The Detroit Pistons extended their season with a huge win in Madison Square Garden that sends the series back to Detroit.
Detroit’s entire starting five finished the game with a positive +/-, led by Jalen Duren, who finished the night with a +17, a huge bounce back game for him after he struggled in game four.
The starting five was the difference in the game, as they were able to hold Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns in check to handily win the matchup.
But it’s nothing new in this series, as the Pistons’ starting five has been the best in the NBA in the playoffs so far.
Pistons starting lineup playing lockdown defense
Any success the Pistons have starts on the defensive end and the starting five has been great.
They currently have an 84.6 defensive rating as a unit, which is by far the best of any starting lineup in the playoffs so far.
It has led to a +33.4 net rating, again, best of any starting group in the league.
The key has been Ausar Thompson’s defense on Brunson, as well as acting as a connector defensively for the whole group. They are a much better team when he’s on the floor and that was even more blatantly obvious last night, as the Knicks went on a run every time Ausar went to the bench.
But it’s been a team effort, as Tobias Harris has played admirably against KAT, Cade Cunningham has stepped up as a shot blocker and has gotten some key steals and Jalen Duren has had some big moments on defense dappled into his otherwise ho/hum series.
The Pistons are putting on a defensive clinic with their starting five and there are more reasons to be excited.
Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren
Three of the Pistons’ five starters are seeing their first action in the playoffs. Cunningham is the elder statesman of the three and he is 23 years old. Ausar Thompson is 22 and Jalen Duren will somehow still be 21 until November.
In other words, these guys are just getting started, and regardless of what happens in this series, the future is bright in Detroit. Did I mention that the Pistons have two more 23 year olds sitting on their bench in Jaden Ivey and Isaiah Stewart?
Cunningham has arguably been the best player in the series when you factor in defense and he came up huge in the 4th quarter of an elimination game in his first ever playoff series. His streak of 20+ point double-doubles to start a playoff career is only bested by Oscar Robertson and Wilt Chamberlain. Not bad company to keep.
Thompson has shown how much he can impact games even if he never takes a jumper. He was the difference in the game last night offensively, as he was cutting off the short roll dump offs to Duren, making himself available and getting easy dunks when points were hard to come by.
He’s already an elite defender who disrupts everything and makes hustle plays off the ball that get the Pistons extra shots.
Duren has struggled at times, but you have to be impressed by this young man’s willingness to compete. He’s played big minutes in this series against very good veteran centers. He hasn’t been perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s finding ways to contribute. He added six assists last night and some key put backs late in the game when the entire Knicks’ defense converged on Cade Cunningham at the rim.
These guys are only going to get better, and these reps are going to help, as they now know exactly what it takes to win a big game in the playoffs. They have a chance to treat their home fans to something special in game six, but the starting five, led by this trio of youngsters will have to come up big again.