soft with a big lead nearly cost them another victory.

"We had things under control, but I think we got away from what was working for us," center Al Horford said. "They made plays. (Will) Bynum was great, and I think he was the one who that propelled them to tie the game. I'm just happy we won."

Josh Smith scored 31 points, Horford added 22 and the Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons 126-119 in double overtime on Wednesday night.

The Hawks blew a 22-point, fourth-quarter lead as Bynum and fellow reserve Charlie Villanueva scored a combined 26 of Detroit's 39 points in the final period of regulation.

Atlanta has won two straight and eight of 12. Detroit has lost seven of nine.

Bynum finished with 31 points, one less than his career high, and assisted on the last two baskets of regulation, when Andre Drummond's dunk cut the lead to two and Austin Daye's 3-pointer gave the Pistons a 101-100 lead with 4 seconds remaining.

Horford followed by making just one of two free throws for the Hawks to force the first overtime. His second attempt bounced off the rim and into Daye's hands.

"It was tough because I had the opportunity to put the game away," Horford said. "It was important for me to move on to the next phase of the game and play in overtime. That's what I did, and we responded well."

After Jeff Teague's two free throws tied it at 108-all for Atlanta at the 1:05 mark of the first overtime, neither team scored again until Lou Williams hit a pair of free throws to give the Hawks a 110-108 lead early in the second overtime.

Bynum gave Detroit its last lead at 112-110 at the 3:03 mark. Atlanta never trailed after Teague's 3 made it 113-112 with 2:46 remaining.

Reserves Rodney Stuckey and Drummond each finished with 16 points, and Tayshaun Prince and Villaneuva added 14 for the Pistons.

"Look, we had opportunities to win the game," Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said. "It just didn't fall for us."

Williams, starting for the second straight game, finished with 18. Teague had 17 and Anthony Morrow 16 for Atlanta, which outscored the Pistons 36-9 on fast-break points.

The Hawks were up by 22 early in the fourth quarter when DeShawn Stevenson's 3 from the left corner made it 84-62.

But as Bynum kept driving the lane and beating the Hawks to the rim, Smith went cold for the Hawks, missing his last seven shots in the fourth and both overtime periods. Smith was 13 for 18 through the first three quarters.

Both Bynum and Smith missed potential game winners at the end of the first overtime. Smith defended Bynum on a layup, but Villanueva played a role in successfully defending Smith's left-handed hook at the buzzer.

"Even though they were making some difficult plays, I think we were scrambling out on defense," Smith said. "We switched the pick-and-roll a little bit and we were trying to make it a little difficult for them to be able to shoot over a taller defender. That's what we were able to do - limit them to one shot and get the rebound."

For the Pistons, who were trying to earn a rare three-game winning streak, the loss dropped them to 3-14 on the road, 9-22 overall.

There was little consolation for Bynum.

"I got hot, and other guys picked it up, and piece by piece things started to work," Bynum said. "We got back in the game, but I missed a key layup at the end. That was unbelievable. The missed shots haunt me now, and they were still haunting me while we were out there. We put forth a great effort, but it just wasn't enough."

The Hawks improved to 10-5 at home, 17-9 overall.

"A couple of times I thought we were dead in the water," Atlanta coach Larry Drew said. "It was a really hard fought win."

Notes: According to the Hawks' postgame notes, Detroit's 85 points off the bench were an NBA single-game high this season. ... Hawks G Devin Harris missed his fourth straight game with a sore left foot. ... Atlanta G Kyle Korver was 2-for-11 from the field. ... Smith's point total was his best since March 31 at Philadelphia, when he had 34. His high of 38 was on Nov. 17, 2007, at Milwaukee. ... Bynum's career high is 32 points, scored against Charlotte on April 5, 2009. ... Detroit's last three-game winning streak was last March 31-April 5 in a homestand against Charlotte, Orlando and Washington.

Notebook: Hawks 126, Pistons 119 (OT)

Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:08 AM - Updated Thu Dec 27, 2012 12:44 AM

THE FACTS: Josh Smith scored most of his season-high 31 points early and Will Bynum scored most of his season-high 31 late, yet it was Jeff Teague 's nine points in the second overtime Wednesday that were key as the Hawks beat the Pistons 126-119 to avoid what would have been a disastrous loss.

The Hawks blew a 22-point fourth-quarter lead against the visiting Pistons -- who fell to 3-14 on the road -- and trailed in the first overtime before dropping Detroit for the ninth straight time in Philips Arena.

Smith scored all but one of his points in the first three quarters and Bynum came off the bench and started cooking as Smith cooled. The former Georgia Tech star scored 25 points after halftime.

Atlanta led 84-62 when DeShawn Stevenson hit a 3-pointer with 10:58 left in the fourth quarter, and 94-74 on Lou Williams' trey with 6:51 to go in the period.

But the Pistons outscored the Hawks 27-7 over the final 6:35 of regulation. Detroit shot 7-for-9 on 3-pointers in the fourth, when Bynum went 3-for-3 and Austin Daye 3-for-4.

Bynum was 3-for-13 from trey land before going 4-for-6 Wednesday.

