Field Level Media
Nov 22, 2019
Blake Griffin scored 24 points and the host Detroit Pistons had their highest scoring first half in 36 years while snapping a five-game losing streak as they pummeled the Atlanta Hawks 128-103 on Friday.
Andre Drummond had 23 points and 15 rebounds in 27 minutes, while Bruce Brown supplied 14 points, seven assists and three steals while limiting Hawks star Trae Young to nine points on 3-for-12 shooting. Young poured in 38 points against the Pistons in the Hawks' season opener, a 117-100 Atlanta victory.
Markieff Morris had 13 points, Langston Galloway tossed in 12 and Derrick Rose and Christian Wood added 11 apiece for Detroit. The Pistons shot 59.8 percent overall and made half of their 34 3-point tries. They collected 30 assists, led by Luke Kennard with nine.
The Pistons scored 76 points by halftime, their most since scoring 77 on Dec. 2, 1983, also against Atlanta.
DeAndre' Bembry had 22 points, six assists and four steals for the Hawks, who have lost five straight. De'Andre Hunter contributed 18 points, Jabari Parker added 14 and Damian Jones chipped in 13 for Atlanta.
The Hawks shot 43.2 percent from the field and just 27.0 percent from long distance.
The Pistons trailed by 10 in the early going, then reeled off 20 unanswered points. They finished the first quarter leading 33-23.
Detroit poured it on in the second quarter, scoring 43 points to take a 76-57 halftime lead. The Pistons had four players in double figures by the break, led by Drummond with 12. Hunter scored 16 second-quarter points for the Hawks.
The Pistons shot 60 percent from the field, including a 12-for-20 performance from distance.
Detroit's lead quickly mushroomed to 25 points in the third quarter. Brown hit a 3-pointer to make it 90-65. Drummond's hook shot with five minutes remaining in the quarter nudged the advantage to 28 at 100-72.
The Pistons ended the quarter leading 107-84. All of Wood's points came in the fourth quarter and he also grabbed six rebounds during the quarter.
--Field Level Media