News Pistons Team Notes

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Jazz final score: Fourth Quarter Cade shows up again

Detroit saw its second consecutive game without Tobias Harris, so Isaiah Stewart joined the starting lineup next to Jalen Duren. The double-big lineup proved to be a winning lineup once again as the Pistons beat the Utah Jazz 114-103 behind Detroit’s alley-oop duo in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.

Utah took an early 30-28 lead after the first quarter, and even got out to a 12-point lead halfway through the second behind ex-Piston Svi Mykahiliuk. They missed injured Walker Kessler tonight as they struggled to match Duren’s physicality inside. Over the last three-and-a-half minutes of the first half, JD outscored the Jazz on his own 12-5. Utah took a 55-53 lead into halftime.

Detroit flipped the switch in the second half, and they were led, once again, by Fourth Quarter Cade. This is now the second game in a row where he decided to go on a heater in the last frame to the tune of 19 points. He ended up finishing with 31 points overall as he continues his first place lead of all NBA players for fourth quarter points this season.

He shot 13-for-28 from the field and 3-for-9 from deep so it wasn’t an incredibly efficient game. He only had three points at halftime, so he was able to find his All-NBA offense in the second half. Oh, yeah – he had double-digit assists again, too.

Usually when Cade has 10 assists it means Duren got some easy buckets inside and that would be no different tonight. Utah couldn’t keep him away from the rim as he added 22 points and 22 rebounds. He was second on the team with 15 field goal attempts and also added another made jump shot as he continues to grow his game.

Ausar was great tonight, and he finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. His ability to get to the line is a big part of his offensive ceiling and he led the team in free throw attempts tonight with six. He was able to knock down four of them as he looks to improve from his 64% last season. Work that magic, Vinson.

His defensive brother Isaiah Stewart added more All-Defense tape to his highlight reel tonight. He was keeping up with guards on the perimeter and had three blocks at the rim. Not to mention the six more three-point attempts, along with two makes – keep letting it fly, Stew!

There’s something to this team. They have weaknesses – the spacing can be an issue, but Duren and Ausar have been at their career-best so far to start the year. This rotation will get Jaden Ivey back soon and he’ll add a new dynamic to this offense. And who knows – maybe Malik Beasley gets to add some welcomed shooting to this team one day.

Yet, these guys are gritty. They play a really bruising brand of basketball, but they can also jump out the gym. Ron Holland added an incredible block and a speedy coast-to-coast dunk to his impressive second-year resume that I haven’t seen most players do. Duren and Ausar are making the two non-shooting starters work with their passing and dunking ability. This group of young guys are continuing to develop year-after-year, and let’s hope that trend continues throughout the season.

Your Detroit Pistons have now won four consecutive games and are 2nd place in the Eastern Conference at 6-2. They’ll travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets for a 7:30 PM EST Friday night battle.

Go Stones.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...inal-score-fourth-quarter-cade-shows-up-again

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 8 vs Jazz

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

Firing on All Cylinders

Isaiah Stewart started his second consecutive game at PF with Tobias Harris out, and the double-big pairing continues to look positive when they’re on the court together. Maybe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was onto something back in 2023?

Stew has shot 14 threes over the last two games. Tobias Harris has yet to hoist that many threes in consecutive games so far this season. If Beef Stew is going to play the 4 next to Duren he has to space the floor, but that hasn’t been an issue for him. For those who have been waiting for him to let it fly, it’s happening.

View Link

He can play PF or C, or he can start or come off the bench, and he’s still going to impact the game defensively. It’s not a secret anymore that he’s one of the league’s best rim protectors. Whether he’s in front of a defender or coming from the weakside, he’s going to swat your shot.

View Link

Yet, his versatility takes his defensive ability to the next level. How many big men in the league are capable of switching onto guards likes this? This is the kind of tape that’s going to get Stew on an All-Defense team this year.

View Link

Transmission Trouble

Another game, another disappointing performance from the free throw line.

