So much for the low-scoring, defensive battle that was expected tonight.
The Detroit Pistons had a needed bounce-back game tonight against the Orlando Magic with a victory of 135-116. Detroit has struggled offensively so far this season, but they had no offensive struggles tonight.
Well, that isn’t completely true - they did have another slow start where they found themselves down early. Detroit started the game 1-for-10 from the field, though, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren missed a couple putbacks at the rim. The Pistons lost another first quarter and found themselves needing to claw back once again.
They were down 10 points as the second quarter began and it started to look similar to the recent poor performance they had against the Cavaliers. Yet, that early season rust started to shake off as the team’s offense was finally able to put some quality possessions together. Detroit took a 65-64 lead thanks to an Ausar three-pointer heading into halftime.
Something happened to this team in the third quarter. The game started getting chippy, particularly between Paolo Banchero and Tobias Harris. Cade Cunningham took an accidental Jalen Suggs fist to eye that seemed to light a fire under him and the entire team. Cade’s play started to look angry and he began to look like that All-NBA player we know. This was one of those games where we really got to see his two-way potential - and he had zero turnovers!
He was even able to get his revenge on Jalen Suggs:
Put that rabbit back in your hat, Suggs.
Detroit took a 101-92 lead heading into the fourth quarter, and they didn’t look back. Cade continued his impressive offensive performance, black eye and all, to finish with 30 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, and three blocks in 36 minutes. It was certainly his best game yet this season, though, he’s still struggling for deep. After going 1-for-7 tonight, he’s now 8-for-33 (24%) for the season.
Vets Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris both deserve shoutouts for their additions tonight. Tobias had 23 points on 13 shots and Duncan added 15 points on seven shots. Two very efficient nights where each player succeeded in their expected role. Duncan also made four threes as he begins to look more comfortable in Detroit’s offense.
Jalen Duren added a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He’s certainly showing growth already this season, and it’s due to his on-ball play. His ability to get by opposing centers by putting the ball on the floor continues to be an asset to the team. He has a decent handle and is quicker than most centers so they struggle to defend him. Orlando’s centers couldn’t keep up as he shot 12 total free throws. He also shot 13 free throws against the Celtics - he’s 23-for-25 combined in those two games. If his quickness on-ball gets him a jump in free throw attempts, that’s a big opportunity for his offensive production and ceiling.
Ausar had a weird game - he shot 4-for-14, but also had 11 rebounds and six assists. Even when he’s struggling offensively, he’s still able to make an impact on the game. All three of his three-point attempts looked confident, too. Speaking of confident, Ron Holland made two of his five attempts, and that corner three continues to look good. With the lack of three-point shooting that this team currently has, Detroit needs him to take those corner spot-ups. He’s shooting 33% from deep on the season - progress!
It was a great team win as Detroit moves to 3-2, and it was the bounce-back performance the team needed after last game. The Pistons will next play November 1st at 10PM EST in Mexico City for an NBA Global Game on Peacock against the Dallas Mavericks.
See More:
* [Detroit Pistons Game Day](/detroit-pistons-game-day)
* [Pistons Scores](/pistons-scores-results)