Pistons' Rally Falls Just Short; 7-Game Winning Streak Ends, 106-103, Against Hawks

AUBURN HILLS (AP) — Al Horford had 19 points and 16 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks withstood a spirited Detroit rally Friday night, holding on for a 106-103 victory to extend their winning streak to seven games and snap the Pistons' run at seven.

The Eastern Conference-leading Hawks have won 21 of their last 23, and they handed Detroit its first loss since the Pistons waived Josh Smith last month. But after trailing by 23 in the second quarter, Detroit rallied and had a chance to tie when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Caldwell-Pope scored 16 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. The Pistons went 13 of 43 from 3-point range on a night when standout big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond were a combined 7 of 20 from the field.

Paul Millsap scored 17 points for the Hawks, who had six players in double figures.

Detroit cut the lead to three on Monroe's dunk with 2 seconds left, then the Hawks turned the ball over near midcourt. After a lengthy replay review, the Pistons were given 1.2 seconds on the clock, which was enough time for Caldwell-Pope to get a shot off from the right corner, but it missed badly.

Caldwell-Pope was 8 of 23 from the field and 4 of 16 from 3-point range, but toward the end the Pistons seemed to have little choice but to take 3s. Drummond did not appear to be feeling well, and he played only 17 minutes. He missed a dunk on Detroit's first trip down the court in the second half, and he did not return after leaving the game with 7:51 left in the third.

Detroit's turnaround of late has been remarkable — the Pistons were 5-23 before their winning streak — but Atlanta's sustained excellence has been one of the most impressive stories of the first half of this season. The Hawks went 6 of 11 from 3-point range in the second quarter, and they led 61-38 after a 10-3 run.

The Pistons trailed 64-45 at halftime. They cut the lead to nine on a few occasions in the second half, and they finally got closer when Monroe's free throws with 2:36 remaining made it 102-95. The Hawks missed a layup at the other end, but Monroe tried to make a quick pass, and it was stolen by DeMarre Carroll.

Kyle Korver's 3-pointer pushed the lead back to 10.

TIP-INS

Hawks: Jeff Teague, who had scored at least 20 points in six straight games, was held to 14.

Pistons: Detroit was the fifth team in NBA history to have a seven-game winning streak in the same season as a 13-game losing streak, according to STATS.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host Washington on Sunday.

Pistons: Host Brooklyn on Saturday night.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.