'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 26

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_CODE=NBA

Mardy Collins is expected to sit out (calf) as are Chris Kaman (expected to get back on the court in practice right after the break) and Mike Taylor (shooting for the 20th of February). It's conceivable - knocking on wood - that the Clippers are fully healthy before March.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Blogs/Courtsi ... E_CODE=NBA

Marcus Camby is a game-time decision for the Los Angeles Clippers. He has some sort of ear/sinus/migraine issue. Coach Mike Dunleavy said he was at the team's film session yesterday but was pretty out of it.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 20405/1127

Pistons fail again to fix current ills
Detroit enters All-Star break with third straight loss, including sixth in last seven at The Palace. The Pistons aren't winning much anywhere, anymore, but especially at The Palace. What used to be a difficult arena for opponents, almost an impossible place to win, is rapidly becoming a favorite stop for out-of-town teams. The Pistons lost for the sixth time in seven games at home Wednesday to the Atlanta Hawks 99-95. Joe Johnson scored 27 and former Piston Flip Murray had 23 points to lead the Hawks. "I've said it before, we haven't played well at home pretty much all season," said Tayshaun Prince, and the Pistons' 14-13 record at The Palace indicates that to be true. "We play good at one point of the game, but for the most part, we're not putting together a 48-minute game."

Allen Iverson, playing despite the flu, led the Pistons with 28 points, 15 of them in the fourth quarter. Richard Hamilton scored 14, and Prince and Rodney Stuckey had 12 each.Rasheed Wallace (nine points, seven rebounds) was bothered by tendinitis in his knee and didn't play after the midway mark of the third quarter. The Pistons (27-24) head into the All-Star break with a three-game losing streak and are 5-12 in their last 17 games. "Definitely you don't get to enjoy your break," said coach Michael Curry, who believes the long weekend away from basketball could help his team. "Guys look physically tired and mentally drained. Hopefully this can re-energize them." Iverson's layup cut the Hawks lead to 97-95 with 9.4 seconds left. But Johnson made two free throws to close out the victory. The Pistons knew Johnson was capable of that type of game, but Murray's effort off the bench hurt. "That's a killer," Curry said of Murray's production off the bench. Behind Iverson's shooting, the Pistons closed to 86-84 with 6:07 left in the game. But Murray and Johnson had consecutive buckets to extend the Hawks lead. "I'm still real light-headed, I was dizzy at times and actually threw up during a timeout," Iverson said. "I was real weak."

Murray scored 10 of the Hawks' last 12 in the third quarter, enabling Atlanta to pull into a 76-68 lead. "For some reason, when we come home, we have a lull," Curry said. "When we're on the road, we're all together and you have to fight, that's all you got. (At home) everyone is finding reasons why we're losing." The Hawks led at halftime, 48-46, and opened up a six-point lead early in the third quarter before the Pistons rallied behind Iverson and Stuckey. A bucket by Stuckey gave the Pistons a 64-62 lead, but the Hawks went on a 14-4 run to finish the third quarter, with Murray doing most of the damage. "It's not a good feeling," Iverson said of the Pistons' recent slide. "In life you have to deal with adversity. It's something we have to deal with right now. The whole thing is to stay positive and stick with each other."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=11526

Atlanta Hawks @ Detroit Pistons: The Hawks have finally gotten healthy, and come into tonight's game as winners of four of their last five games. The Pistons, on the other hand, have lost three of their last five, may be without Allen Iverson again (flu), and are waiting on pins and needles to see who gets traded over the next few days. A win would send the Hawks into the All-Star break with a 3.5 game lead over the Pistons in the race for home court advantage.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_16366

Rockets guard Tracy McGrady could miss the remainder of the season, according to sources close to Local 2 sports. An MRI revealed missing cartilage in his left knee, which may require microfracture surgery to repair.

The possibility remains, however, that McGrady will try to finish the season. Dr. James Andrews, generally regarded as the premier orthopaedic surgeon in the country for this type of injury, will review the MRI before a final decision is made. Andrews advised those close to McGrady, that a microfracture surgery should only be used in a career saving situation.

