The Atlanta Hawks head to The Palace of Auburn Hills to take on the Detroit Pistons. The game begins at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Mar. 16 and can be seen on FxS and FxD.
The Pistons got blown out by the Wizards 124-81 on Monday. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope finished with 18 points to lead the team. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 104-75 win over the Pacers on Sunday. Paul Millsap led the team in scoring by accumulating 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting.
The Pistons could dominate the offensive glass in this matchup, as they’re ranked second in the league in offensive rebound percentage at 27.1%. Alternatively, Atlanta ranks 27th in the NBA on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 74.3%. Put-back points also figure to be rare for the Hawks. They rank 30th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 19.4%), while the Pistons are third-best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.2%).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Hawks had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 107-100 win. Jeff Teague was a top performer in the victory with 23 points, six rebounds, nine assists, and four steals.
The Pistons look to build on their records of 34-33 Straight Up (SU) and 34-31-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 7-3 ATS over their last 10 games. Detroit has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 46.1 rebounds per game.
On the other side, the Hawks head into the game with records of 33-32-2 ATS and 38-29 SU. Atlanta has records of 38-29 SU and 33-32-2 ATS against the East. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Hawks, who are the second-best team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .433. Atlanta makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking second in points off turnovers with an average of 19.2 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Atlanta beat Detroit, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. With a 5-4-1 record, the Hawks also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Atlanta’s offense and Detroit’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Atlanta puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while Detroit allows 0.0 points per game.
Atlanta and Detroit are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Atlanta scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Detroit gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Detroit Pistons are a winning 23-9. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Atlanta Hawks have a poor record of 8-22.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Pistons are just 11-24 this season. Atlanta is an outstanding 30-7 when it hits the century mark.
The Pistons have an offensive rating of 103.2 (ranked 19th). The Hawks rank second for their defensive rating of 99.4.
The Atlanta Hawks average 99.0 possessions per game and 1.031 points per possession. The Detroit Pistons earn fewer possessions with 98.5, but they score more points with 1.032.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking sixth in the league with an EFF% of 51.6%. When their opponents have a similar or higher EFF%, the Detroit Pistons are 12-16.
Atlanta, the second-ranked team in terms of assists, makes an average of 25.4 per game. Detroit ranks lower at 27th with 18.9.
Detroit makes an average of 3.6 blocks per game (ranked 29th). Atlanta ranks higher in blocks with 5.7 (ranked seventh).
The Detroit Pistons rank second in offensive rebounding, while the Atlanta Hawks rank 16th in defensive rebounding.
The Atlanta Hawks average 9.3 steals per game (ranked third). The Detroit Pistons have an underachieving 5-13 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
