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Pistons vs. Hawks preview: Atlanta seeks revenge for early-season blowout

The Hawks look to keep things rolling on Friday against Detroit.

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks didn’t play particularly well on Monday night, but the end result was a positive one in an overtime win over the New York Knicks. On Wednesday, the team will look to improve on that play with a similar outcome as the Detroit Pistons arrive in Atlanta for the second meeting between the two teams this season.

On Dec. 2, the Pistons went into Philips Arena and utterly thrashed the Hawks by a 36-point margin. While the NBA isn’t exactly driven by revenge in the way that some other sports may claim, the Hawks might be thinking about that previous battle in this one. Detroit has also dropped six out of seven games before coming down to the South and that provides a window into how the Pistons are currently operating.

The Hawks now boast an injury report that includes only Tiago Splitter (calf), as Tim Hardaway Jr. is back in the lineup at full tilt. He played only 13 uninspired minutes on Monday in his first game back, but the infusion of offensive creation off the bench should help Atlanta against a Pistons team with interesting talent.

Perhaps the highlight match-up of the night takes place at center, with Dwight Howard facing off against Andre Drummond. At the time of this post, Drummond and Howard rank 2nd and 3rd in the NBA in rebounds per game, and while that isn’t everything, it will be interesting to see who can prevail in that head-to-head battle. If you’re looking for an additional spot to watch, look no further than point guard, where Dennis Schröder holds a firm edge in terms of current play when compared to Detroit’s Reggie Jackson.

Oh, did I mention that 2 Chainz is performing on Wednesday? That is also... something. Stay tuned throughout the day for all the latest from Philips Arena and let’s do this together.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Friday, December 30, 8:00 p.m. ET

Location: Philips Arena

TV: Fox Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass

Radio: 92.9 “The Game” FM