McGrady and the Rockets will discuss options in a meeting at Toyota Center prior to tonight's game against Sacramento. At this point, the Rockets have no comment on the situation.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_16366

The Portland Trail Blazers have made a strong play for Amare Stoudemire, discussing a package that includes LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Raef LeFrentz's $12.7 million expiring contract, a person with direct knowledge of the talks told CBSSports.com Tuesday.

The Blazers, among the most active teams in the league as the Feb. 19 trade deadline draws near, have joined Chicago, Miami, Detroit, Toronto, Golden State, and New Jersey among a growing list of teams that have discussed acquiring Stoudemire from the Suns.

Several team executives told CBSSports.com that no clear front-runner has emerged as Suns president Steve Kerr tries to extract the best possible offer for Stoudemire, whose stock has fallen as Phoenix continues to struggle in its adjustment to a new style under coach Terry Porter. The Raptors are "pushing hard," one exec said, but at this point want to pair Stoudemire with Chris Bosh and continue to rebuff any trade proposals that include parting with the team's cornerstone. Bosh has a player option after next season and can become one of the headliners in the 2010 free-agent class.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090211/C ... or+Pistons

Beginning of end for Pistons
A much needed All-Star break can’t fix what’s broken with the Pistons. They’ll rest over the next four days. They’ll heal physically. But they’ll remain a mentally-fractured team when they return to business on Monday. The disconnection between the veterans and an organization they suspect has abandoned them won’t dissipate over time. It’ll only worsen. The Pistons are within range of not making the playoffs at all. That wouldn’t be the worst thing for them. If the alternative is getting bounced out of the first round, then not making the playoffs at all wouldn’t be that much more of an embarrassment. They resemble a lottery team right now – particularly in their inability to win at home. There’s no longer a Palace intimidation factor. Atlanta once embodied that visitor, practically frightened out of their Nikes as soon as it took the floor, fearing that defensive energy surge that regularly carried previous Pistons’ editions to victory. But the Hawks laughed themselves off the Palace floor Wednesday after handing the Pistons their sixth home loss in their seven games. “For some reason, when we come home, we have a lull,” said coach Michael Curry afterwards, his head bowed in disappointment. “When we’re on the road, we’re all together because we’ve got to fight because that’s all you’ve got. When you come home, everyone’s finding a reason for why we’re losing, looking for an excuse. But the reality is I’ve never seen anyone outside the court control the game on the court.”

Curry hoped that the players would return from the All-Star break mentally and physically ready to fight. He hoped? He’s not confident that they’ll return ready for a fierce fight? This was a preview of an Eastern Conference first round playoff series only if the Pistons are extraordinarily fortunate. The Hawks’ 99-95 win gave them a 3 1/2-game cushion over the Pistons for the No. 4 conference playoff seed and home court advantage for the first round. The Pistons’ loss, coupled with Philadelphia’s victory meant there’s now a three-way tie for the fifth seed between the Pistons, Sixers and Miami. And only three games now distance the Pistons from No. 8 Milwaukee. There was confidence not too long ago that, despite the transitional struggles, this was still a bona fide playoff team. Such reassurance provided some solace, but that’s gradually melting away along with the Pistons’ home swagger. “I have not seen anybody blaming anybody or pointing fingers,” said Allen Iverson. “Once that starts to happen, if that happens, which I don’t think it will, once that happens we are really in trouble. Once we stop trusting each other, then you might as well throw the season in.”

They’re getting to that point. This loss concluded the worst 48-hour period of this season. They choked away at late 10-point lead in Chicago Tuesday and didn’t have an answer for another young team they once handily mastered Wednesday. The Eastern Conference is growing up and moving past the Pistons at frightening speed.And the disappointing truth is that there’s no pre-empting this slide. Firing Curry right now would be impulsive and stupid. He still has the support of the only voice that matters – Joe Dumars. Acquiring Amare Stoudemire prior to next Thursday’s trading deadline is beyond unlikely because the Pistons lack one critical component that Phoenix has reportedly demanded in every trade offer for the star power forward – an established young starter. The Pistons can offer potential, but nobody as young and proven as Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Golden State’s Andris Biedrins, or Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich, among the many names bandied about in trade speculation. The Pistons are lifeless. Rodney Stuckey denies any fatigue, but he’s hit the physical wall that inevitably smacks every young player unaccustomed to the grind of an 82-game season. Rasheed Wallace missed the fourth quarter with what Curry categorized as a combination of fatigue and tendinitis in his knee. They looked tired alright – tired of being around each other.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.click2houston.com/sports/186 ... ail.html#-

Rockets guard Tracy McGrady could miss the remainder of the season, according to sources close to Local 2 sports. An MRI revealed missing cartilage in his left knee, which may require microfracture surgery to repair.

