The Detroit Pistons finally broke out of their shooting slump and got a clutch win on the road against the Toronto Raptors.
All eyes were on rookies Cade Cunningham and fellow 2021 NBA Draft pick Scottie Barnes, who has had a great start to his first season.
Both teams relied heavily on their starters and the Pistons were able to pull out the victory behind Jerami Grant’s 24 points and a career-high 20 points from Isaiah Stewart.
Cunningham had a relatively quiet game but was huge in the clutch, hitting some shots down the stretch to help seal it for Detroit.
Killian Hayes had his first double-double and has looked better in every game he’s played this season. He is knocking down 3-point shots and setting up teammates, who finally got him some assists last night. The “Killian is a bust” section of Pistons’ Twitter is getting a little quieter every day.
There were some great individual numbers in this game and the team numbers were very promising. Here are three that stood out.
Detroit Pistons: Huge numbers from the win vs. Toronto Raptors
13
The Detroit Pistons had 13 turnovers against the Toronto Raptors, which you will take most nights with such a young team, especially after the Cleveland game, in which the Pistons turned it over 23 times. Detroit was clearly focused on taking better care of the ball against the Raptors.
Cade Cunningham only had one turnover last night after coughing it up seven times against Cleveland. You can see him adjusting and getting better every game, which is exactly what you want out of your top pick.
Killian Hayes had three turnovers, but he also kicked in 10 assists, so you will live with that ratio every night. Cory Joseph and Josh Jackson accounted for six turnovers between them, and the calls for Saben Lee just keep getting louder.
This was a positive sign that this young team is listening to the coach and cutting down the lazy and high-risk passes.
Detroit Pistons: Huge numbers from the win vs. Toronto Raptors
30
The Detroit Pistons shot 30 free throws last night against the Raptors, which is a great sign. The Pistons offense has been struggling and getting freebies at the line is a great way to get going.
Grant and Saddiq Bey got to the line six times apiece and Frank Jackson had seven attempts off the bench. Jackson has been struggling mightily with his shot so far this season, so I like that he was being more aggressive. Hopefully this will get him going.
The most important part is that the Detroit Pistons were making them, knocking down 26 out of 30 for 86.7 percent. The Pistons are still just 19th in free-throw percentage but they’ve been better over the last three games.
Cade Cunningham didn’t get to the line at all last night, which is not something you’d expect in a game in which the Pistons shot so many free throws.
Eight of his 10 shots last night were 3-point attempts, though the shot that essentially sealed it was a beautiful left handed banker at the rim. I’d definitely like to see Cade getting a few more shots in the paint, as he has a size advantage on most defenders and is very good at creating in space.
When the shooting is cold, get to the line, and that’s exactly what the Pistons did last night.
Detroit Pistons: Huge numbers from the win vs. Toronto Raptors
42
The Detroit Pistons hit 42.9 percent of their 3-point attempts last night, which seems like a miracle after the horrendous 78 point effort against the Cavaliers.
The Pistons are off to a historically bad shooting start to this season, so it was nice to see them finally have a bit of a breakout game.
Detroit has scored over 110 points in two of their last three games, something they hadn’t done at all prior to this stretch. I think it’s also fair to credit Cleveland’s defense for a lot of the Pistons’ troubles, as Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are monsters at the rim.
Hopefully this is a sign that the team-wide slump is finally ending. Every Pistons’ starter except Beef Stew made at least two from long-range last night and Killian Hayes was 3-of-4, with his confidence growing with each make. Hayes has connected with 43.3 percent of his long-range attempts so far this season, though he is still only shooting 2.7 of them per game.
There are positive signs for this Detroit Pistons team and it was great to see them bounce back after a grim loss against the Cavaliers.