Under the Hood - it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.
Cade had one of his best games of the season last night as he finished with 29 points, five rebounds, 17 assists, two steals, and two blocks.
He was aggressive getting to the rim.
He was knocking down off-ball three-pointers.
When in doubt, he can always get to his trusty midrange step back.
He made some great reads in the halfcourt offense, too.
And this lob to Ausar was a thing of beauty.
If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s Keyonte George’s game-winner.
It’s crazy to think they had a chance at winning the game after a turnover like this just a minute beforehand.
Here was Cade’s game-winning attempt at the buzzer. Looks like hitting Duncan Robinson in the corner was an option on this play as well.
The hot topic of tonight’s game is Ausar’s minutes.
Thompson played in just under 16 minutes last night - he was subbed out after playing in the first four minutes of the second half, and then he never saw the court again. He’s noticeably missing from that final defensive possession with Caris LeVert in his place.
Jaden Ivey was another player that didn’t see any fourth quarter minutes. He hit that 14-minute mark once again, but it would be nice to see Ivey get some playing time in the clutch - minutes restriction or not.
It almost feels like Daniss Jenkins played the minutes that would’ve gone to Ivey down the stretch. Daniss didn’t hit the court until the four-minute mark of the third quarter, and he even saw two different fourth quarter stretches when Cade needed a breather.
Javonte Green played the final five minutes and Caris LeVert played the final four. Duncan Robinson was subbed out for LeVert and then didn’t see the court until the final offensive possession.
I’m not sure if Ausar was injured, sick, or in JB Bickerstaff’s doghouse, but Thompson was built for playing defense on final possessions like that and it’s a bummer we didn’t get to see him guard Keyonte there.