The Detroit Pistons got their first win of the season in thrilling fashion, beating the Orlando Magic by four points in a matchup of two of the league’s best young teams.
This was one of the most entertaining games the Pistons have played in years, as they got big contributions from just about everyone, including the two rookies, who brought a new level of excitement to the team with their athleticism.
There was so much young talent on display with Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren all having big games going against Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs, who were also very good. I won’t be surprised if these two teams run into each other in the playoffs in the near future.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Pistons’ Twitter so collectively happy, and there were too many positives to choose just a few, so I went with 10 instead. It wasn’t all good of course, but I’ll take a 10-to-1 ratio of good to bad anytime.
Let’s start with the team and then get into the players.
Detroit Pistons: 10 good things, one bad in win over Orlando Magic
1. The Pistons fighting back
About halfway through the first quarter, fans were already making jokes about which number Victor Wembanyama would wear for Detroit next season as they got off to a grim start. They couldn’t get a stop and the offense looked slow and out of sync. But an injection of life from the bench got things going in the right direction and the Pistons completely flipped the script in the second quarter, battling back from down 15 early to take the lead at half. This showed a lot of poise for a young team.
2. Selfless play
Detroit had 31 assists on the night, including 19 from their trio of guards. They were looking to make the extra pass and it led to some easy lobs and wide-open 3-point shots. The half court offense wasn’t great, but the Pistons looked to run when they could and had less isolation play than in the past.
3. Taking care of the ball
Early on it looked like the Pistons were headed for another 20+ turnover performance but started taking care of the ball in the second quarter and only ended with 13 turnovers on the night. Coach Casey said he is happy when they keep it under 15, so mission accomplished. This will be a key issue for Detroit all season, as their defense isn’t good enough to give up easy transition buckets off turnovers.