The Detroit Pistons are about to travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on ESPN at 2:30 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The last time these two teams met, the Pistons were on a tear and had won seven straight games, but the Hawks ended the Pistons' post-Josh-Smith winning streak, handing them their first loss since his release in a 106-103 final. Since then, the Pistons are 4-1, with their only loss coming in a blowout by the New Orleans Pelicans.
The last game for the Pistons, however, went quite well. Just one night after beating the Pacers on an Andre Drummond last-second tip-in, the Pistons hosted Philadelphia and won by 18, with solid numbers from many Pistons players. Kyle Singler led the team with 20 Points, Drummond had 15 rebounds, and Augustin had 10 assists, while the Pistons gave up 15 points to Michael Carter-Williams.
One matchup that appears to be very interesting for the game Monday afternoon is Brandon Jennings versus Jeff Teague. In Jennings' last 10 games, he has averaged 22 points, 6.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, as well as shooting 45 percent from the floor. Jennings, however, has struggled mightily in both games versus Atlanta this season, averaging only 11.5 points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal. If Jennings can keep doing what he has been doing in games other than Atlanta this year, the Pistons will have a good chance of beating the Hawks in Atlanta. However, if Teague continues to dominate this matchup, (which he very well could with how he played Rose last game), there is reason to suggest Atlanta would be the victors.
As for Atlanta, they too have been hot since the New Year, winning every game except for their meeting against the Pistons by at least six points and are playing their first home game since the Wizards came to town back on January 11th. The Hawks have a very well-rounded team, but their key contributors are Al Horford, who averages 15.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, Jeff Teague, who averages 17.5 points and 7.5 assists per game, and Paul Millsap, who is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game.
In Atlanta's last game, they had an eight-point win over the Chicago Bulls. Kyle Korver led the team with 24 points, going 7 of 9 from beyond the arc. One issue the Bulls had was that they only used eight men. This hurt their depth and could have played a part in the Hawks victory. Another key to the Hawks victory was holding Derrick Rose to 8 of 22 and 23 points. If Atlanta can find a way to stop Detroit's top scorers from producing as they did to Rose, they definitely have a chance to win, especially on their home arena where they have been nearly unbeatable this season with a 16-3 record.
Both teams have managed to stay healthy recently, with only Shelvin Mack, a role player for Atlanta being the only injured player for this game. This will mean that both teams will have their best feet forward, ready for a very competitive matchup, and hopefully for the national viewing audience, another good game like their last meeting.
Speaking of their last meeting, the last time these teams met was January 9th in Detroit, where the Hawks pulled out a three-point victory. Horford led the Hawks with 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Teague had 11 assists. For the Pistons, Caldwell-Pope had 20 points, Monroe had 12 rebounds, and Jennings had eight assists.
Atlanta dominated the first two quarters, going into halftime with a large 64-55 lead, but the Pistons finished strong, coming back to lose only by three. The Pistons won the turnover battle, 14-8, as well as had better costless-throw percentages, 78-67%. Atlanta, however, won the field goal battle, 49-40%, three-point battle, 44-30, and rebound battle, 49-46.
The key to Atlanta winning their last matchup was stopping Andre Drummond, who only had four points and five rebounds in that game. If the Hawks can keep the pressure on Drummond down low with Horford and Millsap, the Hawks should have no problem winning this game. Atlanta should be a little more worried about Anthony Tolliver now, as he scored 15 points in their last meeting, arguably making up for Drummond's lost production.
While Atlanta is favored to win this game, as they should be, it will almost certainly be a very fun, exciting, energy filled afternoon game. The Pistons have all the weapons they need to make it a close game, and there is reason to doubt that they hold Andre Drummond to four points again in their third meeting of the season.