During the NBA season, there are going to be games where both teams struggle to close things out for most of the night. Whether it’s sloppy offense, great defense, or vice versa, evenly matched teams can sometimes drag out games that should have been decided long ago. In those situations, it’s important to just buckle down and get the win, no matter how beautiful it may be.
The Atlanta Hawks showed their toughness last night by accepting defeat and getting a win. They shut out the Philadelphia 76ers in double OT, which saw an excellent duel between Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Johnson. Maxey had 44 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds while Johnson stunned the 76ers with 41 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists on an efficient 10-21 shooting night. It was quite an impressive win for the Hawks, considering that the 76ers were essentially at full strength and the Hawks are still without their key ball-handler. Although Atlanta fell behind in the fourth quarter, they did enough to come back and hold on where it mattered most in the 2OT period.
by numbers
Any night that results in 142 points results in some great offensive numbers, and so far, the Hawks have shown that they are a capable offense even in the absence of Trae Young. They are 11th in points, 7th in FG%, 10th in 3P%, 19th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (25th in OREB, 19th in DREB), 1st in assists and 18th in turnovers per game. They rank 15th in offensive rating this year.
Of course, if the Hawks didn’t have some key defensive lapses, especially late in the fourth quarter, they might not have been in double overtime. He got stops when it mattered most in the clutch, but overall it was a mixed night for Atlanta’s defense. On a per game basis, the Hawks ranked 17th in points allowed, 12th in FG%, 7th in 3P%, 23rd in rebounds, 6th in steals, and 6th in blocks. They rank 11th in defensive rating this year, which puts them at an above average level.
Detroit remains one of the best teams in the NBA, but their offense has declined slightly over the last three games and have lost two of their games in that span by scoring under 120 points. Still, they are 7th in points, 6th in FG%, 14th in 3P%, 28th in FT%, 3rd in rebounds (4th in OREB, 8th in DREB), 12th in assists, and 22nd in turnovers per game. They rank 10th in offensive rating this season.
However, the Pistons are known for their aggressive defense and they are a much stronger unit than the 76ers on that end of the floor. He is 8th in points allowed, 4th in FG% allowed, 22nd in 3P% allowed, 9th in rebounds allowed, 4th in steals and 2nd in blocks. They are 5th in defensive rating, so many metrics point to Detroit’s defense being one of the best in the NBA.
Three reasons Atlanta should win this game
While Jalen Johnson’s performance against the 76ers grabbed all the headlines, Nickell Alexander-Walker deserves almost as much credit. He had 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while going 6-11 from deep. The box score doesn’t show how NAW led the Hawks throughout the game and hit many big shots whenever the Hawks needed it. He has been the best free-agent signing in the NBA this year and he continues to reward Atlanta’s faith with his play so far. Detroit is going to do everything they can to slow him down.
The Hawks haven’t played very clean basketball lately, but the good news is that Detroit has been battling its own issues lately. Miami’s defense played hard on Cade Cunningham in their most recent game and essentially left Aussie Thompson open as they focused all of their attention on stopping Cunningham. This helped the Heat blow away a 14-point lead and Miami almost won, but Cunningham’s play was too difficult to shut down and he found Dennis Jenkins for the dagger. The Hawks would be best off slowing down Cunningham and focusing on beating the rest of Detroit’s lineup as they have the pieces in place to play a similar defense to Miami’s.
Onyeka Okongwu once again stepped into the starting lineup in relief of Kristaps Porzingis and had a great game. Even though he didn’t hit any of his three-pointers, he did a great job on Joel Embiid and still had a 10 point, 13 rebound double-double. He was a big part in defeating the 76ers on the boards and they will need every bit of it against a tough Pistons rebounding team.
Three reasons Atlanta could lose this game
Philadelphia is not a very good rebounding team, but that is not the case for the Pistons. Detroit has consistently been one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA and they are especially good when they get second chances on offense. They are 9th in second-chance points and will also bring back Jalen Duren after he missed it badly against the Heat. Atlanta’s rebounding effort needs to be even better against Detroit.
Speaking of Duren, he was a key part of Detroit’s win over Atlanta the last time these two teams faced off. He had 24 points and eight rebounds, regularly threatening Okongwu in the paint. It will be interesting to see how the potential addition of Kristaps Porzingis to the lineup changes things. Porzingis did not play in the last game against Detroit and should be rested after missing the 76ers game. He’ll be a big part in drawing Duren away from the paint, which could open things up for the Hawks. However, this could backfire as Porzingis struggles to become a force on the boards.
The most underrated part of Detroit’s recent success has been the emergence of Paul Reed. While he is Detroit’s third big man on the roster, he has been an important reserve for them as an energy big and good rebounder. He made a big difference coming off the bench against the Heat, putting up 13 points and 10 rebounds, while finishing as +10 in their 3-point win. The Hawks usually have an advantage over most teams because they have three players who can serve as good centers in Gueye, Porzingis and Okongwu. Detroit negates that advantage – they can match it with Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Reed.
injury report
Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have not released their injury report as they are on a back-to-back.
Detroit Pistons: Duncan Robinson is questionable while Bobby Klintman is out.
how to see
Here’s how you can watch tonight’s game:
Tip-off time: 6:00 pm Eastern Time
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Projected starting lineup
hawks
G – Dyson Daniels
G – Nickell Alexander-Walker
F – Zachery Reschar
F – Jalen Johnson
C – Kristaps Porzingis
piston
G – Cade Cunningham
G – Duncan Robinson
F-Ouser Thompson
F – Tobias Harris
C – Jalen Duren
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