3 takeaways from the Detroit Pistons 117-110 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans

Following tonight’s 117-110 loss to the Pelicans the Detroit Pistons have now lost four out of their last five match ups.

In what was their second overtime game in their last three outings, the Detroit Pistons once again came up short. Tonight it was delivered via a diverse offensive attack from New Orleans, who dominated the boards and the interior. Detroit falls to a record of 14-27.

The final stat sheet isn’t entirely indicative of how tonight’s Pelicans team fared against Detroit. Their final shooting percentages wound up being heavily weighted by their fourth quarter woes, where they shot just 5 for 27 (18.5 percent) from the field. This allowed the Pistons to claw their way back into the game after once trailing by 16 points.

For a majority of the game the Pelicans shot over 50 percent from the field, and this was largely due to Detroit’s inability to close out on shooters, or them getting beat off the dribble by Pelican ball handlers. More or less the same issues that have plagued the Pistons all season were no exception tonight. Lonzo Ball was able to effectively control the pace of the game both in transition and in a half court setting which resulted in a dissection of Detroit’s defense.

Ball finished the game with 17 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists which included the game-sealing three-pointer in overtime. The performances of Ball, Nicolo Melli, and Jahlil Okafor exceeded dominance. Every single member of the Pelicans starting lineup scored in double figures tonight, and 80 percent of their traditional starting lineup was out with injury.