Detroit Pistons sneak by the Washington Wizards
Despite leading by 16 points going into the fourth quarter, the Detroit Pistons needed a Marcus Morris tip-in as time expired to beat the Wizards 113-112
For the Detroit Pistons it was fourth time lucky on the final possession. They found themselves down 1 with just 27 seconds remaining. Reggie Jackson missed a jumper with 11 seconds left, Tobias Harris missed on two attempts after consecutive offensive rebounds and then finally Marcus Morris was able to tip the ball in as the buzzer sounded.
It was a thrilling finish to the game despite a very slow start. The Wizards got out to an early 9-0 lead before the Pistons were able to finish the first quarter with a 30-17 run that gave them a four point lead.
The Pistons bench was impressive in this game and combined to shoot 16-23 from the field and scored 39 points, maintaining the lead for much of the game.
The win brings the Pistons to within half a game of a playoff spot and maintains momentum going into a crucial stretch. The loss for the Wizards further complicates the mid to late playoff race in the eastern conference with just 3 games between 5th and 10th.
B-. Reggie Jackson finished with 19 points and 8 assists. He scored the Pistons’ first 7 points that got them back into the game after a slow start. He wasn’t able to maintain his strong shooting touch and finish just 8-21 from the field. Over the last seven minutes and the Pistons up seven, Jackson tried to individually take the game over and went 1 from 7 in that stretch that helped the Wizards close the gap and then take a late lead. In times like the the ball really stops moving, if he wants to join the elite point guards of the league he needs to show more of an ability to make plays for others when his shot isn’t falling. His defense on <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON
SF. Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS. A. Marcus Morris saved the Pistons from what would have been an ugly loss after leading big going into the fourth. He finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in what was a strong offensive performance. Ironically he shot 7-17 from the field, the same as his twin brother <a rel=
B+. Another game and another consistent offensive performance from Tobias Harris. He finished with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and shot 8-16 from the field. His movement off the ball enabled him into good positions and took advantage. It is my opinion that Harris should lead this team in field goal attempts but in this one was third behind Jackson and Morris.. PF. Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS
C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. D. <a rel=
STANLEY JOHNSON. B+. <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons
C. Detroit Pistons. ARON BAYNES. B. <a rel=
ISH SMITH. B. A strong performance for Ish Smith who finished with 9 points and 4 assists off the bench in just 16 minutes. He was able to hit a couple jump shots which is always a bonus. There was a significant increase in overall ball movement from all players when sharing the court with Smith. I don’t think that is a coincidence, knowing your point guard will look for others as a first instinct seems to make others more willing to move the ball. The stretch in the second quarter was impressive with the ball often touching all five players in a single possession.. PG. Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER. B+. <a rel=. PF
Inc. Despite both Andre Drummond and Aron Baynes being limited by foul trouble throughout, <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons. BOBAN MARJANOVIC
<a rel=. SG/SF. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK. C-
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C. Despite the slow start, Stan Van Gundy was able to call an early timeout and bring the deficit back within reach before it got out hand. He would be disappointed with the fourth quarter collapse and couldn’t find anything to stem the tide. He will no doubt take the win but will need to find an answer to that fourth quarter defensive effort. He must take some responsibility for not being able to find some more touches for Andre Drummond while he was on the court. 2 attempts in 18 minutes is unacceptable .. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY