Detroit Pistons go cold against San Antonio Spurs
The Detroit Pistons shoot just 39-92 (42%) from the field in a disappointing offensive display at home against the San Antonio Spurs.
It was even worse for the Detroit Pistons starters who combined to shoot 23-61 (37%) from the field. The Pistons tried to exploit the Andre Drummond vs Dewayne Dedmon matchup from the get go but it was the unheralded Dedmon who outworked and outplayed his counterpart.
It was a slow start for both teams who combined for just 12 points over the opening 7 minutes of the contest. The Pistons were somehow able to keep the deficit to single digits despite their shooting struggles for most of the first half.
It was however the final five minutes of the second quarter that enabled the Spurs to build an insurmountable lead. They were up by 6 and used a 21-6 run to close the half and send the lead to 19 at halftime.
It felt like a comfortable lead for the Spurs throughout the second half before the Pistons had an opportunity to bring the gap to single digits with a few minutes remaining late in the fourth but were unable to take advantage and the Spurs held on to win 103-92.
Superstar forward Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Spurs finishing with 32 points on 11-22 shooting. He hit numerous difficult shots, some of which while being fouled, and was the clear cut player of the game despite Dedmon’s strong performance.
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While the Pistons are normally one of the league leaders in second chance points allowed per game with 9.9, the Spurs doubled that average and scored 20.
The Pistons hold onto the 8th spot in the East but both the Charlotte Hornets and the surging Miami Heat are closing in.
The Pistons now make the short trip to Toronto to try and get back on track against the Raptors.
C. Despite starting well shooting the ball, <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON
C-. After scoring 6 points in the first quarter, <a rel=. SG. Detroit Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE
B-. Despite Leonard dominating the matchup, I was actually pretty happy with how <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS
B+. <a rel=. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
D. I really liked seeing the Pistons go to Andre Drummond to start the game on three straight possessions but unfortunately he was unable to take advantage going on to miss his first 8 attempts. He let his frustration affect his work rate and on a couple of occassions was slow to retreat on defense leading to easy points for the Spurs and in particular Dewayne Dedmon. He was dominated by Dedmon who finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds on an impressive 8-10 shooting. Drummond was a frustrated figure throughout this game even missing on two dunk attempts that would normally be easy buckets for someone of his talent and agility. Although he is improving on this aspect, it still is disappointing to see how early frustrations can lead him to drop his head and gets really down on himself. This in turn affects his energy and his work rate and that simply is unacceptable.. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
<a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON. D-
Inc. <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons. ARON BAYNES
ISH SMITH. A. <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons
C. <a rel=. PF. Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER
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C. Despite all the talk before tip off, the Pistons came out sluggish and lacked energy. Against a team like the Spurs you simply can’t let them build and early lead. He only used the four subs in this one with Baynes managing less than ten minutes due to injury, so really just 3. I did like the way they were able to keep the game in reach without it being a blowout however a comeback was never likely after that disappointing finish to the second quarter.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY