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

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Celtics final score: Detroit is too big in win over Boston

That’s two in a row.

The Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics 119-113 in today’s Sunday matinee. Detroit struggled in the beginning – they were down 17 at one point during the first quarter and had five turnovers in first four minutes. Yet, this team once again this season clawed back against a playoff team to secure a victory.

Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, and Isaiah Stewart played a huge role in creating a spark that started Detroit’s comeback near the end of the first quarter. With Ron’s number change, they’ve been walking the walk when they said they wanted teams to work 9-to-5. Boston’s roster could not put up with the team’s energy and size for a full 48 minutes.

The whole team had 65 rebounds, and it’s only the third time in the 21st century that the Pistons have had that many rebounds in a game. With Boston playing big men Neemias Queta and Luka Garza at the center position tonight, Jalen Duren feasted. He had 24 points and 17 rebounds, including 10 offensive. He shot 12-for-13 from the free throw line and even made a long mid-range jumper.

Ausar contributed with a double-double of his own as he added in 21 points and 12 rebounds. At one point late in the fourth quarter, Thompson contributed with points, rebounds, or assists in multiple consecutive possessions to help the Pistons keep their lead. It’s now the second game in a row where Ausar was at least second on the team in shot attempts, and I’ll be the brave one by saying I am here for Aggressive Ausar. Oh, yeah – and he went 7-for-8 from the line.

The other high-ceiling wing Ron Holland also continues to impress. He only played 19 minutes and didn’t shoot it well, but you always feel his presence on the court and he’s always doing the dirty work. It’s even more fun when he’s on the court with Ausar and Stew as all three are great at creating havoc for the opposing offense. If you’re looking for a Way Too Early Take, mine is that Ron should be starting over Duncan.

Fearless leader Cade Cunningham led all Detroit players with 25 points while also adding eight assists. He knocked down all seven of his free throw attempts, but it was another high turnover game with six. It’s clear he’s at the top of every opposing team’s scouting report of Detroit as they tend to send multiple people at him frequently. Teams like to disrupt him early by guarding him full-court, but Aggressive Ausar can help with that.

This was the first game of a back-to-back as Detroit plays again tomorrow night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Time for a tough start to the schedule to get tougher.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...l-score-detroit-is-too-big-in-win-over-boston

 

[Detroit Pistons]

The Pindown I Beating the Celtics to Move to 2-1

Fresh off the Pistons 119-113 victory over the Boston Celtics, Blake and Wes hop on the mics to break down all the fun from the Pistons’ home opener. They discuss how teams are guarding Cade, and how the team might counter it, the impressive play from Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland, and why Tobias Harris was and has been an unsung hero. The guys then turn to overall trends from games one through three, which play has been there favorite so far, and just how impactful Isaiah Stewart has been.

Oh, and happy 100th episode! Cheers to 100 more.

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Detroit Bad Boys YouTube

Follow Wes Davenport on Twitter @TheRealWesD3

Follow Blake Silverman on Twitter @BlakeSilverman

Follow Sean Corp on Twitter @sean_corp

The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast is your home for fan-driven Pistons content. Hosted by Wes Davenport, from Motor City Hoops and producer of the Pistons Pulse Podcast, and Blake Silverman, DBB’s resident draft expert covering both the Pistons and the Motor City Cruise. The guys bring a reasoned analysis to a uniquely interactive show. And if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, call (313) 355-2717 and leave your question as a voicemail. The guys will play your message and answer your question on that week’s episode! All we ask is that you keep your questions to under 45 seconds.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...-pindown-i-beating-the-celtics-to-move-to-2-1

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs. Cavs final score: Every Detroit flaw on full display in blowout loss

The first time Cade Cunningham went to the bench, the Cleveland Cavaliers went on a run, and a close game turned into a big Cavs lead. They never looked back. The Detroit Pistons were thoroughly embarrassed in a 116-95 loss in front of a frustrated Little Caesars Arena crowd.

Every single flaw that has the potential to haunt the Pistons this season was on full display against Cleveland. The Pistons had no spacing, they had no ball handling, they had countless careless turnovers, nobody could create offense for themselves or for others. It was a true horror show.

