The Detroit Pistons snapped a franchise-record tying 14-game losing streak with a victory over the Miami Heat. The path to pull off even more wins in the future can be followed in that game.
Development is all well and good but sometimes a team simply needs to a win. The Pistons, on the precipice of setting a new team record for most consecutive losses, was in that place against the Miami Heat.
The 100-90 win for Detroit was a long sought-after balm. Yes, the win-loss record might not be important this season, but it gets kind of a grind to constantly be blowing double-digit leads or getting blown out all the time. And no one wants to be associated with a record with most losses.
To be fair, the Heat were not at full strength. There was no Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro, but they were coming off a win at Philadelphia, so this group (with Pistons legend Dewayne Dedmon at center) had shown it could play.
Do not forget, the Pistons were missing two of their top guns in Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk, so they were not 100-percent either. And Detroit has lost to plenty of shorthanded teams during the losing streak.
So why was this game different than the previous 14? How did the Pistons pull the win off, when they, frankly, fell to teams not as talented or experienced as the Heat.
If Detroit can replicate certain things they did against the Heat, more wins could follow.
Top 3 reasons Detroit Pistons were able to win over Miami
3. Turnovers, or lack there of
The Pistons have had a major problem holding onto the basketball.. Turnovers have been a major problem all season, and many of them with little pressure being applied.
Detroit is 26th in the NBA in taking care of the basketball. For a team that struggles to score on a nightly basis, the Pistons need to put up as many shots as possible.
The last thing the Pistons need to do is help jump start the other team’s offense, by feeding them the ball.
Against Miami, Detroit only committed 13 turnovers, three less than they had been averaging the past three games. Not handing the ball to the other team is a good strategy for victory.
2. The Bey is back!
After a horrendous start to the season, Saddiq Bey has taken the next step and become the player in his second season they had hoped for. Heck, he had been so bad, there was speculation he would be sent to the G-League to regain his form.
Bey scored 26 points and grabbed four rebounds in the Heat win. Importantly, he was a team-best +18, which means Detroit was playing its best when he was on the floor.
With Grant and Olynyk out, there was a lot of wondering on where the points would come from. Bey made a perfectly-timed emergence from his slump. Bey knocked down 3 of 6 from the three-point line, showing his shooting touch is returning.
Until Detroit is at full-strength, they will need game’s like this from Bey every time out.
The Hayes-Cunningham backcourt clicked
In general manager Troy Weaver’s dreams, this is how he would like to see the Pistons backcourt work for like, the next 7-8 years.
With seemingly everyone on the team unable to hit the broadside of a barn to start the season, it was tough to get the offensively-challenged Hayes a lot of time. Coach Dwane Casey went to veteran Cory Joseph in the fourth quarter quite a few times.
Detroit is not looking for Hayes to turn into James Harden, but he needs to be a credible threat on offense, or opponents will simply ignore him and double-team Cunningham or (when healthy) Grant.
Last year’s No. 7 overall pick scored 11 points, which is fine, and provided stout defense against Heat guards Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry, who had torched Philadelphia in its previous game.
With other players actually making shots, Cunningham switched from a scorer to a facilitator. This year’s No. 1 pick took just four shots, but he had 10 assists (to just four turnovers), showing he can control a game without scoring.
A Hayes-Cunningham backcourt is great defensively, and Detroit’s defense was a major reason they won, holding the Heat to just 37.8-percent shooting from the field.
If Hayes can contribute, even a little, on offense, the pairing with Cunningham could work.
The lack of total team collapse was also key. The Pistons jumped on the Heat to start the second half, going on a 31-13 run to wipe out a six-point Heat lead and took command and never relinquished the lead. Maybe the young Pistons players are learning how to win? That would be nice.