Let the good times continue to roll in the motor city.
The 19-5 Pistons return to Detroit tonight against Jalen Johnson and the 14-11 Atlanta Hawks after a well-deserved five-day break in the regular season schedule. Detroit looks to keep up the winning ways against a cold Hawks team without star guard Trae Young and center Kristaps Porzingis.
The Pistons are coming off of a 124 to 112 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks. The game saw Cade Cunningham lead the team in scoring and rebounding with 23 points and 12 assists.
Pistons center Isaiah Stewart made three threes as well and complimented Jalen Duren well in the win.
Dec 3, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart (28) and Milwaukee Bucks center Jericho Sims (00) box out for a free throw attempt in the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Jalen Johnson has been on fire
Trae Young’s absence has given Jalen Johnson to take yet another leap in his improvement. The 23-year-old forward out of Duke has kept his team above water despite injuries to his teammates and is averaging 23.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. Johnson is a complete player and Detroit will need to defensively scheme around his presence.
Johnson has specifically been a nightmare for Detroit’s top-ranked defense. He’s averaging 27 points, 10.5 rebounds, and eight assists in the previous two matchups against Detroit this season. Despite the dominance individually, Detroit has gotten the best of Johnson and his Hawks in both of the previous two matchups this season.
Johnson is capable of beating a team offensively in many different ways. He handles double teams with poise, can shoot efficiently from anywhere on the court, and can be aggressive when slashing toward the rim.
Predictions, betting odds, and injuries
This is the final matchup of the entire regular season between the Atlanta Hawks and the Detroit Pistons. ESPN Analytics has Detroit slated to win the game with a 63.6% chance to win the game. Betting odds favor the Pistons as well.
DraftKings Sportsbook favors the Pistons and has given them a -7.5 point spread. This means the Pistons would need to win the game by more than 7.5 points for a bet on the Pistons spread to cash. The Pistons money line is set at -290. This means it would take a $290 bet just to make $100 back in profit which makes the Pistons a heavy favorite in this matchup.
The Pistons have all their top and rotational stars for this matchup. Guard Marcus Sasser made his regular season debut against the Milwaukee Bucks Saturday December 6. Center Isaac Jones will be unavailable for this game as he recovers from a left knee sprain.
How to watch and start time
Watch the Detroit Pistons face the Atlanta Hawks on NBA TV and FanDuel Sports Network tonight at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The Hawks are traveling to Little Caesars Arena for the home matchup. Eight of the next nine regular season games will be away.