Every once in a while, a win is going to sneak up on the Pistons.
Or, more like they earned it.
Either way, the Pistons got off of their three-game losing skid with an impressive win over the Atlanta Hawks, 100-86, on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) is forced to pass the ball against Detroit Pistons center Mason Plumlee (24) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 26, 2021, in Detroit.
The Pistons had a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter and pulled away with a 14-7 run. Frank Jackson led the way with seven of his 18 points during the run, including a 3-pointer, an alley-oop from Killian Hayes and a drive through contact to the basket.
Jerami Grant also had 18 points, along with 15 points for Cory Joseph and 14 points by Hamidou Diallo for the Pistons (19-43), who don’t play again until Thursday.
The Hawks (34-28) were on the second night of a back-to-back and were without a number of their key players, including Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish.
With a 74-67 lead entering the final period, the Pistons rode their young players to add to the lead. Diallo, who went 6 of 11 from the field, opened with a 3-pointer and added a drive, plus a 3-pointer by Jackson, to help push the margin to 82-69 at the 9:47 mark.
Clint Capela (12 points and 15 rebounds) scored on two straight possessions to get the deficit back to single digits, but the Pistons took off from there. Hayes hit a floater in the lane, which started the decisive spurt. Jackson added a 3-pointer and Diallo made one of two free throws.
After a jumper by Bogdan Bogdanovic, Diallo hit another jumper and Jackson converted the lob pass from Hayes and the drive. The Hawks made another basket, but the Pistons got consecutive baskets from Sekou Doumbouya and Diallo to make it a 20-point game with 2:46 left.