They finished 13-for-22 because Ausar, Duren, Duncan, and Caris all missed two free-throws, though, Ausar was the only one that had more than four attempts. Out of the six players that got to the line, Cade was the only one who shot above 75%.

This team gets to the free throw line, but they don’t capitalize. Free throws are a cheat code to an efficient offense and they need to take advantage. They currently rank 6th in the league in free throw attempts per game, but they’re 28th in free throw percentage.

The game as a whole felt slightly disappointing. It felt like it shouldn’t have taken another Fourth Quarter Cade performance to put the Jazz away. I’m hoping this wasn’t a game where they tried taking a slight night off due to playing a tanking team. As the second half went on, I thought Detroit had multiple times to put Utah away but that moment never came.

Mechanic’s Note

Ausar Thompson had two very clutch assists last night that reminded me of Draymond Green. These are the kind of offensive possessions I envisioned when we liked to describe him as “Athletic Draymond.”

The first is something Curry and Draymond have been doing for their whole careers, and it starts with Draymond’s basketball IQ. He knows he’s not as much as a threat from deep as Curry so he uses a dribble hand-off (DHO) to get Steph the ball when his defender is sagging off of him.

Ausar is going to be left open at times if teams aren’t going to respect his outside shot, but this is a fantastic way for him to still punish the offense. If his defender is going to leave him open, his defender is too far away to help on a DHO with a shooter. This is high basketball IQ to pass on an open shot to instead get a movement shooter a better look.

View Link

Just as Draymond thrives in that secondary playmaker role, Ausar is showing that he can too. Draymond is great at making himself available in the middle of the defense when teams double Steph. Since Cade is now seeing double-teams, Ausar has taken on the responsibility of providing that help. Once the ball finds them on the short roll, their passing ability punishes defenses for leaving shooters open in the corners.

View Link

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/48025/under-the-hood-game-8-vs-jazz

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Detroit Pistons claim center prospect Isaac Jones from Kings

The Detroit Pistons have claimed center Isaac Jones off waivers from the Sacramento Kings, with Jones getting the 15th and final roster spot on the team. Jones fits the DNA of the Pistons as a versatile, hard-nosed, defensive-minded big man.

It is unclear what the larger plan for the Pistons is here, but it seemingly eliminates the potential of the team reuniting with free agent guard Malik Beasley unless Detroit makes a corresponding move to free up a roster spot.

Beasley remains unsigned after being embroiled in a larger NBA betting scandal on the eve of free agency. Beasley has not been charged, but it remains unclear if he is out of jeopardy from a legal standpoint.

Jones, 25, also doesn’t fill an immediate need for the Pistons, but he is a promising prospect, was a fan-favorite of Kings fans, and could be viewed as simply a value play to grab an available big man prospect.

The Pistons already have two entrenched young centers in starter Jalen Duren and reserve Isaiah Stewart. The Pistons also have big man Paul Reed. Adding Jones seemingly gives them the deepest center rotation in the league.

Isaiah Stewart, who moonlighted as a power forward of the future for a season under Troy Weaver has been pressed into additional forward minutes thanks to the ankle injury to Tobias Harris. Stew is one of the best defenders in the league this season, regardless of the position he plays, and he is again unleashing shots from the perimeter at a respectable clip. He is tied for second in the NBA with 19 blocks this season. He also has 11 three-pointers, which is just six behind his total from last season.

As the Pistons are assessing their team’s strengths and weaknesses, some things are already clear. Jalen Duren is having a career season this year and … so is Isaiah Stewart. They need to create as many minutes for both as possible. It is also clear that the Pistons do not have a surplus of effective 3-point shooting this season.

That is no surprise with the team wanting to find a lot of playing time for Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland Jr., and is compounded by the fact that the team is missing Jaden Ivey and Marcus Sasser to injury. That means the Pistons need Stewart on the floor to create spacing, as sad as that sounds.

