Pistons hold on for 85-84 win over Hawks

[January 05, 2013]  AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Austin Daye had a season-best 20 points and the Detroit Pistons beat the Atlanta Hawks 85-84 on Friday night for their fourth consecutive victory.

The Hawks, who trailed by as many as 19, had a chance to win in the final seconds, but Andre Drummond blocked Lou Williams' jumper at the buzzer to preserve the win.

The Pistons have won six of seven overall, with the only loss coming in double overtime at Atlanta. The second unit has powered the surge, outscoring the starters in several games, and the reserves outscored Atlanta's backups 41-14, led by Daye.

Greg Monroe added 18 points and nine rebounds for Detroit. Jason Maxiell had 10 points and 10 boards.

Josh Smith had 20 points for Atlanta, while Al Horford had 18 points and 15 rebounds.

Daye dominated the first half, hitting his first seven shots on the way to 16 points and powering Detroit to a 51-36 lead. Smith had 14 at the break for the Hawks, but Atlanta only shot 36 percent in the half and missed 12 of its 14 3-point attempts.

Smith then picked up his fourth foul in the opening seconds of the third quarter, decreasing his effectiveness at both ends of the floor.

The Hawks got their offense going after halftime, hitting four 3-pointers in the first six minutes of the third, but still struggled to get any stops. Atlanta closed to 66-55, but Maxiell turned Detroit's 12th offensive rebound into a three-point play and a 14-point advantage.

Detroit struggled down the stretch and Atlanta within single digits with five minutes to play. Korver and Williams hit back-to-back 3-pointers to close a 16-0 surge that trimmed the Pistons' lead to 83-82 with 3:13 to play.

Rodney Stuckey's layup ended the run, and Maxiell had a chance to add to the lead, but missed a pair of free throws. The Hawks had multiple chances to hit a tying shot, but couldn't get any to fall until Horford's jumper with 5.6 seconds left. It was originally ruled his first 3-pointer of the season, but was changed to a two-pointer after a review.

That left the Pistons with an 85-84 lead, but Tayshaun Prince threw away the ensuing inbounds pass to set up the final play.

NOTES: The Pistons, desperate to build on one of the smallest attendances in the NBA, held a Star Wars promotion with Billy Dee Williams as the special guest. Other games have featured halftime concerts by Gladys Knight, MC Hammer and Sheila E. ... The Hawks didn't get a field goal from their backups until Zaza Pachulia's basket with 10 minutes to play. Detroit's reserves had 32 points by that point. ... Drummond picked up a fourth-quarter technical for pushing away Pachulia while they battled for a rebound.

[Associated Press]

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