Pistons vs Hawks: Atlanta can't finish in loss to Detroit

The Atlanta Hawks used a big third quarter to take control of Saturday's game but they ultimately couldn't hold on as the Detroit Pistons rallied late in a 104-100 loss. There was somewhat of a somber mood in the locker room afterwards but the players were keeping the loss in perspective with the regular season just over a week away.

Here are more thoughts from Saturday's game:

This preseason loss hurt a bit more than the others

Its still the preseason but Mike Budenholzer ran with his starters in the fourth quarter for the first time this preseason. Al Horford started the fourth quarter before eventually giving way to Pero Antic, but the rest of the starters were on the court during the game's final moments.

"Finishing games in our league is really important," said Budenholzer after the game. "I think we will be able to learn a lot from looking at our defense in the fourth quarter." Coach Bud went on to talk about some of the positive contributions he saw from individual players but you could tell he was not happy with a second straight fourth quarter collapse.

DeMarre Carroll had a really nice game at both ends of the floor

Carroll finished with 14 points and five rebounds on 4-8 shooting in 34 minutes. He turned in a fine defensive effort and even found himself matched against Detroit point guards Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin at times.

Kent Bazemore is starting to round into form

Bazemore's line of three points and two assists may not jump off the page at you but I thought this was his best performance of the preseason. He's starting to look comfortable on the offensive end and displayed a quick step to the basket. Unfortunately he struggled at the free throw line going 1-4. His versatility stood out on the defensive end of the floor where he spent time guarding Augustin as well as chasing bigger wing players.

Mike Scott turned in another solid performance

Scott looks like he is ready for the season to start after finishing with eight points and five rebounds in 15 minutes of action Saturday night. He is shooting 50 percent from the field during the preseason and appears to have picked up where he left off last season.

Andre Drummond is a beast

Stan Van Gundy wasn't pleased with the way his bigs played in Friday's loss at Orlando and said he let them know that prior to Saturday's game against the Hawks. Drummond responded with a 19 point, 17 rebound performance to go along with three blocks and a pair of steals. His game wasn't perfect as he was beaten down the floor by Al Horford twice in the fourth quarter that prompted "teaching point" timeouts from Van Gundy but he seemed to get the message. Drummond was just 1-7 from the free throw line but he is a difficult matchup for any team and is just getting better.