The Detroit Pistons showed a level of communication, cohesiveness, and fight often lacking in last year’s team. Despite getting down early, the Pistons dug deep and locked in on defense. After Milwaukee’s starters were bombing threes early in the game, Detroit started to get stops and started making buckets of their own. By halftime, the Pistons were ahead despite the Bucks playing their starters regular minutes. In the second half, it was all Detroit.
The Pistons will look for a repeat of that level of grit as they face the Phoenix Suns at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The veteran-led Suns played their starters about 14 minutes each last night, with new point guard Tyus Jones playing 19, in Phoenix’s 118-114 win over the Lakers. We’ll see how Detroit fares against another top team for those first 20 minutes when the competition is tough.
Game Vitals
When: 7 pm ET
Where: Breslin Center, East Lansing, Michigan
Watch: Bally Sports Detroit
Odds: Pistons -3.5
Analysis
When reflecting on the game one blowout win against the Bucks and what I want to see in game two, a few things come to mind. First, I want to see how Jalen Duren looks out of the gate. He struggled defensively in his first stint on the floor, and when Isaiah Stewart replaced him, the tenor of the game completely flipped. Duren was much more locked in an effective in his subsequent minutes, and I want to see if that can carry over from moment one tonight.
Jaden Ivey had an incredible game, shooting 6-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-3 from deep. He limited his mistakes, played with intensity, and his shot looked clean. Will he be able to keep that up for another game?
Ron Holland Jr was an amazing sparkplug off the bench for the Pistons. He is already an effective NBA defender who knows how to use his feet and has really solid instincts. That will get him on the floor in the regular season. To stay on the floor, he’ll have to play with some offensive consistency. I’m a bit less bullish on those prospects. He is often driving into the teeth of the defense and I don’t trust his outside shot. Ausar Thompson had similar issues in his rookie season, but his myriad gifts transcended those limitations, and he found ways to be effective on the floor. Are we seeing the same with Holland?
Cade Cunningham was another player that struggled early against the Bucks. But when the team was locked in, he helped everyone find another gear. His passing to his bigs was on point, his defensive intensity was high, and he was getting to his spots as always. More of all that, please.
Projected Lineups
Detroit Pistons (1-0)
Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr., Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren
Phoenix Suns (1-0)
Tyus Jones, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, Mason Plumlee
Question of the Game
What would you give up to get Devin Booker to his home state team?
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