(Photo credit: Bennett Salvatore)
Detroit (27-27) had won their first four games with Griffin in the lineup and five in a row overall after the blockbuster deal, but it took the team who traded him away to slow them down as the Pistons lost 108-95 to the Los Angeles Clippers at home Friday night.
Griffin finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, but shot seven of 19 from the field as Detroit faded badly in the fourth quarter and were outscored 31-15. Reggie Bullock also scored 19 points, hitting five of nine from 3-point range, but the Pistons were out-rebounded 57-40 and scored just three second-chance points.
Atlanta (19-37) have lost back-to-back games and seven of ten overall after a 123-107 home loss to the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. It was the old standbys, however, who did in the Hawks as LeBron James posted a triple-double and ex-Hawks guard Kyle Korver scored a season-high 30 points.
Dennis Schroder scored a season-high 25 points and Taurean Prince added 15, but he missed all nine of his shots from 3-point range as the Hawks made 16 of 44 from beyond the arc but had most of that negated as the Cavaliers drilled 15 of 35.