This was a doozy. Pistons lose to the Indiana Pacers 106-112. In the first quarter of this game, the Pistons’ offense was fluid, their defense was getting the right stops, everything seemed to be going well. They had a healthy 15 point lead during the 1st quarter. Indiana capitalized on Andre Drummond attaining his 3rd personal foul and getting benched. From then on, the Pacers went on a 14-2 tear to end the second quarter and didn’t look behind. Once Andre left the game, the Pacers attacked the basket with fury and the Pistons were caught off rhythm. Luke Kennard led the Pistons with 29 points. Sabonis, Warren, and McConnell all had 17.
The refs did not make this game easy, either. At points, it was as pleasant to watch as an ISIS beheading video. It seemed like a younger officiating crew as well. Every tic tac foul was called on Indiana to begin the game, but then the refs realized they needed to over-correct and made the executive decision to virtually end any competitiveness in the game. Yeah, it’s not classy to blame the refs, but if you were watching this game you’d probably feel the exact same way.
This game highlighted how much of a glue Andre is to the team. With Thon Maker and Christian Wood as the primary backup big men, there was little protection in the paint. Also very little rebounding. The absence of Andre also showed how much of a facilitator he is, with 8 assists in this game.
Player of the Game
TJ McConnell, I guess. He was unstoppable for almost a quarter. But that probably didn’t have anything to do with multiple Pistons being in foul trouble.
17 pts / 5 rebs / 9 asts
Key Takeaways:
- TJ McConnell and TJ Leaf look like different versions of the same guy
- TJ Leaf sounds like a sativa-dominant hybrid
- TJ Warren is on the Pacers as well. I believe that’s the world record for the largest amount of TJs working in the same building
- Thon Maker is on the trade block, and the Pistons are requesting a pack of Marlboro Lights, some gummy worms, belly button lint and 8 wood chips in exchange. The Charlotte Hornets feel that the price is too high.
Piston Territory 