Paul
Milsap and Mike Scott each scored 20 points and Atlanta won its 13th
consecutive game, 93-82 over the Detroit Pistons Monday afternoon at
Philips Arena.
The
streak is the second-longest in club history, passing the 12-game
winning streak put together by the 1968-1969 team and just one short of
tying the team-record 14-game run in 1993-1994.
Atlanta’s
latest victory, which was the start of a seven-game homestead, didn’t
come easy. Detroit (16-26) had trimmed the deficit to 74-72 on a
3-pointer by former University of Georgia guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
with 9:09 to play in the game. Scott, who came off the bench to equal
his season-high in points, hit consecutive buckets and it was a 78-72
lead.
Greg
Monroe (team high 16 points and 20 rebounds) had a put back and the
Pistons were within 78-74, but got no closer. Jeff Teague hit a short
runner in the lane and Kent Bazemore’s 3-pointer pushed the lead out to
83-74 and Detroit took a time out. D.J. Augustin ’s lay-in made it 85-78
with just over four minutes left before Teague capped a quick, 6-0 run
with a three-point play.
Anthony
Tolliver drained a three at the 2:34 mark of the third and that brought
the Pistons as close as they’d be at 60-59. Atlanta (34-8) finished the
quarter strong, and threes by Scott and Kyle Korver allowed the hosts
to build a 68-61 cushion heading into the final period.
It
was still a seven-point advantage at 74-67 when Al Horford assisted on a
Scott lay-up at the 10:18 mark of the fourth. Jodie Meeks had the last
of his 11 bench points on a transition lay-up, which preceded
Caldwell-Pope’s three. Horford, fresh off winning Eastern Conference
player of the week honors, finished with 14 points and seven assists.
Detroit,
which came into the game having won 11 of 13, was held to 35 percent
(29-of-82) shooting and didn’t help itself at the free-throw line (15 of
26).
“The
defense put us in position to pull out a tough win against a team
that’s very well coached and playing at a high level,” Hawks coach Mike
Budenholzer said.
With
eight and a half minutes left in the second quarter Horford hit a
baseline jumper as the shot clock was winding down and the Hawks built a
24-16 lead.
Detroit
started knocking down perimeter shots as Jonas Jerebko, Caldwell-Pope
and Meeks each hit a three and the Pistons later used a pair of driving
lay-ups from Augustin to cap a 13-4 run and go up 29-28 midway through
the second.
The
Pistons went scoreless through the first four and a half minutes of the
game, finally getting on the scoreboard when Andre Drummond dunked at
the 7:26 mark. Milsap had seven early points, including a corner
3-pointer that put Atlanta up 11-2 and forced a Detroit time out at the
six-minute mark.
Both
teams struggled shooting the ball in the opening quarter. Drummond went
4-of-7 from the field for eight first-quarter points, but his teammates
were just 2-of-18 during the first 12 minutes.
“It was a little bit of an ugly game,” Budenholzer said.
Atlanta
hit only 32 percent of its first-quarter shots, though Dennis Schroder
(lay-up) and Scott (3-pointer) came off the bench with baskets late in
the first and it was a 16-10 lead. The Pistons led once more, at the
1:39 mark of the second when two Brandon Jennings free throws made it a
37-36 game. Atlanta built a lead as large as 68-60 in the third when
Korver drained a three with 37 seconds to play.
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