Game Recap/Notes: Game #27. Pistons 124 - Hawks 130. (2-25)
Yeah it still sucks to lose, yeah this is kind of getting out of hand, yeah there is a very real chance that they break the record for a losing streak if they can’t manage a win against the Jazz. But hey, the game was at least competitive, there were some real positives to take away. As sad as this is things have been so bad that it was still kind of nice.
Cade Cunningham:
Played a herculean 44 minutes and scored 43 points on 16-24 shooting (8-9 from the line) with 7 assists against just 3 turnovers. Cade slowing starting to improve lately has largely been overshadowed by the losing streak (which is fair) but he has genuinely started to come into his own over the last few weeks and tonight was a nice way to emphatically send a message of what he is capable of. Aided by the gift of spacing (and a bad Hawks defense but I’ve got a narrative to push here) he was able to do just about anything he wanted. With the exception of a few possessions where Dejounte Murray put clamps on him, Cade made just about everything easy. He worked off the ball, in pick and roll, in isolation, in transition, whatever. He hit threes (3-5 from deep), those pullup midranges he loves, some silky smooth floaters, some tough layups, and a couple of possessions where he dusted the defender(s) so thoroughly that he was able to yam home an open dunk. Obviously, he won’t score 40 every night and small sample size etc. The difference was palpable. Hayes and Stewart cannot be allowed to return to starting or getting starter minutes.
Jaden Ivey:
A quick glance at the box score undersells Ivey’s performance. 15 points on 6-13 shooting with 4 assists and fouling out in 29 minutes is a fine but not very good stat line. HOWEVA, I think each and every one of his buckets was of the VERY DIFFICULT variety, and he had a short stretch in the 3rd where he scored multiple buckets in a row. The offensive numbers don’t pop but he was highly important to the offense.
As far as fouling out goes, he got stuck with Trae Young for most of his night and that’s what he tends to do. Ivey could’ve helped himself on a few possessions but Young also gets a comical whistle and flops gratuitously. Lastly, fouling out while guarding Trae Young is a very normal thing for a 2nd year player to do.
Ausar Thompson:
Pretty bad night for Thompson. Just 19 minutes played, 1-5 from the field for 2 points, still managed 8 boards and 3 assists because of course he did but this was a tough night for him for sure. To make matters worse he didn’t seem terribly involved in the defense, I would’ve liked to see him get a chance with Young for instance but it didn’t happen all that often. Just not a good night for Ausar.
Bojan Bogdanovic:
Continues to emphatically eliminate fears that his age and injury could result in him being washed. 25 points and 2 assists on 9-17 from the field may pale in comparison to Cade’s night but Bojan was still very good and of course his shooting is a big part of what opens things up for Cade to have the night he did. Bojan obviously needs to stay healthy, but he does look like he’s still very much a capable guy which is great. Whether the Pistons hold onto him to keep some level of offensive functionality or if they do sell at the deadline, he is playing well enough to get real value to the Pistons.
Marvin Bagley:
17 points and just 1 rebound somehow in 23 minutes of play. Bagley was not 100%, still fighting back spasms, but fought through valiantly. On the defensive end his shortcomings were plain, the Hawks repeatedly found open buckets at the hoop in this game, but he showed real promise as a roll-man with Cade and fought for each minute he was on the floor. I’ve brought it up with Bagley before but I want to do so again: For all his failings, I really do always feel like he’s trying hard.
Isaiah Livers:
It’s probably over for Livers. He played 4 minutes then lost the rest of what I assume would be his minutes to Joe Harris. Unless I missed a report that he got hurt, hard not to view that as Monty deciding to drop Livers from the rotation. As much as I would like to be bothered by that idea, I can’t really bring myself to be so. In theory Livers is exactly what the Pistons need, in reality he’s just been bad.
Joe Harris:
Took the Livers minutes for much of the game. Didn’t do anything in those 12 minutes.
James Wiseman:
Similar story to Bagley, who Wiseman actually played a few more minutes than. 10 points, 7 boards, and 2 assists on 5-5 shooting is a nice night for Wiseman offensively, and despite the obvious defensive breakdowns he competed consistently on both ends and had a couple of nice hustle plays going both ways as well. Like Bagley as much as Wiseman sucks he seems like he’s trying.
Marcus Sasser:
fouled out in 21 minutes largely thanks to Trae Young which is shocking I’m sure. Still had a positive night with his 5 points and 1 assist.
Alec Burks:
Awful. 6 points on 2-11 shooting from the field, one of the most glaring poor spots in the loss.
General:
It sucks to lose, but hard not to view this game as something of a positive. I just really hope the Pistons don’t keep their heads buried in the sand.