Pistons end perfect road swing with win over Hawks
ATLANTA -- The Detroit Pistons, who started the season 1-8 on the road, completed a 3-0 trip by handing the slumping Atlanta Hawks a five consecutive loss.
Former University of Georgia standout Kentavious Caldwell-Pope had a big homecoming with 23 points and the Pistons got over .500 for the first time since early November with a 121-85 rout of the Hawks.
The Pistons (11-10) made 17 of 29 3-point shots, with Caldwell-Pope going 5-for-8 and Jon Leuer 4-for-5.
Tobias Harris had 18 points and Leuer scored 16 as the Pistons put eight players in double-figures while tying a team record for 3-pointers made in a game.
Andre Drummond contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds in the romp, while Ish Smith had a season-best 13 assists to go with 11 points.
Dennis Schroder had 17 points and 11 assists as the Hawks (10-10) lost for the eighth time in their past nine games after a six-game winning streak made them 9-2.
The Hawks, who were without leading-scorer Paul Millsap because of a bad hip, got just 21 points from their starters other than Schroder. Dwight Howard had two points in 25 minutes, getting only four shots.
The Pistons outscored the Hawks 31-15 in the second quarter and led by as many as 24 points before going into halftime up 58-39.
Caldwell-Pope had 15 of his 20 first-half points in the opening quarter and Drummond scored 11 of his 13 in the second quarter.
Caldwell-Pope was 4-for-5 from behind the 3-point arc in the first half, while Drummond missed just two of his eight shots and also had nine rebounds by intermission.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer tried to light a fire under his team by starting his reserves in the second half, but the Pistons expanded their lead to 88-57 going into the final quarter.
The victory was just the Pistons' third in their past 15 games at Atlanta.
NOTES: F Paul Millsap, the Hawks' leading scorer at 16.1 points, missed his second straight game because of a sore left hip and wouldn't travel to Toronto for Saturday's contest. The three-time All-Star was hurt in a fall on Nov. 25 at Utah, but played the next two games. "I would definitely say not worse, but not good enough to play," coach Mike Budenholzer said when asked about Millsap. ... F/G Thabo Sefolosha started in place of Millsap. ... Pistons reserve F Reggie Bullock is scheduled to undergo surgery on Saturday for a torn meniscus in his left knee. The third-year pro from North Carolina was injured Nov. 23 against Miami. ... G DeAndre Bembry, the second of the Hawks' two first-round draft choices, was recalled from the NBA Development League after scoring 35 points on 16-for-22 shooting in his first game with Salt Lake City on Thursday. ... The Pistons, 7-2 at home, host Orlando on Sunday and Chicago on Tuesday. ... The Hawks go into Toronto with a 4-1 record at the end of back-to-backs.