Al Horford leads Atlanta Hawks to 104-96 win over Detroit Pistons
The Atlanta Hawks bounced back from back-to-back defeats with a 104-96 victory over the Detroit Pistons at the Philips Arena on Sunday night. The victory snapped the Pistons two-game winning streak.
Al Horford scored a team-high 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and six assists, and also got some much needed help from his team-mates in the frontcourt. Atlanta Forward Josh Smith had 17 points and nine boards, while guard Joe Johnson chipped in with 17
points and eight assists in the victory.
Kirk Hinrich added 15 points while Marvin Williams finished with 13 points for the Hawks, who have won just four of their last 10 games. Centre Zaza Pachulia was also impressive for the Hawks, as he came off the bench to score 13 points in the win.
The 24-year-old guard Rodney Stuckey racked up a game-high 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds for Detroit. Centre Chris Wilcox posted 18 points while center-forward Greg Monroe contributed 17 points and ten rebounds in the defeat.
Despite the defeat, Monroe said that his team played well and fought hard. He said, "Definitely a tough way to lose, especially with us withholding all their runs. Of course teams are going to make runs, especially at home, especially a good team like this."
Match Analysis
Hinrich paced the Hawks with seven points in the first quarter as Atlanta took a 21-17 lead into the second stanza.
The Hawks extended their defensive play to the second quarter while Detroit continued to play sloppy basketball throughout the second. Atlanta extended their lead to as many as 10 points at 55-45 halfway through the second, but the Pistons slowly chipped
away at the deficit. However, the Hawks managed to take a 55-50 lead into the locker room.
Detroit was able to keep the game close throughout the third quarter. Both teams scored 24 points each but Atlanta once again maintained a 79-74 lead going into the final stanza.
The Pistons fought hard in the fourth quarter, making it a three-point contest at 98-95 with less than two and a half minutes remaining. However, the Hawks went on a 4-0 run in the last minute to seal the home victory.
Hawks coach Larry Drew said the victory was a result of a combined team effort. He said, “I thought our guys willed themselves to tonight's win. I thought Al was magnificent. I thought Josh Smith was really good. I thought Zaza came in off the bench and
gave us some really good minutes."
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