After 20 games, Duncan Robinson’s ironman streak with the Detroit Pistons is over.

Until Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Robinson was the only member of the Pistons’ squad to start every game this season, but the eight-year vet is currently recovering from a sprained ankle injury. Coincidentally enough, Robinson suffered that injury in the first quarter against his former squad, the Miami Heat, on Saturday night.

So, with Robinson out of the lineup, the Pistons had to shift a few players around to make it work and eventually seize a narrow one-point victory over the Hawks. Second-year point guard Daniss Jenkins was elevated into the starting lineup in an off-ball capacity, though the Pistons alternate ball handlers so often that he essentially served as a shadow point guard, deferring to Cade Cunningham when prudent. 

And with such a slim margin for error against a talented Hawks’ team, it was the Pistons’ bench that truly made the difference. Ron Holland, who logged 17 minutes in the matchup, made plays all game long. Holland was active and aggressive on the defensive end, and his penchant for forcing turnovers helped lead to quick transition buckets for the Pistons. Holland had a particularly influential second quarter, and the second-year forward posted 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting against the Hawks.

“He was unbelievable,” Bickerstaff said after the game. “He was the spark for us. You know, we struggled tonight. We did. We struggled tonight, but I thought Ron gave us a ton of energy, fire, the way he just competed. I thought he was phenomenal tonight.” 

In addition to those 17 points, Holland grabbed six rebounds and had two steals while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. This season, Holland has grown into the role of a defensive spark plug, and he added a much-needed scoring component to that skill set on Monday night. 

Marcus Sasser To Begin Rehab With G-League’s Motor City Cruise Is Daniss Jenkins’ future in Detroit in doubt now that Marcus Sasser is beginning his return?

“Honestly, I feel like the way we hang our hat on defense, it definitely says a lot about us," Holland said. "When we are really up and we really want to guard from the first quarter to the end, I feel like it’s really hard to deal with us. But it’s going to be nights like this, but I feel like what I’m most proud of is all of us just staying together through all this. There’s going to be adversity throughout games. The fact that we’re able to stay together and pull out wins like this shows the growth that we’ve had over the last year. I think we took a big step tonight even though it didn’t look the best. The fact that we got this win means a lot to us.”

READ MORE: Last-Second Scare: Detroit Pistons Pull Off 1-Point Win Over Atlanta Hawks

Through the first quarter of the regular season, the Pistons have cobbled together wins in a variety of ways. From a victory over Chicago with four regular starters out of the lineup to a dramatic overtime thriller against the Washington Wizards, the Pistons have adjusted the script as necessary in order to add another win to their total. On Monday night, Holland played an integral role in the Pistons’ journey to what was a one-point victory. Every point counted against the Hawks, and Holland added 17 crucial points before the final buzzer sounded. 

For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.