3 takeaways from the Detroit Pistons 136-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs
The Detroit Pistons have now lost seven of their last nine games following a 136-109 defeat at the hands of the Spurs.
In their last nine games, the Detroit Pistons have given up over 110 points in six of them. The defense has been an increasingly bigger issue as the season progresses and it’s beginning to feel as if a fully healthy team won’t change anything. This situation almost feels irrevocable.
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the lowest volume three-point shooting teams in the league, and tonight they hit a season high from the perimeter with 18. There was a consistent lack of communication on rotations and a lack of effort on closeouts. The Spurs shot 51.4 percent from three-point range tonight, and 57.0 percent from the field.
It was encouraging to see the Pistons be able to maintain control of the ball, only committing 11 turnovers tonight, and just 5 in the first half. However, they weren’t able to get defenders on the ball and San Antonio also only committed 11.
An inability to defend DeMar DeRozan tonight also eliminated any chances of a Pistons victory. He scored 29 points on just 16 shots (81.2 percent shooting) and absolutely obliterated Detroit from mid-range. At the end of the day, the Pistons may be struggling defensively but mid-range efficiency is what the Spurs do.
Coming into tonight, the Spurs generate 19 percent of their points from mid-range. Meaning how mad can you really be when they pick you apart? Not very. However, the aforementioned three-point performance warrants some frustration