Detroit 106, Atlanta 95

ATLANTA (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons are playing like a dominant team, even when the final score is deceptively close.
The Pistons led by 26 after a lopsided third quarter and coasted to their fourth straight victory, beating the Atlanta Hawks 106-95 on Tuesday night.
The Pistons won with balance, with seven players scoring in double figures, led by Tayshaun Prince's 23.
"It was good, man," said Chauncey Billups, who had 10 points and 10 assists. "We got a lot of guys rolling."
Detroit won with a strong inside presence, taking a 10-0 advantage in offensive rebounds in the first half. I was really impressed with the job we did on the glass," said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, adding he considered offensive rebounds "the Hawks' forte."
The Pistons also won with defense, blocking 10 shots and shutting down the Hawks' top scorer, Joe Johnson, who had only five points. Johnson's scoring average dropped a full point from 21.7 to 20.7. It was the low total for Johnson since he had five at Memphis on April 2, 2006.
Johnson called the Pistons "a great team" but added he also had a bad game.
"I'll give them credit, maybe a little bit of both," Johnson said. "It's just tough fighting against double teams."
The Hawks couldn't come close to matching the Pistons' scoring depth. When Johnson was shut down, the Hawks had no backup plan. Josh Smith was held to 13 points, four below his average.
"Our main core guys, they just didn't have it tonight," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "There are nights like that in the NBA. I just hope we don't have many more nights like that."
Saunders credited Richard Hamilton with leading the defensive effort on Johnson.