After a five-day break, the Detroit Pistons put together one of their best two-way performances of the season at Little Caesars Arena.
They blew out the Atlanta Hawks, 142-115, to improve to 20-5. The 27-point margin was their biggest of the season ad came by forcing 17 turnovers in the first half and asserting their will on the defensive end. The Pistons finished the night with 27 points off 20 Hawks turnovers and a 30-7 lead in fastbreak points, all while shooting 58.2%.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives past Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
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Eight Pistons scored in double figures – the most since a January 2023 game – led by Isaiah Stewart’s 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Cade Cunningham had 15 points, seven assists, two blocks and two steals, and Duncan Robinson also had 15 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker led the Hawks with 22, and Jalen Johnson had a triple double with 19 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds.
The Pistons’ 20-5 start is their second-best in franchise history, behind the 2005-06 team that started 22-3.
“It’s big time,” said Caris LeVert, who scored 10 points and dished out eight assists. “I grew up watching the Pistons, and we had a lot of great teams. So to be in that conversation is amazing. I know we’re only 25 games in and it’s a marathon, not a sprint. So we’re looking forward to the entire rest of the season.”
Pistons take control in third quarter
The Pistons’ bench rose to its feet in anticipation as the five on the floor — Stewart, LeVert, Ron Holland, Javonte Green and Jaden Ivey — moved on a string defensively, denying the Hawks every open lane and shot they tried to generate.
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The possession ended with a missed contested corner 3 from Mouhamed Gueye with 24 seconds remaining on the clock, a fitting way to cap a dominant third quarter in which the Pistons dismantled Atlanta’s offense. They outscored the Hawks 35-19 while holding them to 6-for-22 shooting (27.3%) and 0-for-11 shooting from 3. The Pistons also tallied five steals in the stretch, for eight points scored off turnovers.
Detroit Pistons guard Javonte Green (31) drives past Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) after stealing the ball from him in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025.
It allowed them to take full control of the game after leading by nine points at halftime. They stayed hot after shooting 53.3% in the first half, knocking down 14 of their 24 attempts in the third (58.3%) with nine assists and three turnovers to lead by 25, 104-79, going into the fourth. That momentum carried into the final period, with a 3-pointer from Green pushing their lead to 35, 129-94, with under six minutes to play.
“I think our bench came in and gave us a great lift to start the game,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “When we put that unit in to close out the first quarter and start the second, I thought they did a really, really good job. [They were] being sound defensively, getting stops, and then finding their opportunities in transition to come up with some easy ones. I think that ignited the starters when we came back out of that third quarter. We had a different defensive mindset, holding them to 19 points in that quarter. I think we did a great job being physical and executing our system, and then that led to our offense for us to score 142 points.”
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Jaden Ivey gets extended run in second half
The fourth-year guard has been on a minutes restriction since making his season debut Nov. 22. On Friday, he played a season-high 18:42, including significant minutes in the second half after logging just 3:48 in the first half.
It was a solid two-way performance for Ivey, who finished with 10 points, four assists and two steals. He made a nice hustle play late in the third period, saving the ball and knocking it off of a Hawks defender to save the Pistons from committing a turnover. Ivey had eight points on 4-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter, settling into a rhythm as the Pistons pushed their lead past the 30-point threshold.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons hammer Atlanta Hawks, 142-115, at LCA