The Atlanta Hawks have been the hottest team in the NBA since the All-Star Break, but they have a tough ten game stretch to end the season. That stretch begins tonight with a road game against the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons.
Detroit comes into this game having won four in a row and seven of their last ten games. They are going to be without two of their best players however. Superstar point guard Cade Cunningham is out tonight as is big man Isaiah Stewart. Make no mistake though, the Pistons are still stocked with talent and there is a reason they are the No. 1 team in the conference.
The Hawks also had a questionable tag on a star tonight. Jalen Johnson, who has missed the last two games for the Hawks after playing in last Friday's loss against the Rockets. Just shortly before tipoff, the Hawks have announced his final status for tonight's game. He is available to play tonight and should be back in the starting lineup.
An @emoryhealthcare injury report for tonight’s game at Detroit:
Jalen Johnson (left shoulder inflammation): Available pic.twitter.com/iPztvqD67y
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 25, 2026
First matchup in months
This is the first time that the Hawks and Pistons have played since December. In that last matchup, the Hawks still had four of their main starting lineup, Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Onyeka Okongwu, but they did not have CJ McCollum, who has made a big difference for Atlanta since being acquired in January.
Things have changed since then.
The Hawks five man lineup of Daniels, Alexander-Walker, McCollum, Johnson, and Okongwu has been one of the most effective in the NBA and while Jock Landale is not a perfect backup big, the Hawks did not have any depth in the frontcourt when they have faced the Pistons previously this season. Both he and Jonathan Kuminga could make a bigger impact than you might think in tonight's game.
Since the NBA All-Star break, the Hawks own a 14-2 record (.875 winning %), the best record amongst all Eastern Conference teams and the third-best record in the NBA, trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-1) and San Antonio Spurs (16-2). In those 16 games, Atlanta is averaging 121.6 points, 47.4 rebounds, 29.9 assists, and 10.1 steals, winning by an average of 13.0 points. The Hawks own the third-best net rating amongst all teams since the All-Star break (12.3), in addition to the second-best defensive rating (106.2), the sixth-best offensive rating (118.6), and fourth-best rebound % (.536%).