The Atlanta Hawks return to action tonight on the road against an improved Detroit Pistons team. For 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 made improvements to their roster with the additions of veterans like Tim Hardaway Jr and Tobias Harris, and so far it has paid off. The Pistons are one of the best defensive teams in the NBA to start the season and the Hawks will have to play a good game tonight if they want to get a road win.

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

“Coming into tonight’s game, the Hawks rank 9th in the NBA in PPG, 14th in FG%, 15th in 3PA, 19th in 3P%, 5th in FTA, 22nd in Rebounds and 22nd in turnovers. Clean the glassAtlanta ranks 12th in points per 100 possessions, 12th in effective field goal percentage, 22nd in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebounding percentage and 8th in free throw percentage.

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

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

As a defense, Detroit ranks 8th in points per game allowed, 10th in field goal percentage allowed, 8th in 3PA allowed, and 14th in 3P percentage allowed. By Clean the glassThe Pistons rank 13th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 10th in effective field goal percentage allowed.

The numbers indicate that Detroit wins games primarily thanks to its combination of strong defense and good rebounding, while Atlanta wins thanks to 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 exploiting Capela on the perimeter should be minimal. Especially with Duren out, I expect Capela to have a good rebounding performance against the Pistons. Stewart is one of Detroit’s best defenders and Reed has his moments, but neither man asserts himself enough to take Capela out of the game.

From a star talent perspective, the juxtaposition between Trae Young and Cade Cunningham is very intriguing. I hope Daniels takes on the task of protecting Cunningham; He filled a similar role when guarding Jalen Brunson. Cunningham has been much better to start the 2024-25 season than he was last season, averaging 22.9 points, 7.7 assists and 6.8 rebounds on 47.1/34.6/77.4 splits. However, I think this is a matchup that Daniels should be able to handle. An interesting note is Cunningham’s size compared to the smaller guards that Daniels typically has a lot of success against. Daniels was good in his minutes against Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Brunson, who are around 6’2. It’s a slightly different challenge protecting the 6’6 Cunningham, who is stronger and bigger than the average point guard. For Detroit, protecting Trae Young will be a struggle. They just got beat by LaMelo Ball by 25 points, 8 assists and six rebounds. Young is a better shooter with similar playmaking ability.

It’s also interesting to see how Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher match up against Detroit’s fullbacks. Johnson should face little resistance from Tobias Harris, whose veteran presence and skills as a floor spacer shouldn’t make up for the athletic disadvantage he has against Johnson. To counter that, Detroit could try to put the athletic Ron Holland II on Johnson 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 potential advantage.

Risacher likely won’t repeat his performance as a shooter, but I would expect him to have success against Tim Hardaway Jr or Simone Fontecchio. Fontecchio and Holland are two of the most interesting pieces of the Pistons’ rotation. Holland provides pressure at the rim, while Fontecchio is one of the team’s best shooting talents. However, he is only hitting 31% of his attempts from deep, so he may not be able to impact the matchup against Atlanta.

The Hawks also have 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 well-known shooters capable of going on a three-point stretch that sinks 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 perimeter defense will have to improve to quell a flurry of Pistons shooting.”

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

The Hawks have struggled for consistency in the early part of the season, but they have a chance to get 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 will find a way to get their third win in the last four games.

Final score: Hawks 115, Pistons 111

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