Pistons at Hawks
The two hottest teams in the Eastern Conference go head-to-head Monday afternoon when the Atlanta Hawks host the Detroit Pistons. The Hawks have won 12 straight and 26 of 28 to move atop the East standings and continue their best start in franchise history. The Pistons, meanwhile, have won 11 of their last 13 following a 5-23 start and are within a game of the Brooklyn Nets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
Atlanta’s winning streak has been especially impressive considering it includes victories at the Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers, two of the more difficult teams to beat at home, as well as wins against Eastern Division pursuers Chicago, Toronto, Washington and Cleveland. The Hawks also beat Detroit during the current run, ending its seven-game winning streak. Stopping point guard Jeff Teague will be a priority for the Pistons after he lit them up for 28 points in a 99-89 win Nov. 21 in Atlanta.
TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE PISTONS (16-25): Size and length have been a strong-point for Detroit in recent years, but the Pistons have added solid perimeter shooting of late as well. They've combined for 28 3-pointers in the last two games with Kyle Singler, who moved into the starting lineup when Josh Smith was traded to the Houston Rockets earlier this month, making 6-of-8 in Saturday’s win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Another player that could have a breakout performance is Detroit second-year guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a Georgia native who scored a game-high 20 points against the Hawks earlier this month.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (33-8): Atlanta has the top 3-point shooter in the NBA in Kyle Korver and he only seems to be getting hotter. Korver came into Saturday's game against the Bulls shooting a league-leading 52.7 percent from long range and then made 7-of-9 to put him at 22-for-31 in his last five games. Detroit managed to limit Korver to three 3-point attempts in each of the first two games this season, a solid strategy, but the sharp-shooter did manage to drain five of those.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Pistons have lost 11 of the last 12 in Atlanta.
2. The Pistons have won their last seven road games, which ties a franchise record set in 2002.
3. The Hawks are opening a season-long seven-game homestand after extending their franchise record of consecutive road wins to 12 after beating Chicago on Saturday.