The Hawks visited Detroit for the first of three times this regular season. Missing in action were Trae Young to knee rehabilitation, Kristaps Porzingis due to illness, and two-way player Jacob Toppin.
After failing to hit a three in the double overtime thriller last night in Philadelphia, Onyeka Okongwu made quick work of starting a new streak of games with a three:
The first quarter was a defensive struggle with both teams owning minutes-long cold stretches. The Hawks even picked up two 24-second shot clock violations. Still, they created enough offense to hang in there like Okongwu putting in a second three with seconds remaining in the period to give him 12 points total.
After one quarter, the Hawks led 27-25.
Atlanta struggled with Detroit’s physicality on the glass, but they were able to make up for it by turning the Pistons over and over.
‘Double O’ did his part on this play, however:
Points were tough to come by all half, including from the 41-point man Jalen Johnson himself. He didn’t hit a single field goal in three attempts in the first half and finished with just four points.
With their rebounding issues (32-15 edge Detroit) and Jalen’s less than par scoring, the Hawks had to feel happy with just a one-point deficit at half, 50-49.
Onyeka Okongwu, on the other hand, stepped up with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
You knew it was only a matter of time before Jalen Johnson got his. He exploded in the third quarter for 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including this strong take:
But the Pistons pulled away at the end of the period as the Hawks continued to struggle on the glass.
After three quarters, Detroit led 74-68.
With the Hawks staring down a deficit, Nickeil Alexander-Walker caught fire and pulled the Hawks even almost single handedly:
From there, both teams traded the lead back and forth like it was a sports card.
This game went all the way down the final moments. The Hawks hit a lull, and the Pistons were able to rattle off a 11-0 run to take a 95-89 lead with 2:37 remaining.
After Atlanta went on a 6-0 run of their own curtesy of Johnson and Alexander-Walker threes to tie the game up, the Pistons pulled away with some big Cade Cunningham buckets.
The end of the game did have a bit of drama. Down four points, the Hawks scrambled for another Alexander-Walker three with under two second left. A couple of missed free throws did give the Hawks a sideline heave for a tip with just 0.1 seconds, but they couldn’t convert.
The game ended 99-98 with the good guys on the wrong side of the final. There were 27 lead changes and 14 ties in this close affair.
Jalen Johnson put up 29 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists in a big second half showing. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 26 points.
The Hawks now return home to face the reeling Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.