The leaders in the Eastern Conference standings didn’t reach the knockout stage of the NBA Cup. That wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for the Detroit Pistons.
They got a much-needed break from the grind of an 82-game schedule with nearly a week in between games. They’ll get back in action when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
Detroit has won four of its last five games, improving to 19-5. However, coach J.B. Bickerstaff and his players felt the layoff — plus two practice days Wednesday and Thursday — could allow the team to break some bad habits.
“It was good for us,” Bickerstaff said. “We had a couple of guys banged up. This was an opportunity to get them some rest, but also get some practice time.”
In particular, the Pistons would like to cut down on their turnovers. They are averaging 15.2 per game, ranking in the bottom five of the league.
“That last stretch, the turnovers were not good, especially in those games that we lost. Turnovers were killing us,” center Jalen Duren told the Detroit News. “We were focusing on that, and focusing on execution, getting our legs back under us.”
The Pistons will be facing the Hawks for the third time in less than a month, an unusual occurrence for teams who don’t reside in the same division.
In the first meeting Nov. 18, Cade Cunningham led the Pistons with 25 points and 10 assists in a 120-112 road victory. Detroit also captured the rematch Dec. 1, squeezing out a 99-98 victory behind Duren’s 21 points and 11 rebounds.
“They are really good defensively,” Bickerstaff said of the Hawks. “They get out in transition offensively, they are versatile in terms of where they can attack from. For us, it is all about making sure we do what we do well, which will be taking care of the basketball, rebounding the basketball, making sure we give ourselves a chance.”
Atlanta has also been off since Saturday. The Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak that night with a 131-116 win over Washington. They got through their first 25 games with a 14-11 record.
“I feel like we’ve been playing good,” second-year forward Zaccharie Risacher said. “The chemistry is great between us. We’re playing as a team, you know, I feel like everybody really fits into this philosophy, and we’ve just got to keep going, keep playing hard.”
Jalen Johnson continues to carry the load with guard Trae Young sidelined by a knee injury. He’s averaging 23.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 7.9 assists. Johnson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution he’s come a long way from his rookie campaign in 2021-22.
“Compared to when I first checked into the NBA game for the first time to now, it’s almost like a sense of comfortability that you have, like, how you feel in high school, where it’s just the games, it’s just slow. If you play at your pace, that’s kind of how I feel right now is real,” he said. “I’m much more comfortable than I was when I first checked into the game.”
