Pistons vs. Hawks GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

Mar 21, 2023 - 10:39 PM

Ten games. It’s just 10 games. We only have to endure 10 more games of a misbegotten Detroit Pistons season. After the NBA Draft lottery, we will look back at this miserable, disappointing year full of injury and ineffectiveness as either the turning point in the franchise’s fortunes or perhaps the first nail in the coffin of another failed rebuild.

But until we get too existential about which 19-year-old might save Detroit’s future, we have 10 more games. Just 10. This one at least features an interesting subplot in the form of former Piston Saddiq Bey. The third-year forward is facing his former team for the first time since a deadline deal to Atlanta that netted the Pistons James Wiseman.

It must be said that Bey is delivering for Atlanta in exactly the way Pistons fans always wanted to see him succeed in Detroit. He’s seventh on the team in shots per game at just 7.5, which represents more than four fewer attempts than he averaged in Detroit. However, with the limited offensive responsibility, his effectiveness has shot through the roof. He’s shooting a career-high 63.6 true shooting percentage and hitting 45% of his 8.5 threes per game. The mid-rangers are gone as are his sometimes wild forays into the paint. Bey is all the better for it. Happy for him.

Game Vitals

When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Detroit +14

Projected Lineups

Atlanta Hawks (35-36)

Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De’Andre Hunter, John Collins, Clint Capela

Detroit Pistons (16-56)

Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Rodney McGruder, Marvin Bagley III, James Wiseman