The Dallas Mavericks have a new duo that will be an intriguing pair to watch. Here’s how the Detroit Pistons stack up against Dallas in 2019-20.
The Detroit Pistons did the best they could this offseason with a limited amount of salary space to work with. Meanwhile the Dallas Mavericks made their big moves before last year’s trade deadline and added complimentary pieces this summer.
Last season the two teams split a pair of possession games with each team winning on their homecourt. But the Mavericks seem markedly improved with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis entering the equation.
Dallas won the first game on its home court, 106-101. It was another case of the Pistons relying on Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond to carry the load, which they did, but not having a third and fourth player step up and make shots. Griffin scored 35 points and Drummond had 23 points and 15 rebounds. The rest of the team shot 14-for-45 (31.1 percent), including Bruce Brown‘s 3-for-3 clip.
Maenwhile Luka Doncic dropped 32 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead the Mavericks. Maxi Kleber was key, going 4-for-7 from 3-point range. Dennis Smith Jr. added 19 points and five assists.
Detroit returned serve in a 93-89 win six days later. Drummond was dominant with a 24-point, 20-rebounds performance in which he was 11-for-13 from the field. Griffin turned in a 24-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist performance but was 8-for-26. As a whole, the Pistons shot 38.2 percent from the field. It’s down to an abysmal 30.1 percent if you take Drummond’s line out.
It’s a gritty win on paper but it should be noted that Doncic didn’t dress for the game, and then DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, J.J. Barea and Smith were all inactive. Harrison Barnes scored a game-high 27 points as a result.
This is the seventh preview in Piston Powered’s series previewing how the Detroit Pistons stack up against all 29 NBA teams.
Let’s take a look at the changes the Mavericks made.