Pistons step up and beat the Hawks
 

For the first third of the season, the Detroit Pistons kept finding new ways to lose games in the fourth quarter.

They almost did it again on Friday night.

Detroit blew a 19-point lead, but Atlanta had a potential tying shot changed by the officials in the final seconds and Andre Drummond got a piece of Lou Williams' shot as time expired, preserving an 85-84 victory for the Pistons.

Detroit held a double-digit lead for most of its fourth consecutive victory, but Atlanta put together a 16-0 run to close to 83-82 with 3:13 to play.

''I told our guys that if we kept hanging around, we would give ourselves a chance at the end,'' Hawks coach Larry Drew said. ''We didn't play well for three quarters, but we got it rolling in the fourth. We just came up a little short.''

-- Associated Press