Gustavo Ayon has given the Hawks a spark since his return from a right shoulder injury.
Entering Friday’s game against the Pistons, the Hawks were 3-1 in the four games with the 6-foot-10 forward/center available. In those games, including one start, Ayon shot .684 (13-of-19). He has shot more than .500 in every game. He has averaged 6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s been great to have Gustavo back and healthy,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I think he puts a lot of pressure of the defense with his energy and sprinting into pick-and-rolls and rolling and getting to the basket. He is getting a lot of good looks around the rim. Hopefully, he will make good decisions if they take that away and find the open teammate.”
Staying with Millsap: Following the Hawks' 93-85 victory over the Pistons in Atlanta on Wednesday, Paul Millsap remained in the starting lineup. The forward had a team-high 19 points after missing a game with right elbow tendinitis.
The Hawks stayed with a starting unit of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford and Millsap. The team has used that lineup in 10 of their 12 games.
Lou Williams did not make the trip and will be available for Saturday night’s home game against the Celtics. With Williams out, guard John Jenkins was active.
Watch the guards: In the first matchup with Detroit, much was made of the Pistons' height and length advantage. However, it was guards Brandon Jennings (21 points) and Rodney Stuckey (18 points) who accounted for nearly half the Pistons' offense.
“Their bigs do demand quite a bit of attention, and maybe that is what allowed those guys to get away a little bit,” Budenholzer said. “But I think Jennings and Stuckey just had good games and got going a little bit. Both of them made some shots. I think it was more of a credit to Jennings and Stuckey having a good game, but having those bigs and the attention they draw certainly can help their guards get away from you.”
Korver moving up: In addition to his streak of 85 consecutive games with a 3-pointer (entering Friday), Kyle Korver needs only five long-range baskets to tie Dan Majerle for 26th on the NBA's all-time list at 1,360.
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