Game Recap/Notes: Game #33. Pistons 111 - Jazz 126.
Another tough game. Felt like the Pistons were playing well and would have a good chance to win but the Jazz got rolling in the 4th quarter and ended up winning more comfortably than most of the game was. Also would appreciate it if the Pistons could avoid tall guys who shoot good for a while.
Killian Hayes:
Underwhelming performance for Hayes. 4 points on 2-8 shooting and 5 assists. He did pull some weight defensively at times but didn’t make nearly the impact needed to outweigh such a low bar on the offensive end. Struggled to get to his spots and struggled to really get into the game. A couple of those 5 assists were really nice passes though which is nice.
Jaden Ivey:
Between the last two games I think its safe to say that whatever funk Ivey was in is now over. 30 points on 10-14 shooting from the field, 2-2 from deep, and 8-11 from the line. He took my preview’s advice and went on the attack more or less from the start of the game. He got into the paint, passes the ball really well on his way to 5 assists, and scored a ton of points, many of which were tough baskets created pretty much on his own. If Ivey can show this type of aggression for the rest of the season it would make it far less of a slog and be a great sign for things to come.
Bojan Bogdanovic:
Struggled to get into rythmn against his old team, 15 points on 5-13 shooting with 3 assists isn’t awful but it is certainly below the standard he has set. Bojan seemed frustrated by the way he was playing and got out of sorts defensively more than once as well which isn’t great. We can live with an off night shooting but you can’t let it impact other parts of your game.
Isaiah Stewart:
Had one huge block on a Walker Kessler dunk attempt, other than that minimal impact. 7 points on 3-9 shooting including 0-5 from deep and just 3 boards. not a whole lot else to say.
Jalen Duren:
Joins Ivey as the guy who had a great night. In 30 minutes of play he had 15 points on 7-9 shooting and had 14 rebounds. He was helped out by some excellent early-game passing from Ivey and Hayes but he gave the Jazz trouble on the inside all night. As he continues to stack up gaudy rebounding numbers the Andre Drummond comparisons will continue and I’m pretty okay with that. Duren doesn’t have the second bounce Andre did and the Pistons will be fortunate if he becomes as effective a screener, passer, and ball handler as Drummond was at his best but Duren has a clear step up on Drummond with how much better his hands are which is a great starting point. Would love for Duren to give us some semblance of “What if the Pistons ball handlers didn’t constantly get hurt and force Drummond into a role he wasn’t suited for?”
Marvin Bagley:
Got beaten defensively several times but gave as good as he got with 10 points on 4-6 shooting in just 18 minutes. Its not great that a guy you gave up assets (even if they were minor) and a decent paycheck to is settling in as a bench guy who plays less than 20 minutes per game, but it is nice to see Bagley settling into a role that works for him. He got inside and gave work to the Jazz in his limited time on the floor.
Kevin Knox:
Went 3-3 from the floor for 9 points and 3 boards in 19 minutes. Positive night for Knox who stays hot from deep and continues to make the case for himself to stay in the rotation even when/if the Pistons get healthy.
Saddiq Bey:
Getting to be a broken record. 7 points on 2-8 shooting in 20 minutes and it isn’t clear what should happen with Bey or where he fits on this team. Had one nice drive to the hoop but otherwise was mitigated the entire game.
Cory Joseph:
Did not score in 13 minutes.
Alec Burks:
17 minutes and scored 10 points on 3-5 shooting.
General:
Both a compliment to the Jazz and a knock on the Pistons that Utah, playing a back-to-back and 3rd game in 4 nights looked like the more energetic team. The Pistons were Ivey and Duren away from getting completely blown away. The only good excuse for tonight is that, like against Brooklyn, the Pistons really don’t have a good defensive option for a guy like Markkanen.
Programming note:
Uncertain if I will have time to get up a preview for tomorrow’s game against the Sixers.