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In a battle of two stars, Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell, Mitchell lapped Cunningham three times over. The Cavs star finished with 38 points on 18 shots, and had five highlight reel nasty moves as he scored in a multitude of ways. Cunningham, meanwhile, couldn’t make the six or so tough shots he was forced to take, and he couldn’t take the four easy shots he is fully capable of knocking down. He finished the night with 12 points and more turnovers (five) than baskets (three). Cade’s five turnovers led the team, but it was a family affair as the Pistons ended the game with 25 miscues.

The Pistons were already a light-shooting team with depth issues, and they were playing this game without Jaden Ivey, Caris LeVert, and Marcus Sasser — three ostensible ball handlers and shooters. That meant when the Pistons were hoping to be competitive, they were relying on Daniss Jenkins and Javonte Green to give them valuable minutes. They were not up to the challenge.

Not against one of the best teams in the league. Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Deandre Hunter all made several Pistons defenders look silly all night.

The saving grace for the Pistons was limited to Ron Holland who simply continues to do good things on the floor, with the ability to push the ball up the floor, finish at the rim, and hit enough jump shots to keep defenders honest. He finished with 11 points, one of just four Pistons players in double figures, including a quick 11 garbage-time points for Tolu Smith.

Simply put, it’s really hard to win games the way the Pistons are trying to win games early in the season. They are forcing the ball into tight spaces in the paint because they have young players much more interested in finishing at the rim than trying to hit a catch-and-shoot opportunity. They don’t seem interested in trying to create space and easy looks, instead they just want to yam it into a defender’s face.

That’s not going to work in an 82-game season. The Pistons need to get a little healthier, and they need to rethink what their offensive game plan is going to be. They need to make things easier on Cunningham, they need to try to design better open look for their few shooters, and they need to stop thinking if they drive to the rim everything is going to magically work out.

Or there will be plenty of games like the Cavs loss in their future.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...-detroit-flaw-on-full-display-in-blowout-loss

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 4 vs Cavs – Everything was bad

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

Firing on All Cylinders

I’m not sure anything was firing on all cylinders last night for Detroit, and if we’re keeping up with the automobile industry puns, they needed to be towed out of Little Caesars Arena.

If there was a lone bright spot in this one, it was Ron Holland who continues to have an impressive start to his sophomore season.

First, he’s capable of making the “one more” pass, passing up a good shot for his teammate to get a great shot.

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When Evan Mobley gives him too much room, he’s ready to shoot and drills the open three. Sometimes, standing still and offering spacing to your teammates is more important than cutting and possibly clogging the lane. That is something this team is still learning.

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You can see his confidence growing as he looks to create his own shot more. This stepback mid-range jumper was nice.

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And last, this move is sick. It’s a strong take to the rim with a crafty finish. I know Detroit fans like to talk about putting a 20-point per game scorer next to Cade, but perhaps we already have him?

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Transmission Trouble

I mean, jeez – it all was bad. I’m going to focus on showing possessions where the team did not properly space the floor.

A Cade and Duren pick-and-roll to start, but nobody is in the right corner. It looks like Duncan sees that the spacing is off and attempts to fill in the other side, but the action has already started and he gets caught inside. Even if Duren catches this pass, who’s he supposed to kick it out to with no one in the corner he’s looking at?

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Again, this pocket pass is just a bad idea from Cade. There are too many Cavs defenders in the lane, but his teammates aren’t exactly giving him any other options to pass. Duncan is on the opposite wing, Javonte is for some reason jogging around inside the arc, and Ron at one point goes to set an off-ball screen for someone? Cade shouldn’t have made this pass to Stew, but his teammates didn’t make themselves available either.

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Last, this drives me crazy. Ausar cuts at the exact same time Duren is rolling so his defender, Donovan Mitchell, is able to drop into position to defend two Detroit players at once. I know he struggles to shoot, but Ausar essentially helped Cleveland play defense. When this team has a bunch of players who like to score at the rim, spacing the floor isn’t always their top priority. It’s a hard ask of your point guard to read the pick-and-roll defense while also keeping an eye out for a weakside lob opportunity. Tobias ends up being the only one open with Duncan setting an off-ball screen.

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Four guys inside the arc with only one outside – unacceptable spacing.

Mechanic’s Note

I turned the game off at some point in the middle of the third quarter. Did you turn it off early, or are you a true sicko that watched the whole game?

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/47818/under-the-hood-game-4-vs-cavs-everything-was-bad

 

[Detroit Pistons]

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

The Detroit Pistons are on national TV this evening in a game against Central Division rival(?) the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, it is also exclusively airing on Peacock. If you want to watch the game, you’ll need NBC Universal’s streaming app. As a Traitors fan, I’m already covered. But you might not be in that boat.

