The Hawks failed with a golden opportunity to close in a playoff berth Tuesday.
They dropped a 102-95 decision to the Pistons at Philips Arena with the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference near their grasp. Their hold on the postseason is down to 1-1/2 game lead (two in the loss column) over the Knicks. Their magic number remained at three.
The Hawks (34-43) had a two-game win streak snapped, including Sunday’s impressive win over the Pacers that moved them to the verge of the playoffs. The Hawks have five games remaining in the regular season.
The Pistons, who have long been eliminated from playoff contention, snapped a 10-game losing streak at Philips Arena and tied the season series, 2-2.
“I think it’s a good opportunity for us to cover some ground,” Lou Williams said before the game. “We are playing some teams that are fighting, just like we are. It’s an opportunity for us to protect home court and continue our playoff push.”
Not on this night.
Paul Millsap led the Hawks with a double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds. The Hawks also got double figures from Jeff Teague (15 points), Pero Antic (13), Kyle Korver (12) and Shelvin Mack (10).
Korver moved into 22nd place on the NBA’s all-time 3-point field goal made list with his 1,500th long-range basket in the first half. Elton Brand played in his 1,000th NBA game.
The Pistons (29-49) have won two straight. Rodney Stuckey led the way with a game-high 29 points. He hit the last six Pistons points from the free-throw line. The Pistons also got double-doubles from Greg Monroe, 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Andre Drummond, 19 points and 17 rebounds.
The Hawks used a 14-0 run in the third quarter and took their first lead of the game. Korver hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the run and the Hawks would take a four-point edge at 71-67. The Pistons answered and took an 81-78 edge into the final quarter. The Hawks never led again.
The Pistons led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter and took a 58-52 lead into halftime. The Hawks struggled from 3-point range early, going 1 of 8 in the first quarter and 2 of 6 in the second quarter.
The Pistons showed a clear edge inside in the first half. They outrebounded the Hawks 29-17, including 10-5 on the offensive boards. The disparity helped the Pistons to an 18-4 edge in second-chance points.
Former Hawks player Josh Smith did not play due to left patella tendinitis.
The Hawks host the Celtics Wednesday.
