The Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight on the road against an improved Detroit Pistons team. Over the past few seasons, Detroit has arguably been the worst team in the NBA, but that appears to have changed.

The Pistons hired former Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff this offseason and upgraded their roster with veteran additions such as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris and it has paid off so far. The Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA early in the season and the Hawks will need to play a good game tonight if they want to get a win on the road.

Our own Rohan Raman gave a detailed preview of tonight’s match:

“Heading into tonight’s game, the Hawks are 9th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 22nd in rebounding and 22nd best in turnovers. By Clean the glassAtlanta is 12th in points per 100 possessions, 12th in field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebound percentage and 8th in free throw rate.

On defense, Atlanta is 28th in PPG allowed, 16th in field goal percentage allowed, 30th in 3PA allowed and 30th in 3P% allowed. By Clean the glassthe Hawks are 25th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 27th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The Pistons are 27th in the NBA in PPG, 15th in FG%, 20th in 3PA, 22nd in 3P%, 28th in FTA, 7th in rebounding and 27th in turnovers. By Clean the glassDetroit is 23rd in points per 100 possessions, 15th in field goal percentage, 29th in turnover percentage, 10th in offensive rebound percentage and 25th in free throw rate.

On defense, Detroit is 8th in PPG allowed, 10th in field goal percentage allowed, 8th in 3PA allowed, and 14th in 3P% allowed. By Clean the glassthe Pistons are 13th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 10th in field goal percentage allowed.

The numbers indicate that Detroit primarily wins games because of its combination of strong defense and good rebounding, while Atlanta wins because of its offensive prowess. As a result, this is a matchup in which Clint Capela will likely be extremely important. Neither Isaiah Stewart nor Paul Reed are true floor spacers at the center position, so any concerns about Capela being exploited on the perimeter should be minimal. Especially with Duren out, I expect Capela to have a solid rebounding performance against the Pistons. Stewart is one of Detroit’s best defenders and Reed has his moments, but neither is imposing enough on that end to take Capela out of the game.

From a star perspective, the juxtaposition between Trae Young and Cade Cunningham is very intriguing. I expect Daniels to take on the job of guarding Cunningham – he held a similar role when guarding Jalen Brunson. Cunningham has been much better to start 2024-25 than last season as he averages 22.9 points, 7.7 assists and 6.8 rebounds on splits of 47.1/34.6/77, 4. However, I think this is a matchup Daniels should be able to handle. An interesting note is Cunningham’s size compared to the smaller guards Daniels typically has great success against. Daniels was good in his minutes against Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Brunson, who both stand around 6’2. It’s a slightly different challenge guarding the 6’6 Cunningham, who is stronger and taller than the average point guard. For Detroit, keeping Trae Young is going to be a struggle. They have just been defeated by LaMelo Ball for 25 points, 8 assists and six rebounds. Young is a better shooter with similar playmaking ability.

I’m also interesting to see how Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher match up against Detroit’s wings. Johnson should face little resistance from Tobias Harris, whose veteran presence and abilities as a floor spacer shouldn’t make up for the athletic disadvantage he faces against Johnson. To counter this, Detroit could try to put the athletic Ron Holland II on Johnson in order to keep up with him. Holland is also one of the best finishers in the NBA and has an explosive first step, so Johnson will need to be effective in both staying with him and communicating with Capela to limit that possible advantage.

Risacher probably won’t repeat his performance as a shooter, but I would expect him to be successful against Tim Hardaway Jr or Simone Fontecchio. Fontecchio and Holland are two of the Pistons’ most interesting rotation pieces. Holland provides pressure at the rim while Fontecchio is one of the team’s best shooting talents. However, he is only making 31% of his attempts from deep, so it’s possible he won’t be able to make an impact in the game against Atlanta.

The Hawks also need to be very careful not to let Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr, or Malik Beasley take over this game as shooters. Hardaway and Beasley are known shooters capable of continuing a three-point streak that is sinking Atlanta while Ivey has been red-hot from three-point range to open the year. He is currently shooting 41.3% from deep on 5.1 attempts per game. It’s a small sample size, but Atlanta’s suspect defensive perimeter will need to be better in order to stifle a flurry of Pistons shooting. »

According to Fanduel sports bettingAtlanta is down by 1 point tonight and the total is set at 226.5.

The Hawks have struggled with consistency early in the season, but they have a chance to pull out a win tonight in Detroit. If the Hawks can avoid letting Ivey and Hardaway Jr get hot from three, as well as limit Cunningham’s impact on the game, I think they’ll find a way to get their third win in the last four matches.

Final score: Hawks 115, Pistons 111

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