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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- It was one of the most spectacular plays of a dreary season for the Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond knocked a pass away near midcourt, took off toward the basket and threw down an emphatic one-handed dunk while being fouled by Atlantas Elton Brand. "I knew I didnt have a chance," Brand said. Drummonds dunk propelled the Pistons to a 115-107 win over the Hawks on Friday night that snapped Detroits three-game losing streak and handed Atlanta its eighth straight loss. The Hawks shot 17 of 20 from the field during a 41-point second quarter, but the Pistons rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit. "We came together at halftime. We asked each other if we really want this," Drummond said. "We looked each other in the eyes as men and we all came together and decided we wanted to do this. So we came out firing." Atlanta was without guard Jeff Teague, who was out with a sprained ankle. Al Horford was lost for the season in December with a torn pectoral muscle. Paul Millsap had 23 points for the Hawks. "We had that huge second quarter, but they must have gotten a huge pep talk at halftime, because they really came out for the third with a lot of energy," Atlantas Kyle Korver said. Drummonds dunk on Brand gave the Pistons a 93-88 lead with 10:00 to play. Brand was a good sport about it, smiling a bit and even appearing to look up at the scoreboard for a replay. Drummond finished 10 of 11 from the field, but the Hawks finally started fouling him intentionally. The Detroit big man finished 0 for 8 on free throws, and the Pistons eventually took him out for the final 3:40. "Obviously, were trying to get back into the game, and it helped," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We didnt score every time that we tried it, but it gave us a chance. It also helps that hes a great young player and we got him off the floor for a couple minutes." It was tied at 104 when Detroits Kyle Singler made a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Will Bynum doubled the lead with a driving three-point play with 1:06 to go. A 3-pointer by Singler with 30 seconds left made it 113-106. Greg Monroe had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, who stood pat at the trade deadline Thursday. Detroit is now 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta and Charlotte, who are in a virtual tie for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks looked unstoppable on offence in the second quarter, scoring at will while going the entire period without a turnover. But the Pistons outscored Atlanta 34-20 in the third. It wasnt a perfect second half by any means for Detroit, but the Pistons did show some urgency. Brandon Jennings, who was having a poor shooting game for Detroit, was fouled twice while shooting 3-pointers. After Jennings missed badly from 3-point range, Josh Smith blocked Millsap at the other end, and Jennings was waiting behind the defence for a layup that gave the Pistons an 82-79 lead. "We made two or three hustle plays that winning teams make," Detroit interim coach John Loyer said. "Two and three bodies on the floor, couple guys going out of bounds. You guys all watch the NBA. The better teams do that." Jennings finished with 12 points and 14 assists, although he didnt play at all in the fourth. Detroit went with Bynum instead, and he finished with nine points and seven assists. "Brandon is a scorer. Brandon has been a great facilitator for us," Loyer said. "He started to attack in the third quarter and Will came in and finished it. Thats what teammates do." NOTES: Atlanta shot 85 per cent in the second quarter, one of the top marks for one quarter in the NBA this season. Denver shot 87 per cent (13 for 15) in the fourth quarter at Toronto on Dec. 1, according to STATS. ... The Pistons outscored the Hawks 66-34 in the paint. ... Kyle Korver was 2 for 4 from 3-point range, extending his NBA record to 123 consecutive games with a 3. . -- All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints met Tuesday for arbitration on his contract. .com) - Willie Cauley-Stein and Karl-Anthony Towns each scored 12 points in the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 70-55 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. . Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. . Zdeno Chara scored with 13 seconds left in regulation after David Krejci tied it late, lifting the Bruins to a 3-2 win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night in a game that saw Orpik taken from the ice on a stretcher.Garbine Muguruza of Spain beat Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-1 to reach the Grand Prix SAR semifinals on Friday. Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, Romina Oprandi of Switzerland and Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor of Spain also moved into the last four. The top-seeded Hantuchova received a walkover from Peng Shuai of China, who had a left thigh injury, Oprandi defeated third-seeded Yvonne Meusburger of Austria 6-4, 6-4, and Torro-Flor edged Polona Hercog of Slovenia 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5). The fifth-seeded Muguruza won seven straight games against Peer to clinch the first set and lead 5-0 in the second. The Spaniard is enjoying a breakthrough season, as she clinched her first WTA title in Januuary at the Hobart International and finished runner-up at the Brazil Cup in March.dddddddddddd Peer made five double faults and was able to hold serve only once. Muguruza will face Torro-Flor, who wasted a 4-2 lead in the last set but rallied from 5-3 down in the final tiebreaker. Hercog failed to serve out the first set at 5-4 and double-faulted seven times. Oprandi reached her first semifinal since the Brussels Open in May 2013 and will play Hantuchova. The Swiss player rallied from a 3-0 deficit to lead 5-3 in the first set, and broke Meusburger for a 2-1 lead in the second. Meusberger made seven double faults and converted only one of five break points. ' ' '
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