LA Clippers Take Care of Business, Defeat Detroit Pistons 107-96

The Clippers never trailed in this game, and defeated the Pistons at home

RINGO H.W. CHIU, AP

The Detroit Pistons are young, have upside, and play hard; however, that has not yet translated into a winning basketball team. There's a lot to like about the direction of this franchise, but Friday's loss to the Clippers was a reminder of how far away they are.

Coming into this game, Detroit had the league's worst three-point percentage, worst field goal percentage, and 3rd-worst offensive rating. Their offense is not good, and that was on full display against the Clippers in this one.

Detroit's poor offense combined with the Clippers' stifling defense made for some staggering numbers. The Pistons finished with just 96 points on 36.7% from the field and 24.2% from deep. They were led by Jerami Grant who had 20 points, but it came on just 31% shooting.

The Clippers were led by former Piston Reggie Jackson, who finished with 21 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds. It was the Eric Bledsoe show to start the game, as he opened up 3/3 from beyond the arc. He finished with 15 points on 6/9 shooting.

The lone negative on the score card for the Clippers in this matchup, was the continued shooting struggles of Paul George. In 32 minutes of play, he had just 12 points on 5/19 from the field and 1/9 from deep. Over his last seven games, George is shooting just 36.3% from the field and 26.1% from deep. As the team embarks on a more difficult stretch of games, they will need their superstar to find his shot again.

The Clippers got a solid showing from Terance Mann in this one, who finished with a double-double, putting up 16 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes off the bench. Another positive development for the Clippers, was their ability to get Serge Ibaka extended minutes. The big man finished with 9 points on 3/5 shooting in 19 minutes of play.

Despite the dominant start to this game, the Clippers did not end strong. The Pistons outscored the Clippers 34-25 in the 4th quarter, cutting the lead all the way down to 12 at one point. Fortunately for the Clippers, the comeback attempt was too little and too late.

After taking care of business against the Pistons at home, the Clippers have another 12:30 game coming up at Staples Center against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.

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