Atlanta Hawks vs Detroit Pistons: Game Preview, Injury Report, Starting Lineups for Tonight's Matchup

The Atlanta Hawks are back in action tonight against one of their hardest opponents to predict.

To be clear, the Pistons are an excellent team. They're leading the Eastern Conference by a healthy margin of five games and have a very deep roster that plays well together. However, the absence of Cade Cunningham looms over the rest of the regular season. Cunningham is the offensive centerpiece of their lineup and it's hard to say exactly how good the Pistons can be without him on the court.

Since Cunningham's injury, their only game against an opponent in the same tier or better than the Hawks was a narrow 113-110 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. In that game, the Pistons held the Lakers to 27.6% shooting while also making 42.3% of their own attempts. Daniss Jenkins and Duncan Robinson combined for eight threes in that game, which hasn't exactly been the norm for Detroit this season. It's not impossible they could shoot that well from deep in back-to-back games, but it just seems unlikely considering that the Hawks have been playing really well as of late.

Outside of an off-game against the Rockets, Atlanta has crushed the rest of their opponents and are coming off a 146-107 drumming of the Memphis Grizzlies. They've used that surge to take the No. 6 seed in the East, and a win tonight would be helpful for keeping it. There are only a few games left in the NBA regular season, and it's time for the Hawks to show fans how serious they are about making a postseason trip.

By the Numbers

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Snyder, Quin Snyder, — Dec 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder watches the Hawks play the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Hawks' offense ran all over a Grizzlies lineup extremely devoid of talent. Still, they are 7th in points, 13th in FG%, 6th in 3P%, 19th in FT%, 17th in rebounds (21st in OREB, 12th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 13th in turnovers per game. They're 14th in offensive rating this year.

The defense has shown definite signs of improvement even if the overall ceiling isn't very high. The Hawks are 18th in points allowed, 18th in FG% allowed, 16th in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 11th in defensive rating this year.

The Pistons were a productive offense with Cunningham at the helm, but it's not an elite unit by any means due to the lack of players who can consistently create their own shot. They are 8th in points, 7th in FG%, 22nd in 3P%, 26th in FT%, 8th in rebounds (3rd in OREB, 14th in DREB), 12th in assists, and 20th in turnovers per game. They're 9th in offensive rating this year.

The most consistent part of their team has been their elite defense and ability to throw out tons of excellent athletic defenders with length to slow down opposing offenses. They are 3rd in points allowed, 3rd in FG% allowed, 4th in 3P% allowed, 4th in rebounds allowed, 1st in steals, and 1st in blocks. They're 2nd in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Jalen Duren, Duren, Cunningham, Cade Cunningham, Okongwu, Onyeka Okongw — Dec 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) battles for the ball with Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The MVP case for Cade Cunningham wasn't quite as strong as it is for players like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Victor Wembanyama, but Cunningham's importance to Detroit's offense cannot be overstated. They are nearly 8.8 points better in terms of offensive rating when he's on the court. Backup guard Daniss Jenkins has been a diamond in the rough for Detroit, but the Hawks should be able to hide his shine by sticking Dyson Daniels on him.

While the Hawks held Jalen Johnson out of their last two games and put a questionable tag on him before tonight's game, it'd be somewhat surprising if he didn't play. The Hawks did not need Johnson in order to beat the weaker competition they faced in Golden State and Memphis. Adding JJ back to the lineup against a team as dominant as the Pistons this season might even swing the game in Atlanta's favor. Even though it was in a blowout, Johnson did have 17 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in a triple-double against the full-strength iteration of Detroit.

The last time these two teams faced off was back when the Hawks did not have CJ McCollum on the roster. That makes a massive difference against a team that closes out on shooters like Detroit does. For McCollum to stay on the court in this game, he has to continue playing hard and show effort on defense. Unlike more limited shooters, McCollum has actually shown moments of solid defense this season. That should make a difference for Atlanta, as it will be harder for the Pistons to just expose CJ on defense and limit a significant part of the Hawks' offense.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Ausar Thompson, Thompson, Pistons, Detroit Piston — Dec 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Ausar Thompson (9) drives to the basket between Atlanta Hawks defenders Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) and Dyson Daniels (5) in the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The depth and totality of their team is one of the Pistons' biggest strengths and it's possible that they could rally to limit a Hawks lineup that has not gotten a ton of support from the bench. In particular, Detroit's ability to throw defenders like Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland against Jalen Johnson might neutralize the advantage that the Hawks typically enjoy by having Johnson run the offense. This is quietly a very important game for Dyson Daniels as a facilitator since the Pistons will likely be keying in on Johnson in order to win this game.

The Hawks also can't afford to beat themselves with bad mistakes tonight given the Pistons' penchant for turnovers. Detroit leads the league in steals and blocks per game, which further emphasizes the need for the Hawks to limit their turnovers tonight. They're firmly an above-average team when it comes to turnovers per game, but they got killed 16-9 in the steals margin during their last game against Detroit and it made a massive difference.

While Jalen Duren is coming off another double-double in an All-NBA caliber season, I'm curious to see if this matchup actually helps Onyeka Okongwu get going. Duren's defense has always been a problem and while it's been better this season, the Pistons are still just a net-neutral on defense with him. Okongwu has been on a cold streak as of late, but Duren's increased offensive responsibilties might reduce his ability to shoulder a big defensive workload. At his best, Okongwu has the range to pull Duren away from the paint due to his capability as a threat from deep.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks - Jalen Johnson is questionable.

Detroit Pistons - Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Wendell Moore Jr are all out while Marcus Sasser is doubtful and Javonte Smart is questionable.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: Little Caesar's Arena, Detroit, MI

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - CJ McCollum

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Pistons

G - Daniss Jenkins

G - Duncan Robinson

F - Ausar Thompson

F - Tobias Harris

C - Jalen Duren

This is one of the biggest measuring stick games of the entire season. If the Hawks are a quality playoff team, I think they'll be able to find a way to win this game by mucking Detroit's halfcourt offense up. However, the Pistons are still a really good team without Cunningham and it's possible their defense grinds Atlanta's offense to a halt and turns this game into another blowout. I believe this is a 50/50 game that leans slightly in Atlanta's favor due to better health.