News Pistons Team Notes

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons at Rockets final score: Depleted Pistons rotation snags season’s first win

It was a three-hour game with plenty of whistles, and it by no means was an easy victory for Detroit, but they got it done tonight with a 115-111 win. Not only were the Pistons without Jaden Ivey, but Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert were also ruled out as the guard room was looking thin prior to tip-off.

The Pistons proceeded to lose more rotation players as the first to go was Jalen Duren who was ejected in the second quarter due to a Flagrant 2 foul on Amen Thompson. Later on, both Ron Holland and Isaiah Stewart would pick up their fifth foul in the third just to foul out shortly later in the fourth.

Despite JB Bickerstaff having to close the game without six of his 10-man rotation players, he got the job done to earn his 300th coaching win.

Cade Cunningham played 39 minutes and finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. Houston sent double teams at him all game which contributed to him having eight of the Pistons’ 17 turnovers. He redeemed himself by hitting two free throws with five seconds left to put the Pistons up four and put the dagger in any comeback hopes for Houston fans.

Ausar added 19 points on a team-high 16 shots (tied with Cade). He attempted three three-pointers and drilled one of them while also adding a couple mid-range attempts to his game. He’s certainly being more aggressive so far this season, as is Ron Holland. Ron added 11 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in only 13 minutes – and he hit two threes!

Paul Reed might deserve the MVP award of tonight’s game. He played 19 minutes tonight and all 19 of those minutes felt impactful. He defended well, he hustled, he hit a few jumpers, and he blocked Sengun’s game-tying shot. BBall Paul finished with 13 points, nine rebounds (five offensive), one assist, and two blocks. Those might’ve been the best 19 minutes of his career.

It was a great win for Detroit, and they’ll strive for a winning record at their home opener on Friday night against Boston.

For those of you keeping track of the history after the fourth annual Thompson Twins Tussle, Ausar said to Johnny Kane post-game: “2-2.”

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...eted-pistons-rotation-snags-seasons-first-win

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 2 at Rockets – Cade’s Turnovers

Under the Hood – it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.

Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets sent plenty of double teams at Cade Cunningham last night, primarily in the second half. You can almost treat it as a sign of respect that your team has a player worthy of a double team, but it also highlights the team’s weakness of a lack of secondary creation. Cade was able to manage some good possessions off the Houston double-teams, but they were successful a few times, too.

To beat these double-teams off the wing, Cade will want to get the ball to the top of the key or to the middle of the court at the free throw line.

Firing on All Cylinders

In order to get the ball into the middle after a double-team, you need to make the pass or split the double-team to get it there. Cade’s capable of doing both.

Here, he sees enough room between the screen and Sengun to attack the paint, and he finds Duncan Robinson for an open three when the defense collapses.

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Next, if splitting the pick-and-roll isn’t an option, you want to make the correct read to find the open man. If you’re getting doubled, that means somebody else is open, and Ausar was open on the roll so Cade found him for the assist.

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In the above clip, you’ll notice the top of the key was wide open as well. Depending on what the rest of the court looks like, sometimes the roll won’t be open, but the pop will. Both Duren and Stew set screens on this next play, yet Cade is doubled and the roll isn’t open, so Cade finds Stew for a wide open three.

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Also, sometimes you’re just better than everybody else on the court.

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Transmission Trouble

Houston’s double-teams were also effective last night, and Cade wasn’t able to manage his way out of all of them.

Sometimes splitting the double-team is harder than it looks.

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Sometimes Cade needs to be more accurate on his passes to the middle.

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Sometimes he lets himself get trapped in difficult spots on the court, like how he has to avoid both the double-team and a backcourt violation here.

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Sometimes the pop isn’t available, and you think you’ll have a teammate in the middle even though nobody’s there.

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Cade has had a history of high-turnover games. They’re not all his fault, but there are certainly things he could do better to limit his number of turnovers.

Mechanic’s Note

If you’re looking for somewhere Detroit could improve already, look no further than free throws:

• Game 1: 18-for-26 (69.2%)
• Game 2: 15-for-23 (65.2%)
• Season: 33-for-49 (67.3%)

They’ve played two games that have both been a scoring difference of four points, and Detroit left too many points at the line in each game. Some notable free throw statistics through two games:

• Cade Cunningham: 10-for-15
• Ausar Thompson: 1-for-5
• Ron Holland: 9-for-10
• Tobias Harris: 1-for-1

Gotta make your free throws!

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/47747/under-the-hood-game-2-at-rockets-cades-turnovers

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Celtics GameThread: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

The Detroit Pistons are looking to start their 42-game home schedule with a win, but the Boston Celtics are simply looking for their first win of the season and will be hungry. Being a hungry team is one thing; being a hungry team that will definitely be without your leader, Jayson Tatum, and potentially also Jaylen Brown, is another thing altogether. The Pistons are still expected to be without Marcus Sasser and Caris LeVert, both listed as questionable, and Jaden Ivey is, of course, still out.

The Pistons are 1-1 on the season. In their loss against the Chicago Bulls, they had just 14 three-point attempts. In their win against the Houston Rockets, they had 16 three-point makes. Regardless of how much this team wants to be defined by its defense, and how much its young players want to run the floor and create pressure on the rim, it doesn’t matter if you can’t space the floor and hit your shots.

Game Vitals​

When: 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -3.5

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (1-1)​

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Boston Celtics (0-2)​

Payton Prichard, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Neemias Queta, Sam Hauser

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...celtics-gamethread-game-time-tv-odds-and-more