The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Detroit Pistons, 121-113, at State Farm Arena on Wednesday.

The Hawks (36-40) were on the verge of securing a playoff berth, and for that to happen, they either needed to win here or wait for a Brooklyn Nets loss. Atlanta didn’t need help elsewhere, however, and their win over the Pistons (13-63) was enough to secure a spot in the Play-In Tournament, eliminating Brooklyn. The Hawks enjoyed a strong start and raced to a 28-23 lead in the first quarter. Detroit didn’t have enough weapons to respond, and Atlanta bolstered its lead following a 31-27 score in the second quarter. A 33-29 score in the third quarter gave the Hawks a double-digit lead ahead of the final 12 minutes. The Pistons tried to fight back, but their fourth-quarter comeback was not enough, and the Hawks closed things out. With the win, the Hawks moved to 21-18 at home, while the Pistons fell to 6-31 on the road.

Jalen Johnson led the way for the Hawks with a triple-double, as he ended with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Clint Capela had a double-double as well, posting 11 points and 16 rebounds. Deandre Hunter had 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Dejounte Murray finished with 24 points, 11 assists and four rebounds. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 10 points. The Hawks shot 54.4 percent from the floor and 34.2 percent from deep.

Malachi Flynn came out of nowhere to score 50 points for the Pistons off the bench. Flynn went 18-for-25 from the field, 5-for-9 from three-point range and 9-for-12 from the free throw line. He also posted six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Marcus Sasser and Jalen Duren each scored 11 points. They were the only Detroit players who scored in double digits sans Flynn. The Pistons shot 45.7 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three.