Atlanta Hawks vs Detroit Pistons: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight’s Matchup
Throughout the course of an NBA season, there are going to be games where both teams struggle to close things out for most of the night. Whether it’s sloppy offense, great defense, or vice-versa, evenly matched teams can sometimes stretch games out that should have been decided long ago. In those situations, it’s crucial to just buckle down and pull out the win regardless of how pretty it is.
The Atlanta Hawks showed their toughness by buckling down and getting a win last night. They closed out the Philadelphia 76ers in double OT, which saw an excellent duel from Tyrese Maxey and Jalen Johnson. Maxey went for 44 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds while Johnson torched the 76ers with 41 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists on an efficient 10-21 shooting night. This was a fairly impressive win for the Hawks considering that the 76ers were essentially at full strength and the Hawks are still without their lead ball-handler. Although Atlanta collapsed down the stretch of the fourth quarter, they did enough to battle back and get stops where it mattered most in the 2OT period.
By the Numbers
Nov 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) shoots against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
| Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Any night that results in 142 points is going to result in some improved offensive numbers and by now, the Hawks have shown they are a capable offense even in the absence of Trae Young. They’re 11th in points, 7th in FG%, 10th in 3P%, 19th in FT%, 25th in rebounds (25th in OREB, 19th in DREB), 1st in assists and 18th in turnovers per game. They’re 15th in offensive rating on the year.
Of course, the Hawks wouldn’t be in double overtime if they didn’t have some significant defensive lapses, specifically towards the end of the fourth quarter. They got stops when it mattered most in the clutch, but it was overall a mixed night from Atlanta’s defense. On a per-game basis, the Hawks rank 17th in points allowed, 12th in FG% allowed, 7th in 3P% allowed, 23rd in rebounds allowed, 6th in steals and 6th in blocks. They’re 11th in defensive rating on the year, which puts them in an above-average tier.
Detroit continues to look like one of the best teams in the NBA, but their offense has stumbled a little bit over the last three games with two of their losses in that span coming after they scored under 120 points. Still, they’re 7th in points, 6th in FG%, 14th in 3P%, 28th in FT%, 3rd in rebounds (4th in OREB, 8th in DREB), 12th in assists and 22nd in turnovers per game. They’re 10th in offensive rating this season.
However, the Pistons are known for their aggressive brand of defense and they’re a much stronger unit than the 76ers on that end of the floor. They’re 8th in points allowed, 4th in FG% allowed, 22nd in 3P% allowed, 9th in rebounds allowed, 4th in steals and 2nd in blocks. They’re 5th in defensive rating, so many of the metrics point to Detroit’s defense being among the best in the NBA.
Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game
Nov 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) reacts after a basket against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
| Brett Davis-Imagn Images
While Jalen Johnson’s performance against the 76ers drew all the headlines, Nickeil Alexander-Walker deserves almost as much credit. He went for 34 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while going 6-11 from deep. What the box score doesn’t show is how NAW led the Hawks throughout the game and hit multiple big shots whenever the Hawks needed it from him. He has been comfortably the best free-agent signing in the NBA this year and he continues to reward Atlanta’s faith in him with his play thus far. Detroit is going to have their hands full slowing him down.
The Hawks haven’t played very clean basketball as of late, but the good news is that Detroit is having their own issues in the clutch as of late. Miami’s defense tightened up on Cade Cunningham in their most recent game and essentially left Ausar Thompson open as they focused all their attention on stopping Cunningham. That allowed the Heat to erase a 14-point lead and Miami almost pulled out a win, but Cunningham’s playmaking was too hard to shut down and he found Daniss Jenkins for the dagger. The Hawks would be best-served to focus on slowing down Cunningham and make the rest of Detroit’s lineup beat them because they have the pieces to play a similar brand of defense to how Miami approached the game.
Onyeka Okongwu stepped into the starting lineup in relief of Kristaps Porzingis once again and he had a great game. Even though he didn’t hit any of his three-pointers, he did a great job on Joel Embiid and still had a 10 point, 13 rebound double-double. He was a big part of beating up the 76ers on the boards and they’ll need every bit of that against a tough Pistons rebounding team.
Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game
Nov 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Philadelphia isn’t a very good rebounding team, but that isn’t the case with the Pistons. Detroit has consistently been one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA and they are especially good when getting second chances on offense. They’re 9th in second-chance points and they will also be getting Jalen Duren back after missing him sorely against the Heat. Atlanta’s rebounding effort needs to be even better against Detroit.
Speaking of Duren, he was a critical part of Detroit’s win over Atlanta during the last time these two teams faced off. He had 24 points and eight rebounds, routinely bullying Okongwu in the paint. It’ll be interesting to see how the possible addition of Kristaps Porzingis into the lineup changes things. Porzingis did not play in the last game against Detroit and he should be rested after missing the 76ers game. He’ll be a big part of drawing Duren away from the paint, which might open things up for the Hawks. However, it could also backfire due to Porzingis’s struggles to be a force on the boards.
One of the more underrated part of Detroit’s success as of late has been the emergence of Paul Reed. While he’s Detroit’s third big on the roster, he’s been a critical reserve for them as an energy big and good rebounder. He made a massive difference off the bench against the Heat, putting up 13 points and 10 rebounds while finishing as a +10 in their 3-point win. The Hawks usually have an advantage over most teams because they have three players who can function as good centers in Gueye, Porzingis and Okongwu. Detroit negates that advantage – they can match that with Duren, Isaiah Stewart and Reed.
Injury Report
Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have not released their injury report because they are on a back-to-back.
Detroit Pistons: Duncan Robinson is questionable while Bobi Klintman is out.
How to Watch
Here is how you can watch tonight’s game:
Tip-off time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network
Projected Starting Lineups
Hawks
G – Dyson Daniels
G – Nickeil Alexander-Walker
F – Zaccharie Risacher
F – Jalen Johnson
C – Kristaps Porzingis
Pistons
G – Cade Cunningham
G – Duncan Robinson
F – Ausar Thompson
F – Tobias Harris
C – Jalen Duren
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