For the third game in a row, the Detroit Pistons fought back from double-digit deficits to make it a game but couldn’t close it out.
They got another huge night from Cade Cunningham (more on that later) who has backed up his words since declaring himself the best rookie in the NBA.
The Pistons got Frank Jackson back, which was nice, but he is still trying to re-calibrate his shot after a long absence with injuries and COVID.
The Nuggets got a normal huge night out of Nikola Jokic, who really does about everything for them offensively. They were also the beneficiaries of a huge foul discrepancy that gave them a 31-14 advantage in free-throw attempts.
There was a lot to like in this game for Cade Cunningham and his Detroit Pistons, but the young squad has to learn how to avoid dumb fouls, which was a big problem in this one.
Here are three takeaways from the five-point loss to the Nuggets.
Cade Cunningham and Nikola Jokic: Skill beats everything
The biggest knock against both Cade Cunningham and Nickola Jokic was that they weren’t athletic enough.
It’s true that neither possess blazing speed and neither of them are going to jump out of the gym, but last night showed that a high level of skill and basketball I.Q. is more important.
Both Cunningham and Jokic were doing everything for their teams, hitting shots from all over, setting up teammates and doing it at a deliberate pace.
Instead of elite athleticism, the two use their size to get to their spots, where they can either drain shots or draw in defenders to create open shots or cutting lanes for their teammates.
The two went back and forth all game, particularly in the 1st quarter, where they even defended each other occasionally.
For those who like watching basketball skill on display, that 1st quarter was a joy to behold and I couldn’t help but wonder if we were watching the MVP and the future MVP of the league.
Why can’t Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons get a foul call?
For the second time in three games the Detroit Pistons were doubled-up in free throw attempts, which led to them losing a close game.
Cade Cunningham scored 34 points last night and DIDN’T HAVE A FREE THROW ATTEMPT.
Do you know how hard that is to do? It’s not like he got all of his shots from 3-point range either, as Cade had a bunch of strong takes where he drew contact, didn’t get the whistle and made the shot anyway.
Part of the free-throw disparity is that the Pistons are missing Jerami Grant, who is adept at getting to the line, but that doesn’t account for Cunningham not getting a single call.
This has been going on for a while now, as Cade has seemed to have a target on his back since getting ejected for pointing and has had difficulty staying out of foul trouble since.
I get that a rookie isn’t always going to get the benefit of the doubt, but this is ridiculous. Seriously, for a guy to score 34 points and not even get a free throw attempt is almost impossible in the NBA, and it is unthinkable that someone like LeBron James, James Harden or Damian Lillard could have the ball in their hands that much and not get at least one whistle.
I am not going to go all conspiracy theory here, but Cade Cunningham is not getting calls even though he draws consistent contact and that needs to change.
Hamidou Diallo is a keeper for the Pistons. Josh Jackson is not
We’ve talked a lot about how Hamidou Diallo and Josh Jackson have some overlapping skills, as both are athletic wings who can’t shoot but do a lot of little things.
But Hamidou has very clearly put himself well ahead of Josh Jackson in the pecking order with his hustle and the fact that he doesn’t let one bad play turn into two as Jackson often does.
Hamidou took some bad fouls last night, had a few bad shots and made a few bad turnovers, but he also had two steals and five rebounds, ran the floor like a maniac and made a few hustle plays.
Josh Jackson took a bad foul early in the game, didn’t stop complaining about it and ended up getting tossed from the bench, costing the Pistons two free throws and a possession in the process.
I wanted Jackson to break out this year as much as anyone, but it hasn’t happened and he still has all of the same flaws he has always had. He has poor shot selection, is a below-average shooter and has a low basketball I.Q. and all of the athleticism in the world can’t make up for that.
Diallo has some of these same flaws but he also makes plays consistently, never stops hustling and generally puts more on the table than he takes off.
The Pistons should be looking for a trade for Jackson, as he is on an expiring deal and I can’t see any reason to bring him back.