Five observations from the Hawks’ 105-98 victory over the Pistons Friday night.
1. Paul Millsap wasn't about to admit it … but it helps if you can see out of your right eye. The Hawks all-star has struggled the past two games after taking an elbow that left the eye mostly swollen and bruised.
In those previous two games, Millsap was a combined 6 of 33 for 19 points. On Friday, Millsap scored a game-high 26 points on 9 of 22 shooting with his eye much less swollen.
It prompted this postgame exchange:
Reporter: Did the eye bother you the past two games?
Millsap: I’m not an excuse guy, so no.
Reporter: But it felt better tonight?
Millsap: I felt a lot better tonight.
It’s worth noting that Millsap missed the 36-point loss to the Pistons in early December with a left hip injury.
2. Kyle Korver was asked following the victory what was the difference in the game. From a locker away, Dennis Schroder uttered "Kyle Korver."
Despite a season-high 22 points, Korver lamented that he left some points on the court. He was 7 of 13 from the field, including 3 of 8 from 3-point range. He scored 11 second-quarter points as the Hawks took a lead they would not relinquish. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help push back a Pistons rally.
3. In the Pistons' 36-point win in Atlanta earlier in the month, they made 17 3-pointers, a season-high by a Hawks' opponent. The Pistons missed their first 11 from long range on Friday and were just 2 of 14 (.143) at the half.
“They had great contests and some of them were just bad shots,” Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said.
The Pistons finished the game 9 of 31 from 3-point range. That included a 6 of 12 effort in the fourth quarter as they rallied late.
“Our emphasis was to be more aggressive,” Kyle Korver said. “We stayed in a more aggressive coverage tonight. It’s actually a coverage that can give up more 3’s to be honest with you. It just helps us play at a more aggressive level. That’s what we need to do right now. The soft defense carries over into the offense sometimes. We are trying to find our way still but we did enough to win.”
4. Dwight Howard played a much better game than he did against the Pistons earlier in the month. In that game, the Hawks center had just two points and six rebounds. His Pistons counterpart Andre Drummond had 14 points and 14 rebounds.
On Friday, Howard had 10 points and 15 rebounds, including five offensive boards. It helped the Hawks have a 46-32 advantage in points in the paint.
“They’ve got some big bruisers down there on that team,” Howard said. “We just continued to attack the boards.”
5. It's a two-game winning streak. But at this point, the Hawks will take it. They recorded their second straight win for only the second time since Nov. 15-16 and are again above .500 at 17-16.
The win coupled with a Knicks loss, moved the Hawks into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s a good quality win against a solid team,” Millsap said. “Two in a row, that’s what we’ve been fighting for. I think if we can string together some wins, we’ll push ourselves up (the standings). Now, we’ve got a tough one Sunday but I think we are capable of getting it.”
About the Author
