Hawks at Pistons
The Detroit Pistons didn't miss injured forward Blake Griffin in their season opener as Andre Drummond and Luke Kennard put on a stellar two-man show. The duo looks to follow up its strong first act when the Pistons host the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.
Drummond produced 32 points and 23 rebounds while Kennard matched his career best of six 3-pointers en route to a career-high 30 points as Detroit posted a 119-110 victory at Indiana on Wednesday. "Luke still doesn't know how good he is," Detroit point guard Derrick Rose told reporters of the third-year pro. "I just got to keep feeding him and building his confidence. That's why I'm here, to try and elevate guys." Atlanta won fewer than 30 games each of the last two seasons, but power forward John Collins feels the squad can challenge for a playoff spot this campaign. "Roster-wise, talent-wise, I feel like we stack up with whoever you want to put us up against," Collins told reporters. "We can compete. We know it's on us to actually go up there and actually perform. We feel like it's on us to go out and earn that playoff spot."
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Detroit
ABOUT THE HAWKS (2018-19: 29-53): Trae Young looked like a star on the offensive end with averages of 19.1 points and 8.1 assists as a rookie, but his 3.8 turnovers per game was fourth-worst in the NBA and he struggled mightily on the defensive end. "Defense is all about effort," Young told reporters. "That's something I, of course, have to get better at this year. That's something I try to take a lot of pride in." Collins averaged 19.5 points and 9.8 rebounds with 32 double-doubles in his second season, and another step forward might make him a candidate for the All-Star Game.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (1-0): Griffin (hamstring/knee) is projected to miss approximately 10 more days, so Drummond and Kennard will continue to receive ample opportunities to score. Kennard poured in 20 of his points over the final 14 minutes while the 31-year-old Rose pitched in with 18 points and nine assists in 27 minutes off the bench in his club debut. "He's not the same young Derrick Rose as he was, but still very productive," coach Dwane Casey said of the player who was the league MVP while with Chicago in 2010-11 before later suffering a serious knee injury. "I've been shocked at his productivity and his energy level and how hard he goes every day in practice."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons have won seven of the last 10 meetings.
2. Detroit F Markieff Morris scored eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in his team debut while starting in place of Griffin.
3. Atlanta SG Allen Crabbe (knee) and SF Chandler Parsons (both knees) will miss Thursday's contest.