It all starts with defense.
Before the Detroit Pistons started heating up on the offensive end against the Atlanta Hawks, they set the tone by coming out engaged and disciplined defensively, holding the Hawks scoreless on its first five possessions. That effort carried over on offense, too. The Pistons played smart and unselfish basketball, and, thanks to some hot shooting from beyond the arc, led 42-18 at the end of the first quarter and 69-45 at the half–the team’s highest scoring first quarter and first half of the season.
Detroit cruised to victory in the second half, led by Reggie Jackson‘s 26 points and Marcus Morris‘s near triple-double of 14 points, ten rebounds and seven assists.