Now that that is out of the way, this matchup will be an intriguing matchup between two franchises with pairs of promising and talented big men, led by all-world guards. The Cavs have the edge talent-wise with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, while the Pistons will rely heavily on Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson, and Isaiah Stewart. Will we see heavy doses of Duren and Stew on the floor at the same time. We’ll see. Then, of course, there is the matchup between Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell. It should be a great matchup.

Game Vitals​

Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
When: 7 p.m. ET
Watch: Peacock
Odds: Pistons +2.5

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (2-1):​

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

Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1):​

Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, DeAndre Hunter, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

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

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Submit your questions for The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast

Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons free agency. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.

Join us live on Friday morning for the show where we’ll discuss the Pistons first five regular-season games. How are you feeling after Detroit’s 3-2 start? What player has been the most pleasant surprise through the first five games? How can the Pistons get around the defensive attack getting sent toward Cade Cunningham? Does Tom Hur need to move to Detroit?

Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.

The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.

The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Vitals:​

When: Friday October 31 at 10 a.m. ET

Where: Detroit Bad Boys YouTube Channel

How to submit questions:

• Detroit Bad Boys Website: Comment section of the weekly Pindown episode articles.
• Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message to 45 seconds or less.
• Twitter: @detroitbadboys, @blakesilverman or @therealwesd3
• YouTube: Chat section of The Pindown live recording — Subscribe here

As always, leave any questions or topics you want to be discussed in the comment section below.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...ons-for-the-pindown-a-detroit-pistons-podcast

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 5 vs Magic – There was spacing!

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

The spacing looked a lot better last night than it did against the Cavs, and JB Bickerstaff has a cool set that he utilized at least twice last night when both Stew and Duren were on the floor together.

The set is pretty simple – it’s a double on-ball screen for Cade, first from Stew and then from Duren.

Both corners are filled and Stew will pop to space the floor while Cade and Duren run their patented pick-and-roll.

Once Cade gets around the screen, it’s up to him to read the defense and make the right play. He has three teammates behind the arc ready to shoot, he has a rolling lob threat, and he has the ability to get directly to the basket.

Watch Pistons games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Pistons game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Watch Pistons games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Pistons game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Firing on All Cylinders

Let’s look at that set in live action.

Cade gets two points on this possession with a floater over Goga Bitadze. Paolo Banchero slid over pretty far to help take the Jalen Duren lob threat away, and a skip pass to Ron Holland for an open corner three would’ve also been a great option. We know Ron loves the corner three.

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JB Bickerstaff went back to that same set in the second half.

Orlando defends this one a little differently as both corner defenders don’t help. Banchero drops from the top of the key leaving Stew wide open for a great look. Cade was on a mission, however, and was able to get to the basket to draw the foul and get the and-one basket.

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It’s a simple, but effective, set to get a spaced out floor for Cade with the ball in his hands to do what he does best.

Transmission Trouble

There’s not a whole lot that goes wrong when you put up 135 points in a basketball game. So, let’s take a look at the season statistics from the rotation over their first five games (PTS/REB/AST on FG%/3P%/FT%):

Cade: 22.2/5.6/8.2 on 39.6%/24.2%/81.8%

Tobias: 14.0/6.0/3.2 on 42.4%/30.4%/100%

Duncan: 10.0/2.4/1.2 on 39.5%/38.7%/80.0%

Ausar: 13.8/7.4/4.0 on 46.7%/22.2%/61.1%

Duren: 14.8/10.0/1.2 on 57.1%/0.0%/83.9%

Ron: 11.6/3.2/1.8 on 46.5%/33.3%/84.6%

Stew: 9.2/6.6/1.4 on 44.7%/58.3%/50.0%

Javonte: 5.0/2.4/1.0 on 33.3%/41.7%/66.7%

So, thoughts? What overreactions should we make to this extremely small sample size?

Mechanic’s Note

I saw Ausar hit another mid-range jumper last night, so here’s a highlight reel of all his middy makes from his first five games.

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Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/47871/under-the-hood-game-5-vs-magic-there-was-spacing

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Magic final score: Cade makes the Magic’s defense disappear

So much for the low-scoring, defensive battle that was expected tonight.

