Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams (12) goes for a loose ball as Detroit’s Christian Wood (35) defends during NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Detroit Pistons at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Friday, Feb. 7, 2020. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]
The Detroit Pistons end the day on a bad note with a close loss to Thunder 101-108. This was their first game after making the decision to trade Andre Drummond to the Cavaliers which also meant the first chance at a bigger opportunity for the young Piston big’s, Christian Wood and Thon Maker. And they did not disappoint, combining for 46 points, 19 rebounds, and 6 assists on 17-30 shooting. The rest of the Pistons youth movement, however, struggled mightily. Sekou Doumboya scored just 8 points on 3 for 10 shooting, and though he had some good moments, his overall performance was slightly disappointing. Jordan Bone still has not shown he will be more then a good G-League player going 0 for 2 and getting 3 early fouls that forced Casey to sub him out. Bruce Brown turned the ball over uncharacteristically with 4 turnovers but paired with his 5 steals it balanced out. Reggie Jackson had a very strong game scoring a team high 28 points on 11-18 shooting. During the game it was reported by Marc Stein that Reggie was contemplating a buyout with the Pistons that would make him a free agent, and Stein also said the Clippers were interested so stay tuned on @PistonTerritory twitter for further updates on his situation.
Game Breakdown:
First Quarter:
Both teams came out looking good in the first quarter but the Thunder were slightly better. They were blitzing the Pistons on every play and Danilo Gallinari was hitting his shots. The Pistons did not bury themselves though with Christian Wood helping ease the pain on the offensive end. The quarter ended 29-24 with the Thunder controlling the lead leading into the second.
Second Quarter:
As much as the first quarter was Christian Wood’s the second was Maker’s. He was killing them on the offensive end and always seemed to be around the ball. This version of him would be exiting to watch and we all hope he keeps it up. On the other side the Thunder’s center Steven Adams was powering his way though our lanky centers and having his way to help cancel out what Thon did. The quarter ended in a tie 23-23 and at the half, the score was 47-52.
Third Quarter:
This one hasn’t been nice to the Pistons all year and it didn’t change much here. Adams continued to give his team second chances on which it seemed they always cashed in. Reggie did start to heat up though and it would continue to the fourth.
Fourth Quarter:
The fourth quarter was Reggie’s time to shine. He was heating up and kept the Pistons in it the whole way. Just when the Thunder would extend the lead to 10 he’d come down and hit a three to make it interesting. Wood also, after having a more quiet second and third quarter, came alive and they made it a five point game but, after a needless foul from Reggie and some other costly mistakes the Pistons let this one get away.
Conclusion:
Well this is about what we can expect from the Pistons in the remaining 29 games. Close losses with a couple of wins sprinkled in for good measure. If nothing else it was very promising to see the young big’s take the responsibility of Dre’s job and handle it well.
Written by: Pittstons
Piston Territory 