The possibility remains, however, that McGrady will try to finish the season. Dr. James Andrews, generally regarded as the premier orthopaedic surgeon in the country for this type of injury, will review the MRI before a final decision is made. Andrews advised those close to McGrady, that a microfracture surgery should only be used in a career saving situation.

McGrady and the Rockets will discuss options in a meeting at Toyota Center prior to tonight's game against Sacramento. At this point, the Rockets have no comment on the situation.

[nasty daddy]

http://stats.mlive.com/nba/recap.asp?g= ... me=8&vis=1

The Pistons are in danger of having consecutive losing months for the first time since 2001. ... Iverson played a day after missing a game with flulike symptoms, but said he still wasn't feeling well. "I don't have any energy," Iverson said before joining his team for pregame layups. After the game, he didn't feel much better. "I'm still real lightheaded," Iverson said. "I was dizzy at times and I actually threw up during a timeout." ... Atlanta beat the Pistons 85-78 at home on Dec. 21 and will host the series finale on March 7, going for a sweep. ... Wallace played one game for the Hawks in 2004 before he was traded to the Pistons and helped them win their third NBA title. ... Stuckey played a night after spraining his right ankle.

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... W10562.htm

Final Score: Atlanta 99, Detroit 95
Joe Johnson finished with 27 points and Ronald Murray added 23, as the Atlanta Hawks held on for a 99-95 win over the Detroit Pistons. Josh Smith added 10 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Hawks, who have won two in a row and four of five. The push helped Atlanta improve its record to 31-21 going into the All-Star break, as the Hawks sit in second place in the Southeast Division, 7 1/2 games behind Orlando. "It means a lot," Johnson said. "It was definitely a big game. These guys gave us trouble for the past few years. For us to come in their house and steal one, man, shows a lot of heart and a lot of character." Allen Iverson recorded a game-high 28 points, but the Pistons lost their third in a row heading into the break. Detroit is 27-24 and also in second place in its division, the Central, but sits a full 13 games back of Cleveland. "The whole thing is to stay positive, stay with each other," Iverson said. "Not to point fingers, not to play the blame game, and be real men about the situation. We're in here, we win together, we lose together...You don't win a championship at the All-Star break." Richard Hamilton added 14 points for the Pistons, while Tayshaun Prince had 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.

Atlanta led throughout the fourth quarter, but not by more than a few possessions. After an Iverson free throw midway through got the Pistons within 86-84, Murray and Johnson each had a basket to increase the Hawks' edge to six. An Al Horford jumper with four minutes remaining put Atlanta ahead 92-85, and the Hawks held a two-possession lead down the stretch, until a Hamilton jumper pulled the Pistons within 96-93 with 15 seconds left. After Horford was fouled and made one of two free throws, Iverson drove for a quick basket to get Detroit within 97-95. Johnson, though, made two foul shots to push Atlanta's lead back to two possessions, and the Hawks held on for the win.

Neither team held a lead of more than five points in the first quarter, though that only came after Rasheed Wallace began the game with a three-pointer and a jumper. Atlanta responded with two baskets, and it was back-and-forth the rest of the way, as Murray's jumper just before the buzzer made it a 24-24 game going into the second. The teams traded nine-point runs in the second quarter. The Pistons' came shortly into the frame, as they went up 33-26 after a Jason Maxiell bucket. But near the midway point, Atlanta ran off nine consecutive points, of which Johnson had five. Horford's dunk ended the run to give the Hawks a 37-36 edge, and Atlanta carried a 48-46 lead at halftime. In a back-and-forth third quarter, Murray scored the final six Hawks points, including a three in the closing moments to boost Atlanta's lead to 76-68 heading into the fourth.

