The Detroit Pistons played their first overtime game of the season tonight and fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-115.
With all the controversy currently surrounding this Cleveland Cavaliers team, they did a commendable job of sticking together and playing through the adversity tonight. They were able to grind out a win over a Detroit Pistons team that’s already lost their footing on the season.
The main issue with the loss for the Pistons, is that they weren’t able to beat predictability. As tremendous of a performance as Tristan Thompson, Collin Sexton, and Darius Garland had, they seldom venture outside of the realm of expectation. The trio combined for 74 points, 22 rebounds and 11 assists.
Those three players alone combined for 64 percent of Cleveland’s total points. You will seldom see the Cavs running a formidable play on offense. Their success is largely contingent on two ball dominant guards who will either isolate (Sexton especially) or utilize a high pick and roll and try to create other action that way. Cleveland doesn’t stray from a pick and roll – the one thing that every single NBA franchise can efficiently defend, and the Pistons got beat by that tonight.
To further the point, it’s not like the Cavs shot the light out from three-point range either. They only hit on 5 of their 20 attempts which was good for 25 percent. Conversely Detroit only hit 6 on 20 attempts as well. This game was largely played on the interior and the Pistons weren’t able to stop the bleeding after Cleveland went on a 12-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarter.