This is one of those games that you see on the calendar at this point in the year and assume it should be an easy win. I mean, Vegas even had the Detroit Pistons as 12-point favorites over the New Orleans Pelicans pregame. But with Tom Hardaway Jr. leaving last game wearing a boot on his right foot and Cade Cunningham being a late scratch with bilateral calf soreness, this was no longer an easy win without two starters.
Dennis Schröder and Malik Beasley got the starts for Cade and THJ. Detroit got out to an early lead and were up by nine heading into halftime, but New Orleans’ hot shooting from deep, including a 40-piece from CJ McCollum, kept them in the game until the final minute when Detroit was finally able to put the Pelicans away and win the game 136-130.
The most impressive part of today’s Sunday matinee was the play off the bench from Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser. Sass continues to show consistent play in the face of inconsistent minutes this season. He was incredibly efficient scoring 20 points on only nine shots, including shooting 3-for-4 from deep. He played 26 minutes off the bench and was looking to score whenever he got the ball - and score, he did.
We saw a glimpse of star potential from Ron Holland. In a game missing defensive intensity from Detroit, particularly on the perimeter, Holland undoubtedly brought the energy on that end. Take a look at this stat line:
26 points (career-high - 1st on the team)
5 rebounds (2nd on the team)
6 assists (1st)
10 made field-goals (1st)
11 free throws attempted (1st)
He was a beast on both ends today. He couldn’t be stopped on his drives to the rim and he’s always outhustling the nine other guys on the court. How do we know the Robin to Cade’s Batman isn’t already on the team as a 19-year-old rookie?
Jalen Duren also deserves a shout out as he was able to take advantage of the lack of an interior presence on New Orleans. He had 17 points and 7 rebounds at halftime, and he was able to finish the game with 22 and 12 on only 11 shots, including nine free throw attempts. Today’s two new starters Schröder and Beasley combined for 29 points, seven assists, and five three-pointers.
The Detroit Pistons have now reached 40 wins for the first since the 2018-2019 season - the last time Detroit made the playoffs. The Pistons will take on the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.
Good team win! #DetroitBasketball
• Ron Holland: 26 PTS | 5 REB | 6 AST
• Jalen Duren: 22 PTS | 12 REB | 2 AST
• Marcus Sasser: 20 PTS | 2 AST
• Dennis Schröder: 16 PTS | 5 AST | 2 STL
• Tobias Harris: 14 PTS | 3 REB | 4 AST
• Malik Beasley: 13 PTS | 4 REB | 2 AST pic.twitter.com/2kj4HaQJcj
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) March 23, 2025