The Detroit Pistons took a lead on the Atlanta Hawks at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter and held that edge until almost the closing horn Friday. Of course, the key word in there is “almost.”
Detroit led 87-84 late in the fourth quarter until Rodney Stuckey turned the ball over, setting the stage for Joe Johnson’s game-tying three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left. Atlanta then took charge in overtime, opening a double-digit lead in the extra session and pulling away for a 107-101 win.
The loss was Detroit’s second straight heartbreaker at home — the Pistons blew a late three-point lead Wednesday against Miami.
Pistons’ Bad Boy: Jason Maxiell.
The Pistons’ forward hasn’t had much to brag about this season, what with his constant struggles on offense and some lackluster defense. But he provided some pop off the bench Friday night, scoring 19 points and collecting eight boards. Combined with Greg Monroe’s 22-point effort, Maxiell actually gave the Pistons a rare 1-2 punch down low.
Running on Empty: Damien Wilkins.
With Tayshun Prince out for the second consecutive game because of an undisclosed personal issue, Wilkins was in the starting lineup again. He’s turned in some decent effort for Detroit this year off the bench, especially on the defensive end, but he’s not much of a threat offensively. When he’s in the starting lineup with Ben Wallace, that gives Detroit two trouble spots when they have the ball. Wilkins did not score in 34 minutes, though he did grab three boards, dish out three assists and block a shot.
The Final Countdown: Twenty games into a 66-game season, the Pistons have just four wins and are 12.5 games out of first in the Central Division. The last two losses were particularly painful, because Detroit played two real solid teams well and just couldn’t close the deal.
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