Detroit Pistons take advantage of Sixers to get road win
By Tim Brokke
The Detroit Pistons took care of business tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers in a 107-95 drubbing.
93. Final. 107. 64. 95
On a night which included so many good matchups across the NBA, the Pistons-Sixers game was not the center of attention. Regardless, the Pistons got an important road victory, albeit against the worst team in basketball. Last season, the Pistons struggled against the Sixers, while consistently being outhustled, so this win was important from a confidence standpoint.
Tonight’s game showed the ongoing narrative of the bench woes the Pistons have faced all season. Up 25 in the first half, the Sixers cut the lead down to four. The third quarter, lead by the starting five, the Pistons pushed the lead back up to 29 before the Sixers fought back to make the final score a 12-point differential.
B+. Reggie played a solid game for the most part. Every matchup was a favorable one for the Pistons’ starters, and Reggie took advantage. He finished the game with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He was +33 on the night. . PG. Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON
KCP had a solid game. The big question: Is he ever going to consistently knock down the corner 3? If so, the Pistons will be a scary team. Regardless of the missed 3-pt attempts, he was +38 on the night. . SG. Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. B
MARCUS MORRIS. A. Morris had an efficient night scoring 21 on 7-9 from the field. He added 8 rebounds and 4 assists as well. He was +31 on the night. . SF. Pistons
ERSAN ILYASOVA. A-. Ilyasova continues to lead the league in drawn charges, and worked like a crafty veteran against the young Sixers tonight. His aggressive play in the first quarter is exactly what Piston fans have been dying to see from him. When Ersan is aggressive, it puts incredible pressure on the defense to defend a lot of real estate and opens the floor for Reggie and Andre. . PF. Pistons
Andre just had his typical 18-16 game tonight. He continues to struggle to defend bigs who can pull him out to 16 feet, but that’s too be expected for a Center who lives in the post. He was +27.. C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. A
Stanley looked like a rookie hoping to put up big numbers against a weak opponent in the first quarter, as he forced bad shots trying to get in the mix offensively. He had a nice finish on an alley-oop from Steve Blake. But his play was less than inspiring tonight. He was -18 in 15 minutes. . SF. Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON. D
C. Pistons. ARON BAYNES. C-. Aron Baynes was typical Baynes tonight. Solid play from your backup Center, but he’s not going to contend for 6th man of the year. He might contend for most fouls per 36 minutes though.
Anthony Tolliver is a feisty defender who will play hard night in and night out. But his 3-pt % has taken a big hit this year as he is not connecting on open attempts. He, along with just about every other Piston, needs to see his shot creep closer to his career average. . PF. Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. C
Pistons. STEVE BLAKE. D. Not much to say here than what’s been said over and over. The Pistons would kill to have an athletic game-changer who could run their second unit. Brandon Jennings? It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… . PG
Pistons. DARRUN HILLIARD II. D. Hilliard played nine minutes, took five shots and made one of them. He did little to nothing else to make his presence known on the court. The Pistons are hoping he can develop into a valuable role player, but he has not had the best start to his career. . SG
Inc. He played two minutes. Can’t give any grade on that amount of time on the court. . SG. Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
B+. Stan had this team ready from the opening tip to compete. Which is something we didn’t see from the Pistons consistently last year against the Sixers. Giving up a 25 pt lead against the worst team in basketball? That keeps you from an A, regardless of how bad your bench is. . Head Coach. Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY