Veteran Chucky Atkins was the unsung hero in the Pistons’ 90-88 win over the Hawks Wednesday night.

Atkins played just eight minutes, but six of them were in the fourth quarter during the Pistons comeback. Atkins finished with three points, one rebound, two assists and no turnovers. He was a plus-six, the second highest on the team.

“One of the MVP guys would by Chucky Atkins,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. “That 3 that he made was huge for us. He settled the team down. We had gotten in a rhythm were we were too one-on-one at one stage. Then we started moving the ball again and became more effective.”

Kuester has always praised Atkins, who has handled his role as one of the team’s veterans leaders well. Atkins started 11 games earlier in the season when the Pistons were dealing with injuries, but had not played in a game since March 15 entering Wednesday night.

“One of the things I think about Chucky Atkins, whether he plays, or he doesn’t play, he’s been outstanding throughout the year,” Kuester said. “He’s done a good job of trying to get us to play the right way. He’s always talking to the players in a positive mode and to see him step in when he hadn’t played in a lot of games, I thought he was outstanding.”