With just under 30 seconds remaining, Alec Burks appeared to give the Detroit Pistons a chance to win. He knocked down a 3-pointer through contact, creating an opportunity for them to cut the Atlanta Hawks’ lead to one, 122-121.

But Burks didn’t get the continuation. The officials also declined to give him a trip to the line, which would’ve potentially cut Detroit’s deficit to two. The foul occurred before the shot, and the call essentially ended the game in Atlanta’s favor.

But the Pistons can’t blame the officials. Turnovers, once again, were their undoing and cost them a chance to beat a Hawks team that played without Trae Young.

Cade Cunningham was responsible for four of the Pistons’ six turnovers in the third quarter, helping the Atlanta Hawks take control and exit Little Caesars Arena with a 126-120 victory on Tuesday.

It is the Pistons’ ninth straight loss and second in two In-Season Tournament games.

Marvin Bagley III, starting in place of the injured Jalen Duren, led the Pistons with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Rookie Ausar Thompson added 21 points and eight rebounds. Cunningham dished 12 assists, but shot 4-for-14 overall with six turnovers.

Detroit trailed by 12 late in the first but rallied in the second quarter before taking the lead, 73-70, with roughly eight minutes remaining in the third.

Then, their ongoing issues with taking care of the ball crept up again. A bad pass by Cunningham led to an open dunk for Dejounte Murray (game-high 32 points). Two more turnovers — one each by Cunningham and Kevin Knox — preceded a midrange jumper by Murray that tied the game at 79.

The Hawks led by eight before a pair of free throws by Alec Burks trimmed it to six at the end of the period. But the damage was done. A layup by Cunningham with 5:31 remaining in the fourth got the Pistons within one, 111-110. But Saddiq Bey, in his first game in Detroit since the Pistons dealt him for James Wiseman in February, nailed a triple to push the lead back to four.

Detroit entered Tuesday 29th in the NBA in turnovers per game, with 17.5. They coughed the ball up 17 times against the Hawks.

Guards lead defensive charge

It appeared the Pistons were going to let another game get away from them before halftime. They opened the game soft defensively, as the Hawks shot 65.2% and hit five of their nine 3-point attempts in the opening period. Detroit trailed by as many as 12 in the first, and a layup by Bey roughly a minute into the second extended Atlanta’s lead to double-digits again, 43-32.

The Pistons then put together one of their better defensive stretches of the season, using a 25-11 run to take the lead before halftime. Cunningham, Hayes and Ivey all had their moments on the defensive end, fighting through screens and forcing turnovers to cool Atlanta’s offense down.

Cunningham walled up Murray on a drive and pestered the All-Star into a turnover, as his pass to the corner landed in Hayes’ hands. Hayes split two free throws on the other end to bring the Pistons within four, 49-45. Hayes later blocked a layup attempt by De’Andre Hunter and led a fastbreak that ended with an alley-oop to Thompson, giving the Pistons their first lead since early in the first quarter, 53-52, with 3:57 to go until halftime.

Ivey also had his best defensive stretch of the year, navigating screens and crashing the boards with a verve he hadn’t shown as often leading up to Tuesday.

Ivey thrives on both ends

The second-year guard has been one of the biggest stories of the season, for reasons few would have predicted at the start of camp. Monty Williams’ defense-first approach with the starting lineup has regulated Ivey to a role off of the bench. A viral infection cost him four games last week and limited him to 11 minutes on Sunday, but he bounced back Tuesday.

In addition to his strong defensive effort, Ivey was also patient and decisive on offense. He checked in with 4:24 to play in the first and picked up his first assist not long after, driving baseline and finding Wiseman underneath for a bucket. He and Alec Burks hit back-to-back 3’s to bring the Pistons within four points after trailing by 12, and he closed the quarter by finishing a tough layup through contact.

An Ivey offensive rebound led to a Hayes 3, and another Ivey layup through contact — and the and-1 — gave Detroit a 52-51 lead midway through the period. Ivey finished with 11 points and five assists in 21 minutes.

Next up: Cavaliers

Matchup: Pistons (2-10) at Cleveland (5-4), NBA In-Season Tournament Group A play.

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Friday; Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland.

TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).