Instant Takeaways From The Atlanta Hawks' Road Loss Against The Detroit Pistons

The Hawks lose a stunner on the road against the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

Dec 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Luke Kennard (3) shoots in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

After a tough win against the Philadelphia 76ers on the road last night, the Hawks went on the road again to take on another tough opponent in the number one-seeded Detroit Pistons. This one unfortunately didn't go the Hawks' way; they lost a tough one compared to the night before, and it looked like they didn't have the energy to close it out from the jump.

Fought for all 48 pic.twitter.com/ONbhC0PsAF

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 2, 2025

1. Onyeka Okongwu steps up big

Hawks down 1 at the break in Detroit.

Relatively ugly half for both offenses, though some of that can be attributed to quality defense on both sides.

Onyeka Okongwu was awesome (18-4-4-2-1) in the first half for Atlanta.

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) December 2, 2025

To start the game, both teams struggled to gain control, but that didn't stop Okongwu from stepping up, finishing the first quarter with 12 points and the first half with 18 to lead both teams. The frustrating part about Okongwu in this one was that he didn't maintain his offensive consistency in the second half, scoring just two more points to finish with 20 points, six rebounds, four assists, one steal, and three blocks.

2. Jalen Johnson finds life in the second half

And now Jalen with a baker's dozen in the 3rd 🍩🍩🍩 https://t.co/EyK7XHpOe0 pic.twitter.com/1lvhKnEbEu

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) December 2, 2025

To start, didn't have it going, and one could contribute that to the long, dragged-out double overtime performance he put on last night, as Johnson finished the first half with four points from the free-throw line and missed all three of his shot attempts. He went on to score 25 points in the second half, to finish with 29 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists.

3. Offense plateaus in the fourth

The NAW explosion kicked off a 15-4 run for the Hawks.

But since then, it is 11 straight points for the Pistons.

ATL down 6 with 2:30 to go.

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) December 2, 2025

Throughout the game, Atlanta's offense looked a bit stagnant, especially in the first half, when they shot 41% from the field and 30% from three-point range, which helped Detroit take a lead into halftime. This would eventually continue late into the game, as Detroit would close things out, holding Atlanta to 43% from the field and 35% from three-point range, along with an 11-point scoring run after the Hawks were leading by five. In the two games the Hawks played against the Pistons this season, they can legitimately compete with them and possibly even win if they make fewer mistakes or get healthy when they play again, as both games have been relatively close.

4. Not capitalizing off Detroit's mistakes

Can’t allow a 13-0 run in the 4th quarter.

Can’t get out-rebounded 60-34.

— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) December 2, 2025

The Hawks honestly could have and should have won this game, but they didn't find ways to make the Pistons pay for their silly mistakes. Detroit turned the ball over 23 times, gave up 20 points off turnovers, and out-rebounded the Hawks by 27. The real killer for Atlanta was allowing Detroit to go on a double-digit scoring run in the final five minutes of the game and 19 second-chance points, which proved costly down the stretch. Nickeil Alexander-Walker came alive in the second half, scoring 18 points, but unfortunately, that also couldn't make up for his slow first-half start, scoring just eight points 37% shooting from the field.