Detroit Pistons suffer 127-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors
By Duncan Smith
The Detroit Pistons lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a shoulder injury in the first quarter and squandered a strong first half in a 127-107 loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Well, we can’t pretend this was a surprise or anything. The Detroit Pistons kept it close with the Golden State Warriors in the first half in spite of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope going down with a shoulder injury four minutes into the first quarter, Darrun Hilliard taking (and missing) seven shots, and going just 2-for-12 from long range to trail by a mere 60-58 margin.
Once those 24 minutes were in the books, normalcy set it. In just a couple minutes, the Warriors did what they do and threes from Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala ballooned the lead into double digits. Blink against the Warriors and they’ll bury you, and blink the Pistons did.
Strong first half notwithstanding, the Pistons losing by 20 on the road against the Golden State Warriors is just about the most likely outcome imaginable, so we’re not going to ascribe a whole lot of value to the outcome, but Caldwell-Pope’s shoulder injury is a major concern for more reasons than one. More on that later.
With no further ado, let’s grade.
C-. <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went down with a shoulder injury four minutes into the first quarter. He received X-rays during the game and they were negative, but he’s going to get an MRI in Salt Lake City on Friday before the Pistons play the Utah Jazz. The Pistons’ depth is a major concern right now, and any missed time from KCP could be catastrophic to the team’s playoff hopes.. SG. Detroit Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. Inc
C. It took <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS
C. Getting the start in place of the injured <a rel=. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
C-. <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
STANLEY JOHNSON. C+. <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons. AARON BAYNES. Inc. <a rel=. C
D+. <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH
SG. Detroit Pistons. DARRUN HILLIARD. D-. The Pistons may have been better off going 4-on-5 against the Warriors than trotting Darrun Hilliard out. He looked lost on offense and defense, on the ball and off the ball. He missed all seven of his first half shots in relief of the injured KCP, and finished the game 2-for-12 from the floor. In back-to-back sequences he had layup attempts stripped from him and deflect off his body for turnovers, saved on the second one only by a questionable foul call on Andre Iguodala. He played 26 minutes and in a minor miracle was only -3 on the game.
A-. You know what? Let’s give <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons. BOBAN MARJANOVIC
<a rel=. PF/C. Detroit Pistons. HENRY ELLENSON. Inc
Inc. <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. BENO UDRIH
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It’s not easy being Stan Van Gundy right now. In addition to perplexing chemistry and effort issues, he’s now dealing with the losses of two of the Pistons’ three most consistent contributors in Jon Leuer and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Van Gundy can’t be absolved of all the Pistons’ struggles this season, but it’s hard to lay much blame for a loss like this on his doorstep.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY. C-