The Detroit Pistons had a needed bounce-back game tonight against the Orlando Magic with a victory of 135-116. Detroit has struggled offensively so far this season, but they had no offensive struggles tonight.

Well, that isn’t completely true – they did have another slow start where they found themselves down early. Detroit started the game 1-for-10 from the field, though, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren missed a couple putbacks at the rim. The Pistons lost another first quarter and found themselves needing to claw back once again.

They were down 10 points as the second quarter began and it started to look similar to the recent poor performance they had against the Cavaliers. Yet, that early season rust started to shake off as the team’s offense was finally able to put some quality possessions together. Detroit took a 65-64 lead thanks to an Ausar three-pointer heading into halftime.

Something happened to this team in the third quarter. The game started getting chippy, particularly between Paolo Banchero and Tobias Harris. Cade Cunningham took an accidental Jalen Suggs fist to eye that seemed to light a fire under him and the entire team. Cade’s play started to look angry and he began to look like that All-NBA player we know. This was one of those games where we really got to see his two-way potential – and he had zero turnovers!

He was even able to get his revenge on Jalen Suggs:

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Put that rabbit back in your hat, Suggs.

Detroit took a 101-92 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and they didn’t look back. Cade continued his impressive offensive performance, black eye and all, to finish with 30 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and three blocks in 36 minutes. It was certainly his best game yet this season, though, he’s still struggling for deep. After going 1-for-7 tonight, he’s now 8-for-33 (24%) for the season.

Vets Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris both deserve shoutouts for their additions tonight. Tobias had 23 points on 13 shots and Duncan added 15 points on seven shots. Two very efficient nights where each player succeeded in their expected role. Duncan also made four threes as he begins to look more comfortable in Detroit’s offense.

Jalen Duren added a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He’s certainly showing growth already this season, and it’s due to his on-ball play. His ability to get by opposing centers by putting the ball on the floor continues to be an asset to the team. He has a decent handle and is quicker than most centers so they struggle to defend him. Orlando’s centers couldn’t keep up as he shot 12 total free throws. He also shot 13 free throws against the Celtics – he’s 23-for-25 combined in those two games. If his quickness on-ball gets him a jump in free throw attempts, that’s a big opportunity for his offensive production and ceiling.

Ausar had a weird game – he shot 4-for-14, but also had 11 rebounds and six assists. Even when he’s struggling offensively, he’s still able to make an impact on the game. All three of his three-point attempts looked confident, too. Speaking of confident, Ron Holland made two of his five attempts, and that corner three continues to look good. With the lack of three-point shooting that this team currently has, Detroit needs him to take those corner spot-ups. He’s shooting 33% from deep on the season – progress!

It was a great team win as Detroit moves to 3-2, and it was the bounce-back performance the team needed after last game. The Pistons will next play November 1st at 10PM EST in Mexico City for an NBA Global Game on Peacock against the Dallas Mavericks.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...score-cade-makes-the-magics-defense-disappear

 

[Detroit Pistons]

The Pindown | Finding a Groove

Following the Pistons’ recent win over the Magic, Blake and Wes hop on the mics to break down all the fun from the Pistons’ first five games. They discuss Cade Cunningham’s incredible play and how he’s getting defended. Plus, early contributions from his supporting cast of Tobias Harris, Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart and Duncan Robinson. With the NBA Cup coming up, the guys preview Detroit’s group and their shot of making it out.

You can watch the entire episode on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Want to hear your voice on the Pindown? Call ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(313) 355-2717⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and leave your question as a voicemail! The guys will play your message and answer your question on that week’s episode! All we ask is that you keep your questions to under 45 seconds.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detroit-pistons-podcasts/47897/the-pindown-finding-a-groove

 

[Detroit Pistons]

How to watch Pistons vs. Mavericks in Mexico City

The Detroit Pistons are playing a “home” game today in Mexico City against the Dallas Mavericks. It will be the second time the Pistons are playing in Mexico City, and both have been against the Mavs. Let’s hope this game goes better than that first matchup. Detroit lost 122-111 thanks to some heroics from Luka Doncic (40 points) and a true dud from Blake Griffin (10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, including 1-of-10 from three).

Luka Doncic is long gone, and the Mavs will be without the star they got in return for Luka, as Anthony Davis will be missing tonight after suffering a lower leg injury against the Indiana Pacers. Detroit will be looking to build off an impressive win against the Orlando Magic. Cade finally went off (30 points and 10 assists).

Game Vitals​

When: 10 p.m. ET
Where: Arena CDMX
Watch: Peacock
Odds: Pistons -7.5

How to Watch the Game​

With so many new homes to NBA basketball games, including multiple streaming partners, it can be tough to understand who is playing on what network when. Tonight’s game will be on Peacock, Detroit’s second national game broadcast on the new league partner.

Don’t worry, though, Detroit’s next four games will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Detroit. If you’re in the Detroit TV market and want to watch this game for free with a one-month free trial to the FanDuel Sports Network App, you can do so by entering our code SBNFALL30.

Watch Pistons games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Pistons game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...-to-watch-pistons-vs-mavericks-in-mexico-city

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 6 vs Mavericks – Duren dominates

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

Firing on All Cylinders

Jalen Duren finished with a career-high 33 points on only 16 shots, while also shooting 7-for-8 from the free throw line. We are seeing an incredibly efficient JD so far this season.

My favorite play in this highlight reel is around the 1:20 mark where he’s assisted by Caris LeVert. What makes Duren such a good roller is ability to time his momentum towards the basket when he’s about to receive the pass. He’s moving slightly backwards when LeVert receives the ball, but once LeVert drives, Duren stays with him inside the passing window between Flagg and Powell. It’s a very high IQ play by JD so he has momentum to finish at the basket once he receives the ball.

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Also, here’s what Cade had to say about playing with a guy like JD:

“I always say running the break with JD and Ausar Thompson’s the easiest job in the world.” pic.twitter.com/JnQIfU4jHY

— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) November 2, 2025

He knows who to get the ball to on the fast break.

Transmission Trouble

Duncan Robinson’s defense stood out to me, and it wasn’t exactly for positive reasons.

He had a rough second quarter defensively, and I’m not sure if Dallas was purposefully targeting him, but it was working.

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Max Christie misses badly here, but Duncan gets caught ball-watching and leaves Christie open in the corner.

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Another Christie corner three where Duncan can’t get around the screen in time.

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This was the worst one to me since he looks lost and there’s miscommunication between him and Stew. However, a possession like this is fixable with time to build chemistry with teammates and continuing to get reps in a new defensive scheme. It’s the lack of speed and strength on the other possessions that could be an issue in important games.

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Mechanic’s Note

Two other things that I want to share about Detroit’s big men:

First, here are Duren’s updated 2025-2026 stats:

17.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.2 stocks while shooting 63.8% from the field and a blazing 84.6% from the free throw line. His True-Shooting % is 71.2%, his ORTG is highest on the team at 117.8, and his DRTG is 106.3. His NETRTG of +11.5 is vastly above anyone else as Duncan Robinson is second at +6.1. This dude is having a hell of a start to his fourth season.

Second, how about this block by Stewart late in last night’s game? It led to open three for Green to take the lead and was a huge sequence in the fourth quarter.

View Link

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pist...-the-hood-game-6-vs-mavericks-duren-dominates

 

[Detroit Pistons]

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

Spooky season has ended and the season of thanks is upon us. The Detroit Pistons have offered fans plenty to be thankful for and scared of. Cade Cunningham’s ability to take over a game. Thankful. Cade Cunningham struggling from deep and with overall efficiency AGAIN. Frightening. The unrelenting and attacking nature of young players like Ron Holland and Ausar Thompson. So thankful. That being a focal point of so many offensive possessions? I’m scared.

Today, though, we can be thankful to see the Pistons get another national TV spotlight, though it’s late (10 p.m. ET), overseas (Mexico City), and on a streaming app that is not burning up the download charts (Peacock). The Pistons will be facing a Mavericks team without Anthony Davis, who is resting a lower leg injury, and the Pistons should have a full complement of players save for Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser.

Watch Pistons games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Pistons game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Game Vitals​

When: 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch: Peacock
Odds: Pistons -7.5

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (3-2)​

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

Dallas Mavericks (2-3)​

Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Dwight Powell

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

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Mavericks preview: Game Night in Mexico

After appearing in four national TV games last year, the Pistons will be playing on national TV tonight for the second time this year, and we’re not even past Turkey Day yet.

The non-shooting injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks and Detroit head to Mexico City in what could’ve been a phone booth dog fight if key Mavericks bigs weren’t out tonight. Both teams are struggling to shoot from triple, but the Pistons’ personnel is more likely to erupt than Dallas’, despite Klay Thompson playing 21 minutes a night for the Mavs.