[nasty daddy]

http://64.246.64.33/merge/tsnform.aspx? ... W10562.htm

The Pistons made only 12-of-19 free throws, while the Hawks sank 19- of-23...Antonio McDyess added 10 points and 10 boards off the bench for Detroit, while Rodney Stuckey added 12 points...Horford had 15 points for the Hawks, while Marvin Williams ended with 11 points and eight rebounds.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3416

Joe Johnson 27 points, Hawks beat Pistons 99-95
Joe Johnson scored 27 points and Flip Murray had 23 Wednesday night, leading Atlanta to a 99-95 win over Detroit… Allen Iverson scored 26 for the Pistons, who fell a game under .500 since he joined the lineup… Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scored 14, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince each scored 12 and Antonio McDyess added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace didn’t play for the last 16-plus minutes and finished with nine points and seven rebounds.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.insidehoops.com/blog/?p=3424

Shawn Marion hurts eye in practice
The Miami Herald (Michael Wallace) reports: Heat forward Shawn Marion was knocked out of Wednesday’s practice because of an eye injury and is questionable for Thursday’s game at Chicago. Marion was injured late in the workout, when forward Michael Beasley inadvertently hit him in the left eye during a drill. Marion was taken to a doctor for treatment and diagnosed with a bruised left eye orbit. Marion, the Heat’s leading rebounder, traveled with the team Wednesday and will be evaluated Thursday.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090211/S ... Star+break

Pistons slide into All-Star break
The Hawks showed Detroit why its playoff success might end if the teams meet in April. Joe Johnson scored 27 points and former Piston Flip Murray had 23 tonight, leading the Hawks to a 99-95 win over Detroit. If the postseason started today, the Hawks would’ve hosted the Pistons, and they seemingly have too much energy, talent and offensive options for Detroit to handle. The Hawks took the lead late for good in the third quarter, and after Detroit pulled within two with 9.4 seconds left, Johnson made two free throws to seal the win. Allen Iverson scored 28 for the Pistons, who fell a game under .500 since he joined the lineup.

In addition to Atlanta’s 20-point scorers, Al Horford (Grand Ledge) scored 15, Marvin Williams had 11 and Josh Smith added 10 to give the up-and-coming team balance offensively.Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scored 14, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince each scored 12 and Antonio McDyess added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace didn’t play for the last 16-plus minutes and finished with nine points and seven rebounds. The Hawks (31-21) have won four of five, matching the most wins they’ve had at the All-Star break in a decade. Detroit (27-24) heads into the break after losing three straight, 13 of 19 and fell to 23-24 since Iverson joined the team in a trade for Chauncey Billups. The Pistons, who won the NBA title five years ago during an active streak of six straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals, have their worst record at the break since 2002.

The game was tied at 24 entering the second quarter after six lead changes.
After falling behind, Detroit went on a 10-2 run to take a 36-28 lead, only to give up nine straight points to trail again. The Hawks were ahead 48-46 at halftime. Murray scored 10 straight in the third quarter to help Atlanta close the period on a 14-4 run and take a 76-68 lead into the fourth. Atlanta started the fourth period with an eight-point lead, its largest, but Iverson made three-pointers on consecutive possessions and a free throw to pull Detroit within two points. Then Murray scored on an easy layup the next time down the court and Pistons coach Michael Curry called timeout, trying to fix the shoddy defense.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090211/S ... Star+break

Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, who was Larry Brown’s top assistant when Detroit won the 2004 NBA title, beat the Pistons for just the second time in five years. ...The Pistons are in danger of having consecutive losing months for the first time since 2001. ...Iverson played a day after missing a game with flulike symptoms, but said he still wasn’t feeling well. “I don’t have any energy,” Iverson said before joining his team for pregame layups. ...Atlanta beat the Pistons 85-78 at home on Dec. 21 and will host the series finale on March 7, going for a sweep. ...Wallace played one game for the Hawks in 2004 before he was traded to the Pistons and helped them win their third NBA title. ...Stuckey played a night after spraining his right ankle. ...The Pistons cut Murray nearly a year ago.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... 9629.story

The Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons are in unfamiliar territory.

Atlanta has its best record at the All-Star break in a decade while Detroit hasn't been this bad in several years.

