Atlanta, GA
Detroit Pistons game vs. Atlanta Hawks: Time, TV as Pistons try and end losing streak
What else can really be said at this point?
The Detroit Pistons simply cannot stop losing, and their past three games have been maybe their worst of the season.
The Pistons are now riding a 23-game losing streak, topped off over the last few days by two blowout losses to the Philadelphia 76ers and one to the Milwaukee Bucks. The loss to the Bucks was so carefree for Milwaukee that Giannis Antetokounmpo had his kids join him on the bench.
It was the ugly cherry on top for an already frustrated franchise, team, and fan base.
PISTONS FANS ARE DONE: Detroit Pistons fans fed up during Bucks embarrassment: ‘Perfect night to fire Troy Weaver’
As our’ Omari Sankofa II detailed Sunday morning, the especially frustrating part about this run of bad form is the lack of solutions. The Pistons just hired a new coach, owner Tom Gores has spent money when the situations have called for it, and while general manager Troy Weaver has certainly made mistakes (you don’t lose 23 straight games without making a few bad calls), he has made some strong draft choices, like picking Jalen Duren at No. 13 in 2022 or taking Isaiah Stewart at No. 16 in 2020, two solid value picks for where they were drafted.
So who’s to blame? The players? The coaches? The front office? Ownership? The answer is probably that there’s enough blame to go around for everyone.
But as the Pistons try and figure out what went wrong and more importantly, how to fix it, the basketball games keep coming.
Unlike the three games against the 76ers and Bucks, the Pistons may actually have a chance when they visit the Hawks on Monday, who are five games below .500 and are once again disappointing. Before the 2022-23 season, the Hawks made a big-swing trade, sending multiple first-round picks to the Spurs in exchange for point guard Dejounte Murray. The idea was to pair him up with Trae Young, who has shown flashes of dominance, but not the night-to-night consistency needed to win in the NBA. So far, the pairing has not worked as many expected it to. The Hawks finished exactly .500 last year, good enough for seventh in the Eastern Conference and a first-round knockout. This year, Murray and Young have a minus-2.7 rating per 100 possessions in over 500 minutes together on the floor, which is the fourth lowest of any two-man combination on the team. That’s certainly not ideal for your two best players, who should surely be a net positive when on the floor together.
WHAT CAN YOU DO: Cade Cunningham in disbelief as Detroit Pistons embarrassment increases with each loss
Like the Pistons, the Hawks also have had some injuries that have left the team short-handed, particularly in the frontcourt. Monday’s game will be a decent chance for the Pistons to break the duck, but then again, when you’re playing like they are, nothing comes easy.
Detroit Pistons vs. Atlanta Hawks start time today
Matchup: Pistons (2-24) vs. Hawks (10-15).
Date: Monday, Dec. 18.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET.
Where: State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Betting line: TBD. (how to bet and get sign up bonus).
• Box score
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify)
Detroit Pistons vs. Atlanta Hawks TV channel today
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1 (Pistons radio affiliates).
Streaming: Fubo (free trial).
If you don’t have Bally Sports Detroit, you can sign up for Fubo with a free trial to watch the Pistons all season long.
Detroit Pistons injury report vs. Atlanta Hawks
The Pistons are without starting center Jalen Duren for another week at least with a left ankle sprain. Point guard Monte Morris (right quad strain) remains out into January. Center Isaiah Stewart missed Saturday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks and will again be out for Monday’s game with what is listed as a left shoulder sprain. Guard Alec Burks will be available to play
The Hawks are also down a handful of players. Former Michigan guard Kobe Bufkin was ruled out for 8-10 weeks after fracturing his thumb in November and forward Jalen Johnson is out with a left distal radius fracture. In addition, Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) and Clint Capella (knee) both missed Saturday’s game against the Cavaliers and are listed as questionable for Monday’s game, while AJ Griffin (personal) and Mouhamed Gueye (back) both missed Saturday’s game are out Monday as well.
De’Andre Hunter is also questionable with right knee soreness.
LET’S TALK TRADES: Pistons have several expiring contracts to facilitate a trade soon
Pistons vs. Bucks starting lineups
Pistons: G Killian Hayes, G Cade Cunningham, F Bojan Bogdanovic, F Ausar Thompson, C Marvin Bagley III/Isaiah Stewart.
Hawks: G Dejounte Murray, G Trae Young, F Sadiq Bey, F De’Andre Hunter, F Onyeka Okongwu.
Lineups subject to change.
Pistons uniform, jersey vs. Hawks
The Pistons will wear their traditional road blue jerseys when they travel to Atlanta to face Trae Young and the Hawks. The Pistons have worn the blue jerseys just six times this season and are 1-5 when they do wear them.
The Hawks will wear their red Icon Edition jerseys that have yellow and white lining down the sides and “Atlanta” written on the chest.
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Atlanta, GA
Assaults On Transgender People Leads To Arrest In Atlanta
ATLANTA, GA — Police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old man accused of assaulting multiple transgender people in Atlanta, authorities said.
Michael Boykin was taken into custody after police received a tip that he was in the area of 160 Ponce De Leon Ave. Northeast. According to police, Boykin was wanted because of his connection to a series of assaults targeting transgender people.
Authorities said they believe Boykin had a gun and was considered armed and dangerous at the time of his arrest.