Back to Isaac Jones. While he has some developmental promise as a rangy defender, he has been an effective, efficient scorer in the G League and in college. He stands at just 6-foot-9, but has a 7-foot-3 wingspan (similar to Stewart, but a little taller and not quite Beef Stew’s gargantuan 7-4.75 wingspan).

Additionally, he is on a non-guaranteed contract. That is partially why the Kings waived him as they looked to create room to sign veteran big man Precious Achiuwa. His guarantee date appears to be the standard date of Jan. 10, per Hoops Rumors.

As an undrafted rookie on a two-way deal last season, he averaged 21.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in the G League. He also tried to expand his range to the three-point line, shooting three a game and making almost 30%.

He appeared in 50 games for the Kings as a rookie last season, and averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per game. He only appeared in three games this season with minimal impact. The Kings waived him to make room for veteran center/forward Precious Achiuwa.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pist...-claim-center-prospect-isaac-jones-from-kings

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Nets preview: Detroit’s 1st NBA Cup Game

It’s clear as day what’s going to happen if a Detroit Pistons game goes down to the wire. Their star shines bright, and he’s arguably been the best player in clutch time three weeks into the season.

There shouldn’t be a need for clutch baskets and hero ball against the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn is in the midst of a rebuild that hasn’t gotten off the ground yet. They are 1-7, and there’s little to be optimistic about from a Nets fan POV besides the 2026 draft. But as we all know, being the worst team in the league doesn’t guarantee a top-3 pick anymore.

Detroit has handled its soft matchups this year, and Brooklyn needs that same treatment. With the matchup being an Emirates NBA Cup game, there’s even more incentive for Detroit to come out guns blazing and crank out a double-digit victory dub.

Game Vitals​

When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -10.5

Analysis​

Brooklyn is in a weird spot, but you still have to respect anyone who steps on the hardwood. Though the Nets don’t have anyone who will strike real fear in the top-tier Pistons defenders, they’re still NBA players with pride.

That said, the Nets’ rebuild is off to a sloth start. None of their 5 first round picks from the 2025 draft are playing well. Egor Demin is their only rookie who’s played 100 minutes so far, and 31 of his 36 field goal attempts have been 3-pointers (he’s 6-foot-9). That’s discouraging for a team starting its rebuild. This franchise is more worried about scouting Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, and Cam Boozer than winning basketball games.

Detroit couldn’t be further from that side of the winner’s spectrum. While this team is getting that “losers” smut off its name, it is also becoming synonymous with defense—stocks in particular.

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 Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

We know the Pistons rank high in steals and blocks this year, and Ausar Thompson is the stock man as a wing. Isaiah Stewart is first in total blocks if only mortal humans are included.

Besides those counting stats, the Pistons’ defense moves as a closed fist in the halfcourt. They’re a together unit that flies around making up for each other. Detroit’s giving up a measly 88.9 points per 100 in the halfcourt, according to Cleaning the Glass (2nd behind Miami).

The offense hasn’t operated with the same we’re all in this together mentality during crunch time. At least scoring-wise. When it’s winning time, give Cade Cunningham the ball and get out of the way.

You could do that, but Detroit still tries to get Cade a head start attacking rotating defenses when others bring the ball up and Cade is in scorer mode, Iverson cutting to the other side of the floor ready to attack.

Even if Cade can’t attack a moving defense, it still hasn’t mattered. The shotmaking down the stretch of games has been bonkers. He’s shooting over lengthy defenders, Barkleying to the post, and getting to the rim at will. His 86 fourth-quarter points are No. 1 in the Association.

This type of play from the Pistons star will lead to an All-NBA Cup team and possibly the MVP of the whole thing. This Emirates NBA Cup is still relatively new, but players seem to play as hard, and the Bucks celebrated like it mattered last year. More money and competitive bragging rights will do that.

Cam Thomas and Michael Porter Jr. are the Brooklyn “stars” who haven’t helped this team be super competitive this year. They’re both scoring as much as they can, but making plays for others isn’t their game. Thomas is out in this one anyway with a hamstring injury.

