Hawks at Pistons
THE STORY:
The Atlanta Hawks saw their three-game winning streak snapped in an
89-86 loss to Miami on Wednesday but will try to continue their recent
success against the Pistons when they visit Detroit on Friday. The Hawks
have won three in a row against the Pistons and nine of 12. Detroit
also has done well at home lately, winning seven of 10 since losing
107-101 in overtime to Atlanta on Jan. 27. The Pistons surprised the Los
Angeles Lakers with an 88-85 overtime victory on Tuesday.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Hawks), FS Detroit (Pistons)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (23-16):
Leading scorer Joe Johnson has missed four straight games and six of
seven with a knee injury and he is questionable to play Friday. Josh
Smith has averaged 26.0 points and 11.5 rebounds over the last four
games but has made it known he still would like to be traded, according
to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. One of the reasons cited is that
Smith said the Hawks did not do enough to promote him as an All-Star.
ABOUT THE PISTONS (13-26):
Detroit is 9-6 after struggling to a 4-20 start. “When you just have a
short amount of time with this lockout and stuff like that - new team,
new coach - everything’s brand new,” guard Rodney Stuckey said. “It’s
going to take time. It’s all a process.” Charlie Villanueva, who has
battled an ankle injury since January, said he is ready to return to the
lineup, but coach Lawrence Frank was non-committal about when the
forward might play.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Stuckey is averaging only 9.4 points on 35.9 shooting in his last five starts against Atlanta.
2.
The Pistons missed their first 14 shots in the second half and scored
only nine third-quarter points, but still managed to beat the Lakers.