The Atlanta Hawks got a thrilling win over the 76ers last night in double overtime and moved their record to 13-8 on the season. Now, the Hawks stay on the road and will head to Detroit tonight for a game against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference.
This is a tough scheduling spot for the Hawks. They have played the most road games in the NBA so far and while they are 9-4 in those games, they are playing the top team in the East on the second night of a back-to-back after going to double overtime last night. Will they have enough in the tank tonight in Detroit?
The game is getting ready to begin and both teams just announced their starting lineups:
Hawks
G- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
G- Dyson Daniels
F- Zaccharie Risacher
F- Jalen Johnson
C- Onyeka Okongwu
Pistons
G- Cade Cunningham
G- Danis Jenkins
F- Ausar Thompson
F- Tobias Harris
C- Jalen Duren
Looking deeper at the Hawks
In our game preview this morning, our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at the Hawks through the first 21 games of the season:
“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.”
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