Detroit Pistons fall to New Orleans Pelicans, 109-86

The Detroit Pistons (29-32) overcame a big deficit last night against Portland, but wasn’t able to pull off a second straight comeback against the New Orleans Pelicans (24-37).

By now, the script is familiar for Detroit Pistons fans.

The starters fall behind early, and the bench mob claws and scratches its way back into the game. Rinse and repeat until the fourth quarter, when backup point guard (and noted marksman) Ish Smith leads the team to victory.

It’s not a pretty strategy, but it’s been a pretty effective one for the Pistons lately.

On Wednesday night, that was not the case.

Detroit trailed by as many as 13 points as early as the first quarter. They hung around until the fourth quarter, when their comeback magic finally ran out.

It was a predictable loss for the Pistons, who flew to New Orleans after their overtime win over the Trailblazers the night before. They had plenty of momentum after winning 11 of their last 18 and were up against a team they probably should’ve beat–for this team, a recipe for disaster.

Anthony Davis led the Pelicans with 33 points, but Jrue Holliday, who has struggled since the Pelicans acquired DeMarcus Cousins (suspended), was the real killer, dropping 22 on Detroit.

If you’re looking for statistics to tell the story of the game, look no further than the free throw comparison. Detroit went 3-for-17 from the line, while New Orleans made 22 of 23. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Detroit’s 17.6 free throw percentage is an NBA record.

The Pistons shot 18 percent from 3-point range and didn’t make a free throw in the first half, but stayed in the game by committing zero turnovers. They committed their first shortly before they made their first free throw in the third quarter.

Detroit rallied at the end of the first and second quarters, but the Pelicans came out hot in the third, scoring an easy ten points on their first four possessions. The Pistons hung around, but with 3:56 remaining in the quarter, Andre Drummond got tangled up with the Pelicans’ Tim Frazier. Drummond pushed Frazier in the neck, earning himself a flagrant-2 foul and an ejection.

The Pistons didn’t have it in them to mount a comeback in the fourth.

Detroit shot only 39 percent from the field and was outrebounded 53-50 by the second worst rebounding team in the NBA.

It was the Pistons’ eighth straight loss in New Orleans.

Detroit is back in action Saturday against Philadelphia.