Hawks fall short to Pistons after late-game heroics from Johnson, NAW

DETROIT — There are no moral victories in the NBA. But the Hawks put up a valiant effort following their double-overtime win over the 76ers one night ago. The Hawks’ efforts fell short at the buzzer, with the Pistons getting the better of them in the second of four meetings this season.

The Hawks fell 99-98 at Little Caesars Arena on the second night of back-to-back games.

Quick stats: Hawks forward Jalen Johnson finished the night with 29 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists after scoring just four points in the first half. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26 points on 6-of-10 shooting from 3. Onyeka Okongwu, who had led the team in scoring for the first half with 18 points, finished with 20 points and six rebounds.

Turning point

The Hawks had recovered from a 9-0 run from the Pistons at the end of the third quarter, thanks to an 18-6 run fueled by heroics from Alexander-Walker. He scored eight straight points in one minute off a 3-pointer assisted by Johnson, a fadeaway midrange jumper and then a 3 in transition.

But the Pistons then scored 11 straight points to take a 94-89 lead with 2:37 to play.

While the Hawks found a spark with Johnson hitting a running, fast-break 3, then another from Alexander-Walker minutes later, the Hawks missed a couple of big baskets that allowed the Pistons to go up 99-95.

The Hawks kept fighting, and Alexander-Walker hit a late 3 that cut their deficit to 99-98. Though they played the foul battle and won, the Hawks missed a tip-in off an inbound pass from Luke Kennard with .1 seconds left on the clock.