The Atlanta Hawks look a little bit better against the struggling Detroit Pistons than they did in their past two ballgames. Nevertheless, this one is still too close for comfort.
The good news is that the Hawks are attacking the paint in this one. The bad news is that Detroit scored 18 of the last 23 points in the frame to take a 27-20 lead into the second quarter. The difference in scoring comes down to two things: 1) The Hawks are not as active as they should be on the Pistons side of the floor and 2) Atlanta has turned over the basketball and Detroit hasn't.
Atlanta actually has the edge in field goal percentage to start the game. They shot 62-percent (8-for-13) in the first frame while Detroit is firing at a 46-percent (10-for-22 clip). But the Pistons have been able to go inside and clean the glass, posting six offensive rebounds in the frame. The Hawks have seven total rebounds. Atlanta also leads a battle you never want to lead -- the battle of turnovers -- by a 5-0 margin.
Tracy McGrady has a game-high nine points while Rodney Stuckey has seven for Detroit, which has won 10 of its last 11 against Atlanta on its home court.
Joe Johnson gave Hawks fans one of their lone bright spots in this one, dishing an assist to Al Hoford early in the first to pass Dominique Wilkins for fifth place on the team's all-time assists list.