Detroit handed it to the Orlando Magic last time out behind a dominant performance from Cade Cunningham. He’s playing his home team tonight and has had their number in his young career.

Game Vitals​

When: 10:00 p.m. ET
Where: Arena CDMX, Mexico City, Mexico
Watch: Peacock
Odds: Pistons -7.5

Analysis​

Detroit got some much-needed 3-point shooting in the Magic win from Duncan Robinson, Ron Holland, and Javonte Green. The Robinson piece is very much so sustainable. If teams keep daring Holland to shoot open shots from the corner, he can bury them. Green is the most surprising sniper here. His percentages may be an anomaly, but enjoy the wave for now and his effort. Green is a Detroit player.

Watch Pistons games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Pistons game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Cade is a part of the personnel who can/will turn it around. He’s never been Curry from deep, but he’s not a 1/7 guy on a consistent basis either. Detroit isn’t loaded with sharpshooters, but the Mavs are even less loaded there.

Dallas is one of the few teams (Raptors, Magic, Bulls) that don’t have any players shooting more than six 3s a game. Six 3s isn’t considered heavy volume in today’s NBA, but the Mavs currently have no one reaching that threshold.

In terms of accuracy, Max Christie is the only one knocking it down on decent volume. He won’t shoot 50% all year, probably the same way Klay won’t shoot sub 30 percent. Klay is the most established shooter on either roster, but he doesn’t look the same sporting that 31 in Dallas. He’s not somebody you leave open, but Klay hasn’t been the shooter he was in Golden State.

D’Angelo Russell is historically a semi-dependable shooter, but Jason Kidd can’t find it in him to play Russell consistently. The lack of consistent defensive effort gets you benched in Dallas just like in Detroit.

Jalen Duren’s defensive effort would have been tested with a potential Anthony Davis matchup. Davis is out tonight with a calf injury. The Mavericks’ other bigs, Dereck Livley (out) and Daniel Gafford, are dealing with injuries, and Gafford could miss this game, too.

Duren has shown up this season. Per Omari Sankofa II, Duren is going to obliterate his 20-point game in a season stat. Keep rolling, young fella.

Tobias Harris showed why you don’t amp up an “unc” after his back-and-forth with Paolo Banchero. Harris is still an integral piece of Detroit’s success, even at 33 years old.

The youngest player in the NBA, Cooper Flagg (18y-315d), hasn’t lived up to his pre-draft hype yet. Partly because he’s playing out of position and his true strengths are ancillary skills like his motor, helpside defense, defensive versatility, unselfishness, and feel playing off the ball.

Setting the table for an NBA offense isn’t what most envisioned from him this early. He may grow into a de facto point guard, but he’s not there yet. One could argue these lumps he’s taking will force him to grow. It’s all perspective.

Flagg was one of the most hyped American prospects in recent years, and so was Cade. Cade is living up to his billing and then some.

Cade, an Arlington, Texas native, has averaged 33 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and a steal in 4 career games against his hometown Mavericks. Things could be eerily similar tonight as Cade continues to reach legit superstar top 10 status.

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (3-2)​

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

Dallas Mavericks (2-3)​

Cooper Flagg, Max Christie, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Dwight Powell

Question of the Day​

How would you feel about an NBA franchise being located in Mexico City?

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...ons-vs-mavericks-preview-game-night-in-mexico

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs. Grizzlies final score: Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart lock down win

Isaiah Stewart is the kind of player who doesn’t care if he scores zero points or 20 points as long as he gets to defend, rebound, do the dirty work, and, most importantly, win. Pressed into starting duty against a large Memphis Grizzlies lineup in place of the injured Tobias Harris, the Pistons needed Stewart to do all that dirty work — and score a lot of points. Stewart delivered in a 114-106 win in Memphis, scoring a career-high 26 points to go with 14 rebounds and four blocks.

The only player who could possibly outshine Stewart was Cade Cunningham, who scored a season-high 33 points. But it took him a while to get going. He scored 19 points in the final frame with his team struggling and slowly leaking away a double-digit lead.

The Pistons were seemingly running on fumes for much of the night. Occassionally their strong defense, which is becoming second nature these days, was able to power them through and generate some easy offensive looks, but when the Pistons were stuck in the half court, things were tough.