Detroit took a 101-100 lead when he assisted on a 3-point shot by Daye with four seconds left in regulation.

The Hawks forced overtime when Al Horford made a free throw with 1.8 seconds left. He missed the second.

Detroit led 108-104 in the first overtime on a driving reverse layup by Bynum with 1:41 left, but the Hawks tied it on a short shot by Horford and two free throws by Teague after a Detroit shot clock violation.

Bynum missed two contested layups in the final minute of the first overtime, including one with 3.3 seconds left.

Horford had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Teague had 17 points and 11 assists after going scoreless in the first half, Smith added 10 rebounds, and reserve guard/forward Anthony Morrow scored 16 for Atlanta.

Drummond had 12 rebounds and Daye 11 as the Pistons outrebounded the Hawks 62-47.

QUOTABLE: "We were playing cautious. We had the big lead, and we didn't want to lose the game . . . we took our foot off the pedal, and started to relax."
-- Teague, after his fourth double-double.

THE STAT: 8-for-8. The Hawks made all eight of their free throws in the second overtime, when the Pistons did not go to the line. Atlanta also made its first nine free throws in the game, but in between the two streaks the Hawks were just 6-for-14. In the fourth quarter and first overtime, Smith was 1-for-4 and Horford was 2-for-6 from the line. Neither attempted a free throw in the second overtime, when Teague was 4-for-4.

TURNING POINT: The Pistons led 112-110 on Bynum's short jumper with 3:03 left in the second overtime, but the game turned once and for all moments later.

Shortly after Teague hit a 3-pointer at the other end for a 113-112 Atlanta lead as Bynum slid under a screen, Teague stole the ball from Bynum as he tried to dribble between his legs. Bynum committed a clear-path foul, and Teague made both free throws.

From there, Rodney Stuckey was guilty of an offensive foul, leading to a layup by Teague, and after a Bynum shot pulled the Pistons within 117-114, Teague fired to Kyle Korver for a 3-pointer. That shot -- after Korver had gone 1-for-10 previously -- gave Atlanta a 120-114 lead with 1:40 left in the second overtime.

QUOTABLE II: "I got hot, and other guys picked it up and piece by piece things started to work. The missed shots haunt me now, and they were still haunting me while I was out there."
-- Bynum.

HOT: Bynum scored 15 points in the fourth quarter on 6-for-7 shooting, and Detroit shot 16-for-22 (72.7 percent) in the period while outscoring Atlanta 39-20. ... Smith went a little bananas in the first quarter, when he scored 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting and made two free throws. He added four rebounds and two steals in the period as well, while Atlanta rolled to a 28-13 lead. ...The Pistons' bench scored 26 points in the second quarter, when Detroit outscored Atlanta 32-22. The Pistons scored 20 points in the paint in the second, yet scored just two fastbreak points. ... Atlanta had a 16-2 edge in fastbreak points on the way to a 28-13 first-quarter lead.

NOT: Smith missed all seven of his shots in the fourth quarter and overtime periods -- including two 3-pointers -- and was 1-for-4 from the free throw line in that time. . . . In between their two hot streaks from the free throw line, Atlanta was 6-for-14 as Smith went 1-for-4 and Horford 2-for-6 in the fourth quarter and the two overtimes. . . . Detroit starters Jason Maxiell and Kyle Singler each missed all three of their shots.

GOOD MOVE: Pistons coach Lawrence Frank opted to stick almost exclusively with his subs in the fourth quarter and the two overtime periods, and with good reason. The Detroit bench was on the way to scoring an NBA-season-high 85 points.

Four Detroit subs scored in double figures (Bynum 31, Andre Drummond 16, Stuckey 16, and Charlie Villanueva 14) on a night when Detroit's starters combined to score 34 points.

Forward Tayshaun Prince, who was a game-time decision with a sprained ankle, was the only Detroit starter to play in the fourth quarter or either overtime period. He played just two seconds of the fourth quarter, 2:19 in the first overtime, and not at all in the second overtime.

ROOKIE REPORT: Drummond was impressive in his sense of place in the paint. He not only had game highs of seven offensive rebounds and 12 overall rebounds, but shot 7-for-9 with two steals and a blocked shot. The 6-11, 285-pound forward/center had three turnovers in 36:02. ...Singler s being asked to play out of position at shooting guard for Detroit, and it showed Wednesday when he missed all three of his shots, was beaten off the dribble several times while on defense, and did not play after exiting with in the middle of the third quarter. . . .

NOTABLE: Hawks guard Devin Harris missed his fourth straight game because of a sore left foot. ... Atlanta had a season-high 35 assists. ... Lou Williams, in his second straight start after coming off the bench in the Hawks' first 24 games, added a season-high eight rebounds to his 18 points.

UP NEXT: For the Pistons, Friday vs. Miami, Sunday vs. Milwaukee, Tuesday vs. Sacramento. For the Hawks, Friday @ Cleveland, Saturday vs. Indiana, Monday @ Houston.

• Pistons: Kravtsov, Middleton
• Hawks: Harris

• Pistons: Drummond
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #30 John Goble, #34 Kevin Cutler
• Attendance: 15182
• Duration: 2:48