If the postseason started Wednesday, the Hawks would've hosted the Pistons, who don't seem equipped to handle Atlanta's energy, talent and offensive options. Atlanta would win the tiebreaker, if it finishes the regular season tied with Detroit, because it has won two of the three scheduled meetings.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=16553

Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash is out of the startling lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Nash, who turned 35 on Saturday, has been bothered by nagging back, shoulder and hamstring injuries. He went 1-of-8 in Monday's loss to Philadelphia before being pulled in the third quarter.

A two-time league MVP, Nash is averaging 13.8 points and 9.8 assists in 46 games.Leandro Barbosa started in Nash's place.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090212/S ... 5++summary

Hawks 99, Pistons 95
ATLANTA min fg-a ft-a r (o-t) a pf pts
Williams 32:24 4-9 2-2 2-8 0 1 11
Smith 35:07 5-12 0-2 0-7 7 3 10
Horford 33:49 6-11 3-4 1-7 2 2 15
Bibby 37:37 1-5 2-2 0-0 4 2 5
JJohnson 38:18 10-16 6-6 0-3 4 2 27
Pachulia 17:39 1-1 2-2 2-6 1 2 4
Evans 16:23 1-2 2-2 0-1 0 2 4
Murray 28:44 10-18 2-3 1-3 1 2 23
Totals 240:01 38-74 19-23 6-35 19 16 99
FG: 514. FT: 826. 3PG: 4-11, .364 (Williams 1-1, J.Johnson 1-2, Bibby 1-3, Murray 1-3, Evans 0-1, Smith 0-1). Team rebounds: 3. Blocks: 5 (Horford 2, Bibby, Murray, Williams). Turnovers: 7 (Bibby 3, Horford, J.Johnson, Smith, Williams). Steals: 6 (Smith 4, Bibby, Horford).

DETROIT min fg-a ft-a r (o-t) a pf pts
Prince 38:13 4-10 4-6 1-5 8 1 12
AJohnson 20:19 2-3 0-0 1-3 1 4 4
Wallace 24:55 4-8 0-0 1-7 0 0 9
Stuckey 30:30 5-11 1-2 1-1 1 4 12
Iverson 39:36 11-20 3-6 0-2 3 3 28
Hamilton 30:34 6-16 2-2 2-4 5 4 14
Afflalo 10:44 0-1 0-0 0-4 0 3 0
Maxiell 17:07 3-5 0-0 2-4 0 2 6
McDyess 28:02 4-5 2-3 3-10 1 1 10
Totals 240:00 39-79 12-19 11-40 19 22 95
FG: 494. FT: 632. 3PG: 5-13, .385 (Iverson 3-6, Stuckey 1-1, Wallace 1-2, Hamilton 0-2, Prince 0-2). Team rebounds: 9. Blocks: 3 (Maxiell 2, Wallace). Turnovers: 9 (McDyess 2, Stuckey 2, Wallace 2, Iverson, A.Johnson, Prince). Steals: 6 (Iverson 3, Maxiell, McDyess, Prince).

Atlanta 24 24 28 23 -- 99
Detroit 24 22 22 27 -- 95

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090212/S ... 5++summary

Tuesday night Bulls 107, Pistons 102
DETROIT min fg-a ft-a r (o-t) a pf pts
Prince 42:57 8-16 0-0 2-8 5 2 16
Johnson 19:13 1-3 1-2 4-5 0 4 3
Wallace 33:21 7-11 4-4 2-10 0 4 20
Stuckey 40:38 6-16 4-4 0-4 5 5 16
Afflalo 15:55 2-5 0-0 1-2 0 2 4
McDyess 29:41 3-6 0-0 4-7 2 4 6
Maxiell 13:30 2-3 1-2 1-1 0 1 5
Hamilton 37:25 11-21 6-8 0-1 8 5 30
Herrmann 0:15 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Bynum 7:05 1-2 0-1 0-2 1 0 2
Totals 240:00 41-83 16-21 14-40 21 27 102
FG: 494. FT: 762. 3PG: 4-9, .444 (Wallace 2-4, Hamilton 2-5). Team rebounds: 6. Blocks: 6 (Prince 2, Wallace 2, Johnson, Maxiell). Turnovers: 15 (Stuckey 4, Prince 3, Hamilton 2, McDyess 2, Wallace 2, Afflalo, Johnson). Steals: 7 (Wallace 3, Hamilton 2, Stuckey 2).