Outside of Ron Holland’s 14 points, Detroit got just seven points from their bench. Caris LeVert and Javonte Green played 20 minutes apiece and scored four points and three points, respectively. That put a lot of pressure on the starters to power Detroit through to the end.

Memphis was mostly listless for the first two quarters, but perked up in the second half when Jaren Jackson Jr. started hitting threes. As we know, threes are worth more than twos, and Memphis was able to slowly chip away at the lead by hitting threes in big spurts while the Pistons could only answer with twos or splitting at the free-throw line. The Pistons led by as many as 21 points in the third, but Memphis was able to cut it to a one-possession game with 3:09 to play.

That is when the Pistons put the ball in Cade’s hands and asked him to bring it home. He obliged. He forced his way to the free-throw line after a strong drive into the lane. He then split two defenders for an easy layup on the next posssession to bump the lead up to seven. The Grizzlies answered with a three from Jock Landale and Cade responded with a tough 14-foot jumper at the top of the key and then a game-sealing 3-pointer on the next possession.

In his return from a one-game suspension, Ja Morant scored 18 points and notched 10 assists, but rarely looked super engaged in the game. He was 5-of-16 from the floor and committed a team-high five turnovers. The Grizzles as a whole committed 20 turnovers, and the Pistons were able to turn those into 33 points.

The Pistons are 5-2 after seven games for the first time since 2017 under Stan Van Gundy. Their next game will be Wednesday at home hosting the Utah Jazz.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...-cade-cunningham-isaiah-stewart-lock-down-win

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 7 at Grizzlies – Clutch Cade

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

Firing on All Cylinders

Cade was a monster last night, and he put the team on his back in the fourth quarter to put the Grizzlies away.

He put on a masterclass of shot creation in the final frame. He was drawing fouls, getting out in transition, hitting floaters in the lane, making off-the-dribble threes, and when the team needed him most, he had two clutch isolation baskets to put the nail in the Memphis coffin.

His last two makes were big time. JB Bickerstaff put the ball in the hands of the best player on the court and told him to go to work.

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Transmission Trouble

Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Ron Holland from the line: 13-for-13

Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson from the line: 7-for-16

It’s early, but both Cade and Ausar have to be better from the line. Both are shooting career-low from the line on a career-high amount of attempts:

Cade – 74.5% on 7.3 FTA

Ausar – 46.7% on 4.3 FTA

The good news is that they’re both getting to the line more than they ever had, but you gotta make those freebies!

Mechanic’s Note

Lastly, what a game by Isaiah Stewart.

Forced to start at PF with Tobias Harris taking this game off, he had a career-high 26 points and was second on the team with 18 FGA. He added 14 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks while shooting the long ball eight (!) times. That’s only the fifth time in his career he had attempted at least eight three-pointers.

THIS is the Stew I’ve been waiting on: Stretch Five Stew. Sure, he only made two of them, but the fact that he’s spacing the floor, getting shots up, and not hesitating on those attempts is what Stew needs to grow his offensive game.

Here are all eight of his attempts – each one is an open look, in rhythm, and I want him to shoot it every time he’s presented with these opportunities. It seemed like Memphis was willing to leave him open and that surprises me. Stew is now shooting 41% from deep on 3+ attempts per game. Keep letting it fly, Beef – get those attempts up!

View Link

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/47956/under-the-hood-game-6-at-grizzlies-clutch-cade

 

[Detroit Pistons]

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

I know it is early in the season, but I decided to take a peek at point differentials out of curiosity. The Pistons (4-2) have a net rating of +2.7, good for 10th in the NBA. That is extremely respectable, but there is a lot of distance between the tiers above them. The ninth-place Portland Trail Blazers jump up to a +4.5 differential, and the Houston Rockets, despite being just 3-2, are No. 1 at +13.6. Tonight’s opponent, the Memphis Grizzlies, are 3-4 and have a -4.4 rating, 24th in the NBA.

That might belie some deeper issues with the Grizzlies, who aren’t gelling with new coach Tuomas Iisalo’s offensive or defensive systems, which both rank bottom-10 in the league. It certainly doesn’t have a fan in star point guard Ja Morant, who has been so disruptive off the floor and disinterested on it that he is coming off of a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to his team.

The Pistons, meanwhile, are playing in perfect harmony, if not playing perfect basketball. They have a great, ferocious defense and intensity, but they are still trying to find their way on offense and struggling to make all the pieces fit without the number of outside shooters needed to effectively space the floor and create opportunities for their drivers, rollers, and dunkers. That shooting will take a hit if Tobias Harris is forced to miss the game. He is questionable with an ankle sprain.

