Led by Cade Cunningham, Detroit swept the Atlanta Hawks 142-115 on Friday, solidifying their lead atop the Eastern Conference.
Despite the disappointment of being excluded from the knockout phase of the ongoing NBA Cup, the Pistons achieved their season high in both points scored and margin of victory, moving to 20-5.
The large victory came after a balanced first quarter and despite the super performance of Atlanta and winger Jalen Johnson, who wrote the history of the Hawks franchise with his third consecutive triple double.
Detroit spread the points among several players: point guard Cade Cunningham was one of eight Pistons in double figures, but none surpassed 20. More than half of the Pistons’ points came from the bench, led by Isaiah Stewart’s 17.
After a first quarter in which the lead changed 13 times, Detroit took a strong lead. The Hawks, without their star Trae Young injured since October, were never able to get back ahead.
Atlanta’s Johnson finished with 19 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds, continuing an impressive personal streak, even as his team has lost four of its last five games.
For Johnson it is the fifth triple double of the season – a Hawks record in a single season – and the seventh of his career, equaling the franchise record.
The success in Detroit was the third out of three seasonal matches between the Pistons and Hawks. Both teams had not been on the court for almost a week, due to their absence from the direct elimination phase of the NBA Cup, which will see the semi-finals in Las Vegas this weekend.
Bene Bulls e Cavs
In Friday’s other regular season games, the Chicago Bulls ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Charlotte Hornets 129-126.
Donovan Mitchell scored 24 of his remarkable 48 points in the final quarter, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a victory over the Washington Wizards 130-126.
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