ATLANTA - The Detroit Pistons scored 22 of the first 31 points in the third quarter to break open a close game, beating the Atlanta Hawks 106-95 on Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.
Chauncey Billups made two free throws with 1.4 seconds left in the third period, giving the balanced Pistons' attack seven players in double figures and an 87-61 lead with a full period left.
The Philips Arena scoreboard, perhaps unable to keep up, was blank for the start of the final quarter.
At one point in the third quarter the posted score was Hawks 75, Pistons 0. That fiction was as close as the Hawks came to holding a lead.
Tayshaun Prince led the Pistons with 23 points. Atlanta native and former University of Georgia star Jarvis Hayes had 17 points in 17 minutes. Richard Hamilton had 14 and Jason Maxiell added 13.
The Pistons have won six of seven. Their average margin of victory in the first three wins of their streak was 28 points.
The Pistons outscored the Hawks 30-13 in the third quarter.
Josh Childress, who paced Atlanta with 18 points, led a mini-comeback in the final quarter, when both teams relied heavily on reserves.
Salim Stoudamire had 15 points, all in the fourth quarter.
Atlanta's Joe Johnson, held scoreless in the second and third periods, had five points, almost 17 below his average of 21.7. He didn't play in the final quarter. Johnson's previous low total for the season was 14.
Josh Smith, who also sat out the fourth quarter, had 13 points for Atlanta. Rookie point guard Acie Law, in his second game back from an ankle injury, and Marvin Williams each had 11 points.
Detroit's 23-12 halftime advantage in rebounds included a 10-0 dominance in offensive boards. With Johnson held to five points in the half, none in the second period, the Hawks may have been fortunate to trail only 57-48.
Rookie center Al Horford grabbed the Hawks' first two offensive rebounds on the team's first possession. His second rebound led to his basket.
Prince blocked a shot by Williams and scored on the other end to give Detroit a 64-52 lead, forcing Hawks coach Mike Woodson to call a timeout less than 3 minutes into the half.
Woodson had to ask for another timeout with 4:19 left in the third period after a fast-break layup by Maxiell pushed the Pistons' lead to 73-57.
The Pistons scored eight straight points after the timeout, pushing the lead to 81-57.
Notes:@ The Hawks' streak of not giving up 100 points ended at seven games. ... The Pistons have won 30 of the last 40 games against the Hawks since the 1997-98 season, though they won for the first time in three tries in Atlanta. ... Hawks C Zaza Pachulia (concussion symptoms) and G Tyronn Lue (strained right calf) missed the game.
Tuesday
April 29th, 2025
12:07PM