Game Vitals​

When: 8 p.m. ET
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -4.5

Projected Lineups​

DETROIT PISTONS (4–2)
Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (3–4)
Ja Morant, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jock Landale, Jaylen Wells, Jaren Jackson Jr.

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

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Jazz preview: Returning home on a 3 game winning streak

After a blowout loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last Monday, things were not looking great for the Pistons. Cade Cunningham was struggling and the offense in general had not looked good. Since that game, the Pistons have rattled off three wins in a row and their offense, particularly Cunningham, have looked much better. They even looked good in a neutral environment in Mexico, which can always be weird for teams.

The Pistons now look primed to continue that winning streak over the rest of the week as they start a stretch of winnable games tonight against the Utah Jazz. This is still the NBA and the Utah Jazz have proven to be a feisty team if they are not taken seriously, but the Pistons are favored in this game for a reason.

There are now expectations for the Pistons and those expectations include beating teams like the Utah Jazz at home.

Game Vitals​

Where: Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI
When: Wednesday, November 5 at 7 pm EST
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons (-10.5)

Analysis​

The story of the season so far for the Pistons has been very slow starts to games that have put them behind to where they need to play comeback the whole game. In their win over Dallas in Mexico City on Saturday and Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, that didn’t happen and it allowed the Pistons to play a bit more comfortably throughout the game. They still ended up having to fight at the end to secure the win, but getting off to a better start to where you are not down 15 points early makes games a little bit easier.

Seeing the Pistons favored by double digits in this game, even against a team like the Jazz, is shocking given where things were just a couple years ago. However, the Utah Jazz are not a team to be taken lightly. They have earned their 3-4 record and even have wins over the Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics.

Many people expected the Utah Jazz to be one of the worst teams in the league this season, and that still very likely could happen, but Coach Will Hardy has his team playing hard and giving better teams a tough out anytime they have to face the Utah Jazz.

They have been led by Lauri Markkanen, who has had a bit of a bounceback so far this season after a down year last season. At the time of writing, he is averaging 31.1 points per game and 7 rebounds and shooting 37% from beyond the arc. He also already has a 50-point game in just the 3rd game of the season.

The Jazz do not have a ton of threats outside of Lauri Markkanen, except for Keyonte George, who is putting together the best season of his career as the starting point guard. He spent a lot of time last season coming off the bench as a scorer, but he has shown a lot of progress as an all-around point guard which bodes well for the future of the Jazz since he is still only 21 years old.

The Jazz also have Ace Bailey, who they took in the 1st round of the draft. Bailey is yet to make much of an impact this season getting spot minutes off the bench, but he has the ability to get hot as a scorer.

The Jazz will be without starting center Walker Kessler which will make attacking the paint a little easier. The Pistons are going to be without Tobias Harris once again and Marcus Sasser, so I would expect the Pistons to once again start Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren to counter the Markkanen-Nurkic frontline.

Isaiah Stewart had a career night against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday and showed that he could possibly be the answer at the four long-term for the Pistons. He had a careeer-high 26 points and also added 14 rebounds and 4 blocks while hitting a couple of threes. If he can continue to shoot a higher volume of 3s and still shoot a respectable percentage, teams are going to have to guard him more beyond the arc and that will open up the offense.

This is a favorable matchup for Cade Cunningham as the Jazz don’t have any perimeter stoppers to slow him down and they will also have less resistance inside with Kessler being out. After a slow start to the season after seeing a few teams with the perimeter defenders needed to slow him down, Cade has bounced back in a big way during the winning streak with efficient scoring and high-level offensive creation with minimal turnovers.

It goes without saying, but the Pistons go when Cade goes and the reason for better offense and better starts during this winning streak has been pretty much solely because of Cade. He isn’t starting as slow and taking over games when the team needs an offensive boost, which is what you expect out of your franchise player.

If Cade can keep that going, I don’t see a way the Pistons lose this game even if they are unable to slow down Lauri Markkanen.

Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (5-2): Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

Utah Jazz (3-4): Keyonte George, Svi Mykhailiuk, Taylor Hendricks, Lauri Markkanen, Jusuf Nurkic

Question of the Day​

How long do you see the Pistons winning streak lasting?

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...iew-returning-home-on-a-3-game-winning-streak