Hawks 96, Pistons 89
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Point guard Jeff Teague had 18 points and nine assists to lead the Atlanta Hawks to their second victory over the Detroit Pistons in three nights, 96-89, on Friday at The Palace.
Center Al Horford supplied 17 points and 11 rebounds while forward Paul Millsap and guard Kyle Korver added 14 points apiece. Forward DeMarre Carroll added 12 points for the Hawks (8-5).
Second-year forward Kyle Singler had a career-high 22 points for Detroit (4-8) while center Andre Drummond notched his seventh consecutive double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Guard Rodney Stuckey added 17 points off the bench and point guard Brandon Jennings dished out 14 assists but shot 4-for-16 from the field while scoring eight points.
This was the second half of a home-and-home series. Atlanta won the first meeting at home 93-85 on Wednesday.
Teague and Millsap combined for Atlanta's first 18 points of the second half, including Teague's three-point play with 3:46 remaining to give the Hawks a 67-62 advantage. It was still a five-point spread, 73-68, entering the fourth quarter.
Singler's layup with 8:37 left brought Detroit within three, 80-77. The Pistons eventually took the lead 87-86 on Stuckey free throws with 3:30 left. Carroll then scored five of the next six points, including a 3-pointer, to give his team a 92-87 lead. Detroit couldn't mount another threat from that point.
Pistons forward Josh Smith, a former Hawk, was a late scratch from the starting lineup. Smith, who entered the game with 5:47 remaining in the opening quarter, played 20 minutes and went scoreless by missing seven field-goal attempts.
Horford racked up 12 points and nine rebounds by halftime to lift the Hawks to a 49-44 lead. Singler, who replaced Smith in Detroit's starting five, had 14 first-half points to keep his team within striking distance.
NOTES: Hawks SG Kyle Korver extended his streak of at least one made 3-pointer to 86 games, three shy of Dana Barros' NBA record. ... The Pistons were ranked last in defensive field-goal percentage (48.5), 3-point shooting (28.8 percent), and free throw shooting (69.6 percent). Coach Mo Cheeks is especially concerned with the defensive issues. "To be 30th, it is surprising," he said. "We've got to get better at closing out the paint and we've got to get better at defensive rebounding. Defensive rebounding is a big part of the defense. We get a lot of deflections and steals but it's not turning into the defense we really want." ... Guards Chauncey Billups (knee tendonitis) and Will Bynum (sore left hamstring) missed their fourth consecutive games for Detroit. ... Atlanta G Lou Williams did not make the trip. Williams, who tore his right ACL last season, is not playing back-to-backs as a precautionary measure. He will be available to play against Boston on Saturday. ... The Hawks were recording assists on 67 percent of their baskets, a league-best. ... Atlanta C Al Horford's 53.9 career field-goal percentage ranks fifth among active players and 25th in NBA history.
