Tip-off: Wednesday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: N/A, Total: N/A

The Hawks will be looking to earn a solid road victory over the Pistons on Wednesday.

Atlanta is extremely hot right now, as the team has won nine of its past 10 games and covered in seven of those contests. The Hawks most recently faced the Knicks, and they won that game 108-107 in Madison Square Garden. Atlanta forced New York to commit 18 turnovers in that game, and the Hawks have now forced their opponent to commit 15 or more turnovers in five of the past seven contests. They play swarming defense and will hope to do so again on Wednesday. The Pistons, meanwhile, turned the ball over only seven times in a 102-97 victory over the Lakers last game. Detroit will need to make sure it is careful with the ball again in this one or the Hawks will likely win this one. Atlanta won 105-98 the last time these teams met, but the Pistons won 121-85 in the first meeting between these teams on the year. It’s worth noting that the Hawks are an impressive 7-1 ATS versus Central division opponents on the season. The Pistons, meanwhile, are a miserable 1-5 ATS after playing a game as a road favorite on the year. PF Jon Leuer (Knee) and SG Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (Shoulder) are both questionable for the Pistons, as well. Things will be tough on Detroit if those two can’t play.

The Hawks have surprised a lot of people by the way they’ve played, especially since trading Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers. Atlanta has completely bought in defensively this season, as the team is one of the most efficient teams in the league on that end. C Dwight Howard’s (13.9 PPG, 13.3 RPG, 1.3 BPG) arrival has certainly helped in that regard. Howard might not be what he once was, but he is still one of the better rim protectors in basketball. He’ll face a tough test on Tuesday, though. Andre Drummond has the size and strength to bang with Howard, and this game could be decided on which one of them is able to stay on the court. Howard must avoid foul trouble or it’ll be tough for Atlanta to win. PF Paul Millsap (17.8 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG), however, should be able to absolutely dominate this game. While Millsap isn’t necessarily huge, he is a lot stronger than Tobias Harris at the power forward spot. That will allow Millsap to really thrive in the post, and he’ll also pop out and hit a few threes. The Hawks just need PG Dennis Schroder (17.4 PPG, 6.1 APG) to hold his own against Reggie Jackson, and they should be able to earn this road win. Schroder is a pest defensively and that should frustrate Reggie Jackson, who can really struggle when opponents get into his head.

If the Pistons are going to win on Wednesday then C Andre Drummond (14.5 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG) must really play well in his matchup with Dwight Howard. Drummond normally has a physical advantage over all of his opponents, but that will not be the case this time around. That means that he’ll need to play a smart game on both ends of the floor, and rely a little bit on finesse. Drummond doesn’t have a ton of moves, but he gotten better with his push floater in recent years. That shot should come in handy on Wednesday, as it won’t be as easy for Drummond to just go up and dunk the ball. Reggie Jackson (16.3PPG, 5.3 APG), meanwhile, will need to use his size advantage on Schroder to get to the basket. He has a ton of weight on Schroder, and that will allow him to absorb contact when attempting to finish at the rim. He’ll just need to hope that his jumper doesn’t abandon him, which it has at times since returning from a knee injury. Whether or not the Pistons can win this game will likely come down to who else steps up, though. PF Tobias Harris (16.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG) is certainly capable of doing that, but the team needs something from the shooting guard position. With SG Kentavius Caldwell-Pope (14.5 PPG, 1.3 SPG) banged up, Detroit could struggle to get production there.