Pistons news: Boos, Stews, and how not to lose
Two positives emerged for the Detroit Pistons last night against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The first is that they finally won a game after four losses, which was sorely needed.
The second is that they finally got a good game from Tobias Harris, who didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, especially from long range where he missed all three attempts, but got some huge momentum-changing buckets on his way to 18 points and 14 rebounds.
He did it as the bozo fans in Philly rained boos down on him all night (thanks for that, as it clearly motivated Harris), still blaming a role player for their underperformance last season, which is much easier than booing your best player who misses half the games and still hasn’t played this season.
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It was ironic that they were booing Harris while Embiid sat on the bench in street clothes, again. Philly fans are gonna Philly, bless them, but they may consider recalibrating their negative attention.
Either way, it was nice to see Harris have a big game against his former team and hopefully it is something he can build on.
Isaiah Stewart has a monster night
But it was Isaiah “Beef Stew” Stewart who gets the game ball from last night, as he was everywhere on defense, guarding 1-5 and making every hustle play.
Stew finished with 7 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and a steal, showing how he can impact a game without even taking a 3-point attempt.
The Pistons are a better team when Stewart is on the floor and he’s forcing the team to make a tough decision about Jalen Duren.
Stewart still has plenty to prove, as he has to show he can do that night in and night out without getting into foul trouble. He also has to offer something on offense, even if it is just catching a pass cleanly once in a while.
There are still questions, but as of right now, Stewart is the Pistons’ best center.
How not to lose a basketball game
The Pistons have been masters of finding ways to lose over the last few seasons, but last night they came upon the recipe for winning.
Having the other team’s two best players out of the game didn’t hurt, but I am not sure the Pistons can arrange that for the rest of the season, but they did do some things that are sustainable.
The Pistons hit back in the 4th quarter
Detroit lost the 4th quarter overall, but finally hit back and didn’t fold when a team made a big run in the final frame.
After going on a 9-0 run, Philadelphia had cut the lead to 10 and Pistons fans were saying, “here we go again.”
But the 4th-quarter collapse didn’t come, as Detroit immediately hit back with 15-5 run of their own which sealed the game after they had a big lead coming into the final quarter.
It was hardly a perfect effort, but the Pistons moved the ball better in the 4th, got shots and buckets from people other than Cade, and most importantly, didn’t fold when Philly made a run.
Contributions from someone other than Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey
Cunningham and Ivey have been brilliant offensively so far this season and have kept the Pistons in every game. They added a combined 45 points last night but it was the 34 points from the duo of Harris and Tim Hardaway Jr. that made the difference.
The Pistons have gotten consistent scoring from their two guards, and if they can get it from their role players, it will make Cade and Ivey’s jobs a lot easier.
The Pistons have to hit 3-point shots and take care of the ball
Detroit was bailed out by the 3-ball last night, as they hit 15 to Philly’s 8 which was the difference in the game. The Pistons are lucky they were hot, as they turned the ball over 17 times, which led to 23 points for the 76ers.
This won’t cut it against a team at full strength, so it can’t be one or the other, the Pistons need to hit 3-pointers AND take care of the ball, not use the long-range shot to bail themselves out of trouble of their own making.
It was just one win, but it was an important one for Detroit, as there have been plenty of positives in these first five games, but this one showed how they can get W's more consistently.
The Knicks are next up, which will be a big test if these positives for the Pistons can hold.
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