ATLANTA (AP) — Derrick Rose had 27 points and nine assists, Svi Mykhailiuk added 25 points in a reserve role, and the Detroit Pistons won their second straight game with an easy 136-103 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
The Pistons had a season high in points and shot 59.3% from the field, two nights after shooting one percentage point better, a season high, in a win at Boston.
Markieff Morris finished with 22 points off the bench, and Andre Drummond had 16 points, 17 rebounds and five steals as the Pistons won consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 9. They had gone 5-13 during that stretch.
The loss spoiled Jeff Teague’s first game back with the Hawks . Teague, who finished with 15 points and seven assists in 25 minutes, was traded from Minnesota to Atlanta two days ago, returning to his adopted hometown team.
John Collins scored 20 and De’Andre Hunter added 19 for the Hawks, who lacked energy after winning the night before at San Antonio for the first time in 21 years.
Spurred on by Rose having his eighth straight game of at least 20 points and a bench that totaled 76 points, the Pistons were never threatened in the second half, leading by 23 on Sekou Doumbouya’s 3 and Drummond’s layup at the 8:19 mark of the third. The lead soon swelled to 97-69 on two free throws by Morris and stood at 120-89 on Mykhailiuk’s 3 with 6:08 left in the game.
Detroit took its first double-digit lead on Morris’ 3 at the 4:30 mark of the first. The Pistons went up 65-45 with 3:42 left before halftime on a pair of free throws by Langston Galloway.
Rose picked off Trae Young, the NBA’s leader in turnovers and the league’s third-leading scorer, to feed Mykhailiuk for a layup that made it 112-78 with 10:21 remaining.
TIP-INS
Pistons: Rose, who went 12 for 17 from the field and played 26 minutes, started his second straight game. ... Morris, who scored 23 points at Boston, went 7 for 10 against Atlanta and is 16 for 24 from the field in his last two games. ... F Blake Griffin, a six-time All-Star, was out for the 25th game because of left knee surgery. ... G Reggie Jackson missed his 41st game with a lumbar stress reaction.
Hawks: Young scored 16 points. ... C Alex Len missed his third straight game with lower back pain. ... F Jabari Parker is still sidelined by a right shoulder impingement. ... Atlanta has lost 23 of 26 when trailing after the third.
CAN’T STAND IT
Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce, a native Californian and a lifelong Raiders fan, said he won’t allow himself to watch the San Francisco 49ers play Sunday for a trip to the Super Bowl.
“There’s nothing worse than the Niners being really good right now,” Pierce said. “I’m (perturbed). I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow, but I don’t want to watch the game. I want to watch football, but I don’t want to watch because I don’t want to see them win. I’m afraid they’re going to win.”
Pierce said he plans to see a couple of games next season when the Raiders open their new home in Las Vegas.
“I think Vegas is the absolute perfect destination for a Raiders team,” Pierce said. “I really fear for the city. I think Vegas is rough enough as it is. It’s going to be a lot rougher with Raiders being there every weekend.”
UP NEXT
Pistons: At the Washington Wizards on Monday.
Hawks: Host the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