Police arrested Boykin on outstanding warrants for aggravated assault, criminal trespassing, battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was also charged with possession of drug-related objects.
No additional information was immediately available.
Atlanta, GA
A’s Reportedly Sign Former Atlanta Braves Third Baseman
All offseason, the question looming over the Athletics has been who will man the hot corner for them in their first season in West Sacramento, and on Thursday night we received a bit of clarity. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the A’s are in agreement with former Atlanta Braves third baseman Gio Urshela, with Martín Gallegos of MLB.com saying that it’s a one-year deal. The agreement has not been announced by the A’s, as the deal is pending a physical.
Last season the A’s struggled to find consistency at third base, initially giving the job to J.D. Davis, whom they signed during Spring Training, but when he went down with an injury early in the season, Abraham Toro took over and provided a bit of a spark across 56 games at the position. In 28 games in May, Toro hit .315 with a .351 OBP. From that point on, he topped out at batting .200 in eight games in July, and was designated for assignment in late August.
The A’s also deployed Tyler Nevin, Brett Harris, Armando Alvarez, and Darell Hernaiz at third this past season, with the six players combining for a 79 wRC+ (100 is league average), with nobody possessing a league average bat in the bunch, and accumulating -0.9 fWAR. The Athletics ranked No. 28 in fWAR at the position.
GM David Forst has said that the A’s were looking to add a veteran to the mix headed into 2025, with an emphasis on defense. This will be Urshela’s tenth season in the big leagues, and at the very least he has consistently put up WAR totals greater than zero, which will be an improvement.
The 33-year-old signed on with the Detroit Tigers last offseason, but they released him in late August. The Braves picked him up a couple of days later, and he finished out the season with Atlanta. Between both stops, he played 128 games, 110 of those coming at third base, with some time also spent across the diamond at first.
He hit .250 with a .286 OBP, nine homers, 52 RBI, and ended up with an 81 wRC+. With the glove, he racked up 0 Defensive Runs Saved and +3 Outs Above Average, using a couple of different metrics. His defense at the position has seemingly improved in recent years, and he has gone from well below league average to at, or above.
While adding a veteran upgrade was certainly on Forst’s bingo card, Urshela doesn’t figure to be a full-time addition to the roster. Instead, he’s likely to have the large side of the platoon, though who his partner will be is up for debate.
Last season against left-handers he went 17-for-96 (.177), while batting .271 in a much larger sample size against righties. While we missed on which player the A’s could end up signing, A’s on SI seemed to be on the right track with the thinking of the front office. Urshela’s 97 wRC+ against right-handers (vs. 29 against lefties) in 2024 should lead to him playing the majority of the time, but perhaps not every day.
Instead, the likely option against southpaws, at least in this point in the offseason, is Darell Hernaiz. Both players have upside with the glove, and Hernaiz went 12-for-43 (.279) against lefties, good for a 90 wRC+. While the A’s still don’t have a ton of pop at the position, they have the makings of a conglomerate league average option.
This is also an interesting path for the team to take, since Urshela’s deal is only for the 2025 campaign. That would seem to suggest that the A’s believe in former top first round pick Max Muncy being able to make the transition from shortstop to third base in the early part of the season, and potentialy make his debut at some point in the second half of ’25.
Adding Urshela buys the A’s a little time to figure out who will ultimately take over at third base, and it also potentially buys Hernaiz another look in the big leagues, and a chace to earn the job himself.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hawks Guard Listed as Good Trade Target for Sixers
Since they’re only one-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot, the Philadelphia 76ers should remain a buyer as trade season gets underway in the NBA. Armed with decent sized contracts and draft capital, Daryl Morey has the assets to bolster the supporting cast around the team’s star trio.
As the rumor mill starts to heat up, the staff at The Athletic compiled a big board of players who could be on the move before the February 6th deadline. Among those mentioned was Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. When listing best fits for the veteran, the Sixers were among the handful of teams cited.
Given that he’s a 38.4 percent career 3-point shooter, it’s exceptionally difficult to imagine he won’t get back to that level at some point as he gets his rhythm back. But he doesn’t totally fit the Hawks’ new age timeline, and a number of teams would love to get a player like Bogdanović, who has a proven big-game track record on the international stage.
With the Hawks going in a different direction, Bogdanovic could garner a lot interest around the league. For the Sixers, the 32-year-old provides multiple needed skills. Bogdanovic could serve as a sixth man/spot starter, along with providing secondary playmaking and shot creation on the offensive end. Most importantly, he is another above-average three-point shooter to put around Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George.
Bogdanovic’s dip in production shouldn’t be alarming, as the Hawks’ roster shakeup has likely played a part in that. In 12 games this season, he is averaging 11.8 PPG and 2.0 APG while shooting 34.6% from deep on moderate volume. With an increased shot quality playing alongside three All-Star’s, Bogdanoivc’s numbers would surely revert back to his career average if traded to the Sixers.
The Sixers would have to combine multiple contracts to acquire Bogdanovic ($17.2 million salary), but he’d be a long-term investment at a rather team-friendly price. He is signed through this season and next with a club option for 2027.
With the Sixers’ high-end talent locked in, the focus is on building a strong supporting cast. As an experienced guard with a complementary skill set, Bogdanovic is someone who could help Philly achieve their goals this season and beyond.
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