Jalen Johnson had 27 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds as the streaking Atlanta Hawks edged the host Detroit Pistons in overtime, 130-129, on Wednesday.
CJ McCollum also had 27 points, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker tossed in 21. Dyson Daniels added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Atlanta (41-32), which has won 14 of its last 15 games.
Jalen Duren led Detroit (52-20), which had its four-game winning streak snapped, with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Tobias Harris had 22 points, and Daniss Jenkins supplied 19 points and 10 assists.
Ausar Thompson contributed 18 points and Duncan Robinson added 17 for the Pistons, who had won the first three meetings between the clubs.
McCollum’s three-point play with 2:50 left in overtime gave Atlanta a 126-123 lead. A pair of Johnson free throws extended the lead. A Robinson putback and a Jenkins jumper pulled Detroit within one.
The Pistons had two chances in the final three seconds but Harris missed from midrange and Duren’s putback attempt rimmed out.
The Hawks led by as many as 21 in the first half while racing to a 73-55 halftime lead. Atlanta had four players in double figures by the break, led by Johnson with 17 points and Alexander-Walker with 14.
The Hawks shot 59.2% from the field in the first half and made 11 of their 23 3-point attempts. Detroit was only down by six with seven minutes to go in the second quarter but the Hawks scored the next 11 points. Daniels capped it off with a steal and dunk for a 56-39 advantage.
Daniels gave the Hawks a 21-point lead in the final minute at 73-52 on a layup off a Johnson feed. Robinson answered with a 3-pointer before the teams retreated to the locker room.
The Pistons scored the first 16 points of the third quarter to climb back into the contest. From there, it was a seesaw battle which saw 10 lead changes and seven ties after halftime.
Harris hit a shot in the lane with 9.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
–Field Level Media
