Instant Takeaways From The Atlanta Hawks Blowout Loss Against The Detroit Pistons

The Hawks lose in a blowout against the Pistons.

Dec 12, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) drives past Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Tonight, the Hawks returned to action for the first time since last weekend and looked like a team that hadn't played in a while. Granted, this is the first seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Detroit Pistons looked prepared, jumping out by as much as 15 points in the first half, and they never looked back.

Final in Detroit pic.twitter.com/jDe3RUhc6V

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 13, 2025

1. Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Dec 6, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum (3) in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Compared to the rest of the team, Alexander-Walker was really one of the only guys that came to play tonight, as most of his damage came within the game being in reach. In the first half, Alexander-Walker finished with a team-high 20 points and was the only player to reach double figures for the Hawks, who struggled to take care of the basketball. This hot start, however, did not last, unfortunately, as Alexander-Walker would go on to be a no-show in the second half, scoring only two points, and his efficiency dropped to the lower 40% from over 60% in the first half.

2. Defensive struggles

(it's almost 150 now) https://t.co/6xZRdLX2aR

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) December 13, 2025

To start the game, the Hawks struggled defensively with Detroit, and part of it was due to the lineups that coach Quin Snyder put out. Specifically, there was a point in the first half when coach Snyder put rookie Asa Newell at the center position, and he helped the Pistons exploit the matchup, as they overwhelmed Atlanta inside the paint due to their lack of size without Kristaps Porzingis. Detroit not only took advantage of the Hawks' size inside, but also shot the ball well from deep, hitting nearly 40% from three-point range.

3. Another slow start to the second half

19-7 overall run for Detroit to begin the 2nd half.

Hawks down 21. Another timeout.

Atlanta has 15 turnovers that have led directly 21 points for the Pistons.

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) December 13, 2025

Since the season started, the Hawks have been hit or miss when it comes to second-half play, and tonight was no different as they returned from a nightmare first half to an even worse second half and saw the Pistons go up by 30 points. The game got so out of hand that Detroit took out its starters and played Cade Cunningham only 22 minutes, 14 minutes less than his season average of 36 minutes per game, to put into perspective how bad it got. Cunningham also finished with his second-lowest scoring game of the season at just 15 points, and Atlanta lost by their largest margin of the season, 27 points, and gave up the most points in a game for the season, 142.

4. Jalen Johnson

Dec 6, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket as Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington (7) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

While it was an off night for Johnson, he finished the night with a triple-double as he finished the game with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, but where things took a turn for the worse was that he shot 36% from the field and 16% from three-point range. This shouldn't be a concern moving forward, as these types of shooting nights happen throughout a season and will likely bounce back in his next game against the Philadelphia 76ers.