The Details
Atlanta Hawks: 33-20 (16-11 Away)
Detroit Pistons: 20-35 (13-14 Home)
The situation
The Pistons seem to have regressed of late. They have lost their last three at home, and only a win against lowly Cleveland (which recently provided the Washington Wizards with their only road win this season). Meanwhile, the Hawks are glad to get out of the house, as they have lost two in a row at home, including a 34 point blowout at the hands of Philadelphia.
Other than that, the Hawks are becoming team predictable. Joe Johnson is a mortal lock for 20 ppg on semi-efficient shooting. Horford is a top five center in the league. Josh Smith continues to be unreliable, but highly-skilled. Look for yet another 50 win season and early playoff exit. Wash, rinse repeat.
At this point, though, one has to wonder whether the Pistons have any motivation to win. They are presently 5.5 games behind the Indiana Pacers for the opportunity to play four times in the postseason. Maybe they should just let the young guys play, and see where the lottery balls land.
Question of the game
What happened to Monroe? It seems like teams are catching on to the rookie's presence in the lineup. After a string of nice games, he has been essentially quiet over the last two Piston losses.
Feeling Peachy?