Blake Griffin shines in Detroit debut, Pistons top Grizzlies 104-102
By Ryan Love
Blake Griffin’s debut was as good as Detroit Pistons fans could hope for. The Pistons went down to the wire with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Griffin-era for the Pistons began with a 104-102 victory Thursday night.
The Detroit Pistons (24-26) narrowly defeated the Memphis Grizzlies (18-33) 104-102 Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena. Blake Griffin made his Pistons debut count with 24 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Five other Pistons had double-digit point totals against a struggling Grizzlies team missing the likes of Mike Conley and Tyreke Evans.
Pistons Head Coach, Stan Van Gundy said in his postgame press conference that the team will be working more toward acclimating Griffin into their system as they move forward.
“I think that just sorta scratched the surface,” Van Gundy said about Griffin’s performance.
The game was close throughout as both teams exchanged short scoring runs and shooting droughts. There were 21 lead changes throughout, but the difference in this game was at the free throw line. The Pistons made 27 of 37 free throws, Griffin alone going 11-for-13 from the free throw line. The Grizzlies made all of their free throws, but only had 14 free throw attempts for the game.
Reggie Bullock (15 points) and Stanley Johnson (14 points) both continued to look confident shooting the ball for the second straight game. Despite going a combined 4-for-14 from three-point range, both wings were clutch down the stretch of this game.
Marc Gasol had 19 points and 14 rebounds in the losing effort for the Grizzlies. Andrew Harrison added 18 points and eight assists taking over full-time for Mike Conley who was ruled out for the season this week.
The Pistons take on the Miami Heat (29-22) Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena.
Here are your grades:
B-. Reggie Bullock started the game well, scoring nine points in the first quarter. He cooled off once Blake Griffin got rest in the second quarter and the Grizzlies defense got tighter on Pistons shooters. Bullock finished with 15 points, making 50 percent of his shots.. SF. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
STANLEY JOHNSON. B-. Stanley Johnson finished with 14 points, 12 of which he scored in the third quarter to help the Pistons recover from an abysmal performance from their bench unit. For all of Stanley’s miscues, such as his technical foul in the first quarter, he has made up for it lately in his newfound confidence in his jumpshot. He can continue to be an effective starter for this team if this trend continues.. SF. Detroit Pistons
A-. Blake Griffin had as good a debut as Pistons fans could hope for. Griffin finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. It is too early to see Griffin’s full potential in the Pistons offense, but he was drawing in multiple defenders to his movements on the ball all night. This freed up the other Pistons on the floor to take open shots, which should only become more natural as this new team gets used to playing together. Griffin was also active on defense, providing mobility at the backup center position that Boban Marjanovic could not provide when Andre Drummond went to the bench.. PF. Detroit Pistons. BLAKE GRIFFIN
Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. C. Andre Drummond ended a frustrating night with 14 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and one block. Drummond began the game missing open looks and getting into early foul trouble that forced him to only play 28 minutes. However, he, Stanley Johnson, and Anthony Tolliver made enough clutch shots in the second half to keep the Pistons in the game and ultimately come away with a win.. C
D-. Luke Kennard finished with four points and two assists in 20 minutes of playing time. He did not appear to be able to rotate on defense fast enough to cover Grizzlies shooters when they began to heat up. Kennard found himself with his hands full playing with the bench unit of which he was the only drafted player on the floor for the Pistons at one point. His lapses on defense were not saved by any offerings from him offensively, which will continue to keep him behind the hot-hand, Reggie Bullock, in Stan Van Gundy’s rotation.. SF. Detroit Pistons. LUKE KENNARD
Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH. C+. Ish Smith had a quiet night as the Pistons frontcourt stole the show. Ish finished with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes. He spent a little extra time on the bench as Stan Van Gundy stuck with Dwight Buycks for a longer stretch of the third quarter than usual. Ish pushed the pace as usual, but could not do much to slow down Andrew Harrison.. PG
PF. Detroit Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. B-. Anthony Tolliver made two important three pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Pistons in the game. He finished with eight points and three rebounds in 22 minutes. Tolliver rarely posts huge counting numbers, but his energy on the floor was important in Stan Van Gundy’s lineup in which Blake Griffin was playing center and Tolliver played power forward. Tolliver had a Tolliver game.
B. Dwight Buycks once again affirmed he belongs on this Pistons team as the backup point guard to Ish Smith. Buycks played 19 minutes, scoring 13 points and providing energy for Stan Van Gundy’s bench unit that struggled all night.. PG. Detroit Pistons. DWIGHT BUYCKS
C. Stan Van Gundy had a lot to adjust with his team in order to accommodate Blake Griffin. Griffin said after the game they were only able to use about four or five plays during the game. Griffin played well and the Pistons won, but the game might not have been so close if Van Gundy had a better rotation working. The Pistons bench unit could not compete with a depleted Grizzlies team. The defense was an issue for every Pistons lineup. “Where I thought we were not very good defensively was me,” he said in his postgame press conference.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY