The Pistons have the Hawks’ number so far this season, but with a healthy squad and no Cade Cunningham available, Atlanta had a chance for some get back tonight.
Both teams were blazing red hot to begin the game, including these warmup shots for Onyeka Okongwu:
Atlanta got out in transition and poured it on there, too.
It was an avalanche against the second-rated defense in the NBA with the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker absolutely engulfed in flames
the entire first quarter to the tune of 14 points:
After one, the Hawks led 37-29.
Jonathan Kuminga was a sparkplug off the bench, chipping in with some good deflections on the defensive end:
And hitting some buckets on the other end:
Jalen Johnson flashed some brilliant passes in the first quarter, but he got involved scoring-wise in the next period:
Johnson was completely unstoppable in the second quarter, and with Cunningham out he was easily the best talent on the court in the first half. His 15 points helped the Hawks push their lead up to as much as 21 points.
The Hawks went into halftime with their heads high leading 73-55. But things can turn on a dime quickly in the NBA. The team needed to come out focused and ready to close out the game in a second half.
And like clockwork, the Hawks gave up an immediate 19-0 run to the Pistons (22-0 if you span halftime). The Hawks couldn’t buy a bucket — nor could they handle Jalen Duren down low.
The Hawks gave the lead up entirely, but they managed to recover and string together some good possessions later in the quarter. Alexander-Walker helped quiet the storm:
After three quarters, the Hawks suddenly found themselves in a close one, 98-95.
Detroit continued to feast on Atlanta’s mistakes, jumping in front of lazy halfcourt passes for a pair of ‘pick-2’ scores.
It was a scrappy affair for the first portion of the fourth quarter, and that helped the Hawks get into the bonus early. But they still couldn’t handle Duren down low, including him drawing a sixth and final foul on Okongwu.
But CJ McCollum put the team on his back, registering eight straight points for the Hawks all by himself. He even hit this circus one-legged shot with the shot clock all the way down:
The Hawks grabbed ahold of a 118-116 lead with less than two minutes remaining despite their numerous turnovers to this point. And after a long possession with multiple offensive rebounds, McCollum hit another tough two plus the harm:
But a Duncan Robinson triple and a Pistons stop gave Detroit a chance down two with around 13 seconds left in the contest.
And Tobias Harris answered the call with a turnaround jumper off a sideline inbounds pass. Tie game with 9.5 seconds left.
McCollum created for himself a decent look, but his stepback jumper didn’t fall. The teams headed to overtime.
Atlanta’s offense ran like a well-oiled machine for the first few minutes of overtime. But Detroit had an answer for every time the Hawks jumped out to a multiple possession lead.
Detroit found themselves down just one, 130-129, with a chance to win with 8.2 seconds on the clock. After a foul to give, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren both had shots to win the game but failed:
The Hawks mercifully closed this one out, 130-129.
Johnson dropped a monster double-double with 27 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds. McCollum also added 27 big points.
The Hawks are now guaranteed at least a .500 record at 41-32 and head to Boston to try to keep the good times rolling.
