Detroit’s poise solidifies the win over the Hawks

Not even a five-day break could slow the momentum Detroit Pistons.

Playing theirs first regular season game on Dec. 6The Pistons finished the night with a 142-115 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. It’s the team’s third straight win, 20-5, and they remain in first place in the Eastern Conference.

The Pistons kept control of the game thanks to a balanced team attack on both ends of the floor. Head coach JB Bickerstaff was able to play everyone on the roster because of leadership. No player on Detroit’s roster had to play more than 25 minutes. Bickerstaff talked about the most impressive difference for the Pistons during the media postgame on the way to a home victory.

“I think our bench came in and gave us a big boost to start the game. When we put that unit in to end the first quarter and start the second, I thought they did a really good job of defending, getting stops and finding opportunities in transition to come up with some easy ones,” Bickerstaff said. “I think we did a great job physically executing our system. That led to us scoring 142 goals on offense.”

Detroit led by as many as 35 points heading into Friday night’s game against Atlanta. Eight different Pistons managed to score in double figures. Their fast-paced identity showed as the Pistons put up 30 rushing points and 72 points in the paint. Atlanta kept the game close in the first quarter, but slipped to double-digit deficits by the second quarter.

Sharing the ball brought a big advantage, and the team had 34 assists. Their ball movement aided in an efficient shooting night as the Pistons shot 58% from the field and 41% from 3-point range. Bickerstaff was impressed with his team’s offensive efforts throughout the contest.

“We have a ton of athletes and a ton of guys that are skilled in the open field. That’s one of the things we want to do every night,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought we did a great job tonight of rebounding the basketball, especially the long ones, which helped us get out on the break. But we had stops and stops when we needed them.”

Detroit has struggled with injuries from the beginning of the 2025-26 season. This is one of the first times that everyone was healthy, and every player contributed to the victory. Every Pistons player could score and contribute to the team. The Pistons were in sync defensively for a good portion of the game. Atlanta turned the ball over 20 times and gave Detroit 16 steals.

Reserve center Isaiah Stewart led the Pistons in scoring with 17 points off the bench. Guards Cade Cunningham and Duncan Robinson each added 15 points in their starting roles. Center Jalen Duren scored 14 points in 24 minutes. Forwards Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland each scored 12 points. Guards Caris LeVert and Jaden Ivey scored 10 points for Detroit as well.