CHICAGO min fg-a ft-a r (o-t) a pf pts
Deng 29:36 1-7 5-6 0-3 3 1 7
Thomas 41:11 6-14 10-13 6-10 3 2 22
Noah 42:57 5-11 2-2 8-16 2 4 12
Rose 29:29 10-15 3-4 1-2 4 2 23
Gordon 34:23 8-18 5-8 1-4 3 3 24
Hinrich 25:51 2-6 0-0 0-2 5 2 5
Nocioni 23:59 5-6 3-4 1-4 1 0 14
Sefolosha 12:34 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 1 0
Totals 240:00 37-78 28-37 18-43 21 15 107
FG: 474. FT: 757. 3PG: 5-10, .500 (Gordon 3-4, Nocioni 1-2, Hinrich 1-4). Team rebounds: 8. Blocks: 3 (Gordon, Noah, Thomas). Turnovers: 16 (Gordon 5, Thomas 5, Deng 2, Hinrich 2, Nocioni, Sefolosha). Steals: 9 (Thomas 3, Deng 2, Noah 2, Gordon, Nocioni).

Detroit 22 29 34 17 -- 102
Chicago 30 20 21 36 -- 107

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090212/S ... Star+break

Losing skid continues as Pistons reach All-Star break
The Pistons will go their separate ways for the All-Star break on a three-game losing streak. Allen Iverson said he hopes the Pistons stick together. The team's latest setback was a 99-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at the Palace on Wednesday night. The Pistons are 5-12 in their past 17 games and 1-6 at home in their past seven. Iverson, who missed Wednesday's 107-102 loss at Chicago because of flu-like symptoms, scored 15 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter against the Hawks. He hit a free throw to pull the Pistons within 86-84, but missed a jumper to tie with about 6 minutes left. Iverson hit a lay-up to again cut the deficit to 97-95 with 9 seconds left. Joe Johnson hit two free throws for Atlanta, and Iverson missed a three with 3 seconds left. The Pistons knew they would have a tough task playing an improving Hawks team that features Johnson.

But former Piston Flip Murray came off the bench to torch his former teammates with 23 points, two shy of his season high. "We go into the game and say that Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby and Josh Smith were three keys," Pistons coach Michael Curry said. "You know the guys off the bench are capable. I thought we did an excellent job on Bibby and an excellent job on Josh. Joe had a good game, and Flip Murray, 23 points, I think. That's a killer." Murray's lay-up gave the Hawks a four-point lead with 5:33 left, and Johnson hit a bank shot for a 90-84 lead with 4:45 remaining. Johnson's jumper with 1:52 left put the Hawks ahead, 94-87. Johnson led the Hawks with 27 points."In life you have to deal with adversity," Iverson said. "It's something we have to deal with right now."The whole thing is to stay positive, stay with each other. Not to point fingers. Not to play the blame game, and be real men about the situation. We win together. We lose together. It's going to be important to stay together. You don't win a championship at the break." Richard Hamilton scored 14 points, and Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince (eight assists) each scored 12. The teams were tied at 64 with 3:05 left in the third quarter, before the Hawks finished with a 12-4 run.

Murray scored 10 of the Hawks' 12 points, including six in the final minute after hitting a jumper and free throw with 41 seconds left and a trey with 9 seconds left. After taking an eight-point lead in the second quarter, the Pistons went into the second half trailing, 48-46. Marvin Williams opened the scoring in the second half with two free throws, then the Pistons went on a 12-2 run. Antonio McDyess grabbed a defensive rebound and sent a long pass to Hamilton, who finished with a lay-up to give Detroit a 36-28 lead with 6:45 remaining in the second quarter. The Hawks answered with a 9-0 run over the next 3 minutes and led, 37-36, after a dunk by Al Horford with 3:41 remaining. Curry, talking about the team's struggles at home recently, said: "When we come home, we have a lull. When we're on the road, we're all together. You gotta fight, because that's all you got. When you come home, everyone's finding a reason why we're losing and looking for an excuse. You've got everyone with a reason why. The reality is, I've never seen anyone outside the court control the game on the court. ... Hopefully this break, guys come back mentally and physically ready to play and just control what you can control as a player. Pull for your teammates to be successful. Help each other each possession offensively and defensively, and just try to play harder than the opposing team."