Pistons Drop Winnable Game At Home
Despite being back at full strength for the first time in almost two months, the Pistons could not beat a very beatable New Orleans team in Detroit tonight, losing 111-101.
Both Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk returned to the lineup together for the first time since Dec. 10 but Detroit just could not figure it all out despite having more pieces to work with. It didn't help that rookie Cade Cunningham left the game for good late in the third quarter with a hip pointer, but Detroit still had the lead after three stanzas. With Cunningham in the locker room and Saddiq Bey, Cory Joseph and Frank Jackson all having frigid shooting nights, the Pistons were outscored 27-14 in the fourth quarter.
The above-mentioned trio finished 15-of-38 from the floor and just 3-of-19 from three-point range. That kind of shooting night will result in a loss in the NBA more often than not.
Grant was pretty solid in his return as he finished with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting including 3-of-6 from downtown. He played nearly 30 minutes, which was second only to Bey, indicating that he's back to 100% after missing substantial time. It's going to be really interesting to see how he's used as the All-Star break and trade deadline approaches as he's still one of the more coveted pieces in e NBA for contenders.
The Pistons are now 12-37 as they prepare to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. The T-Wolves are just 25-25 in the Western Conference, but they pack an offensive punch with Karl Anthony-Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards making up the bulk of their scoring.
