The Atlanta Hawks have already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference along with a playoff berth, but now they are aiming for franchise records in what has been a surprising season for the team. The Hawks clinched their first division title in 22 years while trailing Golden State by 4 ½ games for the best record in the league with eight games remaining. Much of that success is due to balance, but the Hawks still need to make adjustments before the playoffs as they prepare to face the Detroit Pistons on the road.
Atlanta showed that balance on Monday night when they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks. Jeff Teague returned after missing two games for a sprained ankle while Atlanta's bench has gotten in some critical work heading into the postseason. With most of the starting lineup playing against the Bucks, DeMarre Carroll put up 23 points and eight rebounds while the defense held the Bucks to just 4-of-17 from beyond the arc. Their defense is allowing just 97.1 points per game right now.
Head coach Mike Budenholzer could opt to sit several of the starters since this is a back-to-back game, something they have done since clinching the playoffs. Against the Charlotte Hornets, the entire bench sat for the game. Teague will likely play against the Pistons considering backup point guard Dennis Schroder injured his toe on Monday.
Atlanta is looking for a series win against the Pistons. Teague put up 28 points in the win back in November while Paul Millsap and Mike Scott each recorded 20 points apiece in a win in January. Al Horford added 19 points and 16 rebounds in a win on the road. The Pistons have had a lot of success at home recently, beating Memphis, Chicago and Toronto on home court over the past few games.
Detroit is coming off a loss to the Miami Heat despite scoring 106.6 points in their last five games. Jodie Meeks, Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson are all contributing to that effort. Drummond is averaging 21.8 points and 15.8 rebounds in his last four games while Jackson is putting up 22.6 points and going 10 of 23 from long range in his past seven games. This young team is looking to continue sneaking up on playoff bound teams and the Hawks could be the next victim.
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