Atlanta is now 0-3 against the Detroit Pistons on the season.
The Atlanta Hawks returned to action Friday night after a five-day break, losing 115-142 to the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker got off to a hot start, knocking down three of his first four attempts from beyond the arc. He scored nine of Atlanta's first 13 points. Two of his first three triples came off of assists from Jalen Johnson.
Johnson's point-forward abilities were on full display in the first quarter, picking up three assists in the first eight minutes. His first basket came in the form of a tough mid-range fadeaway.
Atlanta had a solid showing on the offensive end in the first quarter, putting up 33 points and knocking down five of their ten three-point attempts. They trailed by one after the first 12 minutes.
To begin the second quarter, rookie Asa Newell got to play some minutes at center. With Kristaps Porzingis out of the lineup once again, Quin Snyder was able to experiment with his frontcourt rotation.
Hawks began to fall apart early in the quarter. Former Hawk Caris LeVert knocked down a three to extend the Detroit lead to double-digits. They outscored the Hawks 18-8 in the first five minutes of the second quarter.
That didn't last long, however, as Atlanta made their own run to close out the half on a high note. An 8-2 Atlanta run cut the Detroit lead to 9. The Hawks trailed 60-69 at halftime.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had a dominant scoring half, racking up 20 points on 4/7 from deep. Jalen Johnson continued to display elite playmaking with eight assists.
Detroit's first half scoring load was distributed evenly amongst their core players. Jalen Duren led the way with ten points on 4/7 from the field, with five other players scoring at least eight.
Within the first minute of the second half, Onyeka Okongwu picked up his third foul, making contact with Duncan Robinson on a made three.
It was a nightmare start to the third quarter for the Hawks, as Detroit got off to a quick 10-2 run. Atlanta found themselves down 17 after working hard to cut into the lead.
That trend continued on for the rest of the quarter. Through three, the Hawks trailed by 25 points. Detroit dominated the third, outscoring Atlanta 35-19.
With 8:49 remaining in the game, the Pistons got out to a 30-point lead, their biggest of the night.
Shortly after, Jalen Johnson connected with Asa Newell under the basket for his tenth assist of the night. This gave him his third consecutive triple-double.
His fifth triple-double of the season is the most in a single-season in Atlanta Hawks history. Johnson finished the night with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored just two points in the second half, finishing with 22 points.
The Pistons had eight players in double-figures.
Up next: the Hawks return home Sunday to take on the Philadelphia 76ers.