Atlanta Hawks begin back-to-back in Detroit

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks

Mar 21, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) dribbles defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Dale Zanine/Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Table of Contents

The Atlanta Hawks face an intriguing back-to-back this weekend. First, the Hawks visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday with a chance to get back to the .500 mark with a win. Then, Atlanta returns home to face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday evening.

Not Your Older Brother’s Pistons

The Pistons have been ghastly for a long time. Detroit has not posted a winning percentage better than .303 since the 2018-29 season, finishing with 23 wins or fewer in five consecutive campaigns. The Pistons actually bottomed out over the last two years, winning only 31 games combined, and Detroit infamously lost 28 straight games during the 2023-24 season.

With that said, the Pistons made notable changes in the offseason. Detroit is still building with Cade Cunningham as the team’s centerpiece, but the Pistons jettisoned Monty Williams and replaced him with a high-floor head coach in JB Bickerstaff. Detroit also invested in reasonably solid veterans like Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Simone Fontecchio. In addition, former lottery pick Jaden Ivey is showing signs of life in his third season, and Cunningham just produced triple-doubles in two straight games.

An Interesting Challenge

Detroit is just 3-6 this season, but the Pistons are in the middle of the pack of the NBA when it comes to point differential. They also lost their first four games but, since then, Detroit is 3-2 with tangible strengths.

The Pistons are one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA in the early going. Detroit is grabbing 31.3 percent of available offensive rebounds, a top-10 mark, and the Pistons are even better on the defensive end. Detroit is securing 76 percent of available defensive rebounds, and Atlanta will need to hold up on the glass in this game.

On the other end of the possession battle, Detroit seemingly has a turnover problem. The Pistons are committing a turnover on 17.2 percent of offensive possessions, a ghastly figure, and Detroit is creating a turnover on only 12.3 percent of defensive possessions. Ball security will be at the forefront for the Hawks in this upcoming matchup.

Injury Updates

The quartet of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Bufkin, Vit Krejci, and Seth Lundy remains out for the Hawks. From there, De’Andre Hunter will miss his eighth consecutive game with “right knee injury management.” This has been a constant source of uncertainty for the sixth-year forward, but with the Hawks facing a back-to-back on Saturday, it is not a surprise that he would be out for another game. For Detroit, Jalen Duren (ankle) is listed as doubtful, and Ausar Thompson (return to competition reconditioning) is out.

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