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 Detroit guard Rodney Stuckey scored 29 points and center Andre
Drummond dominated inside with 19 points and 17 rebounds, lifting
the Pistons to a 102-95 win over the Hawks on Tuesday at Philips
Arena.
Atlanta (34-43) now leads the idle New York Knicks by 1 1/2 games
for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit (29-49) was mathematically eliminated from playoff
contention over the weekend.
Forward Greg Monroe finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for
Detroit, which won consecutive games for the first time since early
February.
The Hawks were coming off perhaps their most impressive performance
in months, a blowout win over the Pacers in Indiana on Sunday, and
they needed Tuesday's game. They didn't play like it, especially
early.
"I think there was a lack of focus to start the game," Hawks coach
Mike Budenholzer said. "Coming off a win, coming off a los, at the
end of the day it doesn't really matter. We have to have more focus
and be mentally tougher to start a game and throughout the game."
The makeup from a Jan. 29 game that was postponed due to a winter
storm, Tuesday's game was sluggish and sloppy, featuring
lackadaisical turnovers and defense from both sides.
Detroit got off to a hot start, controlled the backboards and led
for the vast majority of the game. Stuckey hit four consecutive free
throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the win and end the Pistons'
10-game losing streak in Atlanta.
"I thought right from the opening tip we had the right intent,"
Pistons interim coach John Loyer said. "We got a lot of offensive
rebounds. We were quicker to the ball. We got a lot of extra
possessions, and we started out with really good momentum. What
(tonight) looked like to me was a group not tyring to hold onto the
lead, but a group that was trying to win the game."
Atlanta took its first lead midway through the third quarter but
quickly coughed it up and trailed 81-78 heading into the fourth
quarter.
The Hawks shot 9-for-35 (25.7 percent) from the 3-point arc and
turned the ball over 16 times, 13 coming on Pistons steals.
"I felt like the ball was just going in and out for me tonight,"
said Hawks guard Kyle Korver, who finished 4-for-12 from 3-point
range for his 12 points. "It's tough to have one of those nights."
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Drummond, a rookie out of Connecticut, was a force on the inside. He
even stepped to the foul line to make two consecutive free throws
after Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer elected to intentionally foul
him.
Detroit point guard Peyton Siva drained a 3-pointer that put the
Pistons up by seven with 4:24 to play. Siva was one of only three
Detroit reserves to play, but that unit still outscored the Hawks'
bench, 24-23.
"Peyton played with some poise," Loyer said. "I told him he held the
ball a little too much up top waiting for things to happen, but he's
got a big heart and he has a lot of guts. He stepped up and made a
couple of shots at the buzzer. The kid's not scared of anything."
Atlanta had multiple chances to tie the game but couldn't convert.
The Hawks hit only one field goal in the final four minutes. Their
only other points came at the foul line, and they weren't enough.
Forward Paul Millsap led the Hawks with 24 points.
Atlanta hosts the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
The Pistons finish out the season with three of four on the road,
starting Wednesday at the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NOTES: Multiple media outlets reported Tuesday that Detroit
president of basketball operations Joe Dumars is planning to resign,
and the announcement reportedly could come this week. ... Detroit F
Josh Smith sat out Tuesday night with left knee tendinitis. Smith
played the first eight seasons of his career with Atlanta. ... Hawks
G Lou Williams missed Tuesday's game due to a hamstring injury. ...
The Pistons, the league's leading offensive rebounding team, pulled
down 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, 16 in the game.
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