The Detroit Pistons kept a steady hand as three-point shooting and ball movement took center stage in a blowout win against the No.1 seeded Denver Nuggets.
The Detroit Pistons were the shining stars of Monday night in the NBA as the team appeared to figure it all out in front of our very eyes, hammering the Denver Nuggets in the process, 129-103. In a game that got out of hand quickly, the Detroit Pistons kept the Nuggets at bay as they achieved the largest margin of victory this season (26 points).
The basket grew wider and wider as the box score touted seven Pistons’ players in double digits and the team dropped the three-point shot at a 43.2 percent clip – at least ten percent better than the Nuggets, who are fourth in the league in opponents’ three-point field goal percentage (34.1 percent), according to Basketball Reference.
But, the stars were not the biggest story of the night. Andre Drummond’s 27 points and 12 rebounds was a staple of the game.
The most interesting stat of the night relates to Blake Griffin’s field goal attempts, or lack thereof. Griffin took eight shots in a game that saw some of the most efficient offensive sets I’ve seen the Pistons run this season. His influence was there, indeed. The Pistons took the ball out of his hands and placed the responsibility to score on the men surrounding him.
No one disappointed.
Bruce Brown’s lack of offensive production (0 points) would be problematic were it not for the consistency of the reserves who tossed any shadow of a doubt out of the window early in the fourth quarter.
Stanley Johnson led all bench scorers with 21 points, with Langston Galloway coming in a close second for the Pistons dropping 18 points on the No. 1 seeded Denver Nuggets.
A gleeful exchange between Galloway and Ish Smith late after Galloway hit a three-point shot and drew a foul represented the general feel of the game. The Detroit Pistons were going to win this game and not in the “Whew, we’re lucky we got away” type of groove.
Although the Nuggets were without three of their starters – Gary Harris, Jamal Murray and Paul Millsap – the Detroit Pistons showed up ready and did not take their foot off of the gas.
Denver Nuggets All-Star Nikola Jokic scored 17 points on 7-of-17 field goal shooting, but the barrage kept coming. Trey Lyles, who led all Denver scorers, tried to get things going for the top-seeded west coast squad, but the Pistons’ 32 assists delivered an onslaught that would not let up. By the waning minutes of the game, the Pistons were as jovial as they have ever been this season.
After losing a 25-point lead against the Los Angeles Clippers, there was a general worry that things may not get better. Or even worse, could not get better for the Detroit Pistons. A change in the offensive scheme set off alarms that had not been sounded this season. That part we can all thank Dwane Casey for.
The first-year Pistons’ head coach took the responsibility of being the sole scorer out of Blake Griffin’s hands. He was a cog in a machine instead of the engine that makes it run, the wheel that makes it turn and the tires that make it roll. The players around him were empowered to go for theirs and it churned some pretty fun basketball to watch, at least for the Pistons’ fans watching.
Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come for Detroit. Having an All-Star point forward like Blake Griffin is a luxury.
Still, the Pistons can’t exhaust him. Keep the ball moving. Keep all hands on deck and maybe we can experience more games like these. Not necessarily blowouts, but possibly just some good ol’ basketball.