Assists aren’t the end-all be-all for playmaking, but Nets center Nic Claxton leads Brooklyn in APG at 3.8. There is nothing inherently wrong with a big man leading the squad in assists, but Claxton isn’t a Jokić/Sabonis/Şengün type of center. He’s a roll man lob threat, so that Brooklyn trend is concerning—especially after they drafted four guards in the first round.

With Brooklyn’s glaring deficiencies (30th defense, 23rd offense) and Detroit’s uptick in most things across the board, this game should be in control quickly if Detroit sticks to its guns.

Keep smothering offenses, keep Jalen Duren on his Shaq attack stuff, and keep the ball in Deuce’s hands if the game is in the line.

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (6-2)​

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

Brooklyn Nets (1-7)​

Tyrese Martin, Terence Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton

Question of the Day​

Think back to those early 2000s Pistons-Nets playoff matchups. What stands out the most?

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...ons-vs-nets-preview-detroits-1st-nba-cup-game

 

[Detroit Pistons]

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

It is Emirates NBA Cup Day for the Detroit Pistons. Can you feel the excitement? Can you? In the grand scheme, if the Pistons start to rack up wins in Cup games, it might generate some actual buzz, I suppose. But in previous years, Detroit was mostly noncompetitive. That means the only thing I associate Cup games with is garish court designs and lots of manufactured enthusiasm from the broadcast crew.

This year’s version of the Pistons are different, competitive out of the gate in a way they were not last year, but I’m not sure the Cup experience is getting off to a much better start. The Pistons are facing off against a Brooklyn Nets team that drafted five lead ball handlers and yet still doesn’t seem to have a point guard. They are not particularly interested in being competitive. That’s fine as far as it goes. Pistons know all too well that a rebuild can only truly happy when you clear out the junk and start hitting on difference-making draft picks. But it means that the only drama possible from a game against the Nets would be if the Pistons absolutely do not show up to play. It could happen. It happens every season. Even at their worst, Detroit managed to win 15 games a season. I just hope the shoe is not on the other foot this time around.

Game Vitals​

When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Odds: Pistons -10.5

How to Watch Pistons vs. Nets​

Tonight’s broadcast is featured on Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit for local viewers and is available on NBA League Pass for out-of-network and international viewers. The radio broadcast is available on the flagship station 97.1FM The Ticket. In the Brooklyn market, the game will be broadast on the YES Network.

As a reminder, Fan Duel Sports Netork is offering a free month of access to its streaming app if you use the 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 Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (6-2)​

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

Brooklyn Nets (1-7)​

Tyrese Martin, Terence Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton

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

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Game 9 at Nets

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

Firing on All Cylinders

I was looking for specific plays this morning to showcase the two 30-pieces that Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren dropped on the Brooklyn Nets last night, but these guys did too many cool things to not highlight their entire performance, so you’ll get two highlight reels in this Under the Hood.

Cade led the way with 34 points, one rebound, 10 assists (4 TOs), and one steal in 33 minutes. He was hitting off-the-dribble threes, stepback middies, post hooks, and-one transition layups, and even displayed some athleticism at the rim that we haven’t seen in a while. He made 13 of his 18 attempts and went 6-for-6 from the line for an incredibly efficient night. When do we start having MVP conversations?

View Link

Jalen Duren has turned into a nightmare for opposing teams. He finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and three steals in 30 minutes while shooting 11-for-14 from the field and 8-for-8 from the line. Not only is he taking more shots, he has doubled his free throw attempts from last year and he’s making them at an incredible 86% nine games into the season. How do you stop a guy that dunks everything but also makes majority of his free throws?

View Link

My favorite play from the night is JD contesting a shot at the rim, grabbing the rebound to bring it up the court, and drops it off to Cade because he knows he’s getting it right back for an alley-oop. Oh, yeah – how about that jumper, too?

Transmission Trouble

It’s hard to find things to complain about in a game that Detroit won by 18, though, it felt like a game they should’ve won by 30+.

The Pistons got off to another slow start, but that’s been par for the course so far this season. Detroit was down 19-9 after the first four minutes due to four three-pointers from Noah Clowney. The Nets won the first quarter 29-27, and they had a 55-51 lead with two minutes left in the first half until a 9-0 Detroit run helped the Pistons take a 60-55 halftime lead.

To be honest, I turned the game off around the end of the third quarter when Detroit had a 94-74 lead because I needed my beauty sleep. They stomped the Nets, but it sure would be nice to watch a full stomping take place from the start of the game.

Man, how far we’ve come – what a beautiful thing to be able to complain about.

Mechanic’s Note

Alright, fine – Ausar gets a highlight reel as well.

When I was watching last night, I noticed two consecutive plays with Caris LeVert that I really liked. Ausar was directing traffic to get LeVert an easy dunk and they went right back to the same set the next play, but Ausar gets an open mid-range jumper to go the next time.

The coaching staff has done such a good job putting Ausar in positions to succeed. He’s a great connector, his handle and on-ball playmaking has improved, and I think putting him in the dunker’s spot at times allows him to take advantage of his verticality and athleticism.

It’s pretty impressive how much growth we’ve seen out of these young guys to start the season.

View Link

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/48060/under-the-hood-game-9-at-nets

 

[Detroit Pistons]

How to Watch Pistons vs Nets

It is Emirates NBA Cup Day for the Detroit Pistons. Can you feel the excitement? Can you? In the grand scheme, if the Pistons start to rack up wins in Cup games, it might generate some actual buzz, I suppose. But in previous years, Detroit was mostly noncompetitive. That means the only thing I associate Cup games with is garish court designs and lots of manufactured enthusiasm from the broadcast crew.

This year’s version of the Pistons are different, competitive out of the gate in a way they were not last year, but I’m not sure the Cup experience is getting off to a much better start. The Pistons are facing off against a Brooklyn Nets team that drafted five lead ball handlers and yet still doesn’t seem to have a point guard. They are not particularly interested in being competitive. That’s fine as far as it goes. Pistons know all too well that a rebuild can only truly happy when you clear out the junk and start hitting on difference-making draft picks. But it means that the only drama possible from a game against the Nets would be if the Pistons absolutely do not show up to play. It could happen. It happens every season. Even at their worst, Detroit managed to win 15 games a season. I just hope the shoe is not on the other foot this time around.

Game Vitals​

When: 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
Odds: Pistons -10.5

How to Watch Pistons vs. Nets​

Tonight’s broadcast is featured on Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit for local viewers and is available on NBA League Pass for out-of-network and international viewers. The radio broadcast is available on the flagship station 97.1FM The Ticket. In the Brooklyn market, the game will be broadast on the YES Network.

As a reminder, Fan Duel Sports Netork is offering a free month of access to its streaming app if you use the 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 Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (6-2)​

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren

Brooklyn Nets (1-7)​

Tyrese Martin, Terence Mann, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Nic Claxton

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detroit-pistons-game-day/48047/how-to-watch-pistons-vs-nets

 

[Detroit Pistons]

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

The Detroit Pistons have momentum. The Utah Jazz have some exciting young players and are less overtly awful than in previous years. In fact, that might still be selling the Jazz short. They are not world-beaters on either end of the floor, but they have talent and they are starting to put things together. Neither of these teams can shoot the three-ball reliably outside of a couple designated specialists, and they are prone to an inopportune turnover. The Pistons are playing really well right now, but I’m a long ways away from assuming they are about to cruise to victory. I do like the matchups, though. It feels like Cade Cunningham could have a big night against Keyonte George, and if the Pistons go with a double-big lineup again with Tobias Harris out, I like the pairing of Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart against Jusuf Nurkic and Taylor Hendricks, respectively.

Game Vitals​

When: 7 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -10.5

Projected 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

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