J.B. Bickerstaff said the Detroit Pistons' narrow win over the Atlanta Hawks was "ugly" but believes that is the sign of a good team.

The Pistons edged to a 99-98 win over the Hawks on Monday to earn back-to-back wins in the NBA.

With the score tied at 89-89 heading into the final four minutes, Cade Cunningham scored eight of Detroit's last 10 points to lift them to a win.

Cunningham finished with 18 points, only bettered by Jalen Duran's 21, while Ronald Holland added 17 in a very tight contest.

The Pistons were without Duncan Robinson through an ankle injury, meaning they hit just five of their 26 3-pointers, but Bickerstaff highlighted the most important aspect of their performance: that they won.

"Sometimes, you've just got to win ugly," he said.

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"That's the tell of a good team in this league. It might not be your night, but can you figure a way to get it done?

"It wasn't our night. We didn't play to the best of our ability. But we competed hard enough to give ourselves a chance, and we were there in the moment and had guys make plays for us."

While Cunningham stole the headlines, Holland also hit 6-of-8 shots and all four free throws, while impressing in defense.

"He was the spark for us," Bickerstaff added. "We struggled, but I thought Ron gave us a ton of energy, fire, the way he just competed.

"I thought he was phenomenal."

Holland added of his performance: "I don't need to score to have a good game. I don't need to do the things that show up on a stat sheet to have a good game."

The Pistons sit top of the Eastern Conference with a 17-4 record ahead of facing the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.