Atlanta @ Detroit preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2019 ) Atlanta 117, Detroit 100

The Atlanta Hawks lost four games in a row and seven of their past eight, but the rebuilding squad travels to face the Detroit Pistons on Friday after getting a glimpse of the future during Wednesday’s home loss to Milwaukee. Rookie forward De’Andre Hunter established career bests with 27 points and 11 rebounds and struggling rookie forward Cam Reddish added a season-high 17 points as Atlanta rallied late before falling 135-127.

“I was just in rhythm,” Hunter told reporters postgame after shooting 8-for-12 from the field and 3-for-3 from 3-point range. “To hit my first couple of shots definitely helped a lot, and I was just confident.” The Pistons also are struggling through the early weeks of the season, bringing a five-game losing streak into Friday following a season-low offensive output in Wednesday’s 109-89 loss at Chicago. Forward Blake Griffin scored 16 points with eight rebounds in his third game of the season, but Detroit shot just 33.7 percent from the field and saw Chicago connect on 14-of-27 shots from 3-point range. “Defensively, it was a lack of effort tonight,” Pistons forward Langston Galloway told reporters afterward. “It was embarrassing. It really is embarrassing. We have to fight our way out of this.”

TV: 7 p.m. ET, FS Southeast (Atlanta), FS Detroit

ABOUT THE HAWKS (4-10): Second-year point guard Trae Young scored 25 points against Milwaukee and ranks seventh in the league in scoring (26.8), third in assists (8.6) and tied for seventh in steals (1.7). Reddish, who shot just 28.3 percent from the field in his previous five games, finished 6-for-10 Wednesday and 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Hunter, who scored 12 points at Detroit in his NBA debut Oct. 24, is sixth among rookies in rebounding (4.5) and 10th in scoring (11.1).

ABOUT THE PISTONS (4-10): Guard Derrick Rose scored a team-high 18 points off the bench Wednesday and totaled 34 points on 11-for-18 shooting in two games since returning from a right hamstring strain. Center Andre Drummond leads the NBA in rebounding (16.8) and recorded 14 against Chicago, but scored just six points (12 points below his average) before fouling out. Griffin has scored 54 points with 18 rebounds in his three appearances as he continues nursing hamstring and knee injuries.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Despite shooting just 8-for-33 from 3-point range Wednesday, the Pistons rank third in the NBA in 3-point percentage (39.2 percent).

2. Atlanta G/F Vince Carter, who missed the team’s five-game road trip due to the birth of his daughter, scored 13 points in his first game back Wednesday.

3. Young scored 38 points with seven rebounds and nine assists to propel Atlanta to a season-opening 117-100 victory in Detroit on Oct. 24.

PREDICTION: Pistons 109, Hawks 104