Detroit Pistons lose to (previously) worst team in NBA

Dec 6, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Philadelphia 76ers won 108-101 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2014; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy after the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Philadelphia 76ers won 108-101 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports /
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 Detroit Pistons 101, Philadelphia 76ers 108

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope-D

I like the way Caldwell-Pope started the game. His first shot was off the dribble about 10-feet from the basket for a foul and he continued to get into the paint from that point on. Although Caldwell-Pope has improved his ability to get into the lane, he still isn’t finishing as he went just 2/10 from the floor tonight (0/3 from three-pointers).

Andre Drummond-D-

I’m going to start implementing a new stat for Drummond on game reviews called, “missed bunnies”. Missed bunnies consist of missed layups or dunks that Drummond should be making. At the end of the first half Drummond had two missed bunnies and had a horrendous foul on a three-point shooter (.6 seconds left).

He had another quick foul in the third and didn’t offer much the rest of the way going just 3/6 from the floor in limited action. On the bright side he only finished with three missed bunnies on the night (sarcasm).

Brandon Jennings & D.J. Augustin-F

The Pistons received hardly any production from Jennings or Augustin tonight. Jennings went 2/10 while Augustin went 1/7. They combined for six three-pointers connecting on zero.

On the flip side, the 76ers’ point guard Michael Carter-Williams finished with 20-points  on 8/12 shooting with 15 assists.

Josh Smith-B+

with 10-minutes left in the fourth Smith had 20-points on 8/13 shooting with 6-rebounds and 3-blocked shots. As good as Smith played most of the night I thought he settled for a few shots as he was getting to the lane at will. He also had a few bad passes that lead to turnovers, but given how well he passed overall, the Pistons will take that.

Where Smith’s grade drops is he finished just 1/5 through the rest of the fourth quarter and overtime with his one make from the floor coming off of a goaltending call.

It should be noted however that he did hit both of his free throws that kept the Pistons ahead three-points with 15 seconds left in the game, although it ended up not meaning much.

Kyle Singler-A

Singler was impressive in the first half showing his complete offensive game. He knocked down all of his spot up three-pointers,  shot well off screens, and had a nice take to the rim thanks to a jab-step on the baseline for a lay in.  He’d finish the half with 12-points (5/6 shooting), 2-assists, and 2-rebounds. Defensively, he had a nice steal on an inbound play and made the pass that lead to easy points in transition in the third, playing with a lot of energy.

Overall it was a very good night for Singler as he finished with  21-points on just 14 shots.

Greg Monroe-C+

15-points 9-rebounds on the night.

That may sound like a nice night, but it was just an average performance for Moose.

Cartier Martin-C+

Started off slowly, but finally got his legs under him and provided a nice spark on offense off the bench. Credit Van Gundy for letting him work through it in a tightly contested game. His stats may not jump off the page (9-points 4/7 from the field), but it was nice to finally see some production.

Caron Butler-C-

Joel Anthony & Jonas Jerebko-I

Anthony and Jerebko weren’t in the game long enough to receive a grade so they both get an “I” for “incomplete”.

Stan Van Gundy-C-

As I mentioned earlier, Van Gundy’s decision to let Martin play through his struggles lead to solid production off the bench for the Pistons, something that they haven’t had very much of. I thought that was huge in this game for the first three quarters.

At half-time, Van Gundy’s team played pretty well. They were +3 in fast break points and scored 18-points off of turnovers meaning they had a higher number of easy shots and capitalized off their opponent’s mistakes. Unfortunately his team couldn’t finish which has been an ongoing theme for the Pistons.

I wish I could give Van Gundy a higher grade, because he’s doing the best he can with what he’s got, but coaches are measured by wins and losses and his team didn’t play well enough to win tonight, particularly in overtime when the Pistons scored just ONE point. I repeat, ONE POINT.