Game Recap/Notes: Game #50. Pistons 130 - Nets 122 (13-37)
Obviously beating the Nets without Kevin Durant is not quite the same but given how things have been we will take what we get. Sorry about no preview I was exceptionally sick yesterday. Had to get a recap up though because its a win.
Jaden Ivey:
Taking on the starting PG spot tonight in a new development and it went pretty well. 16 points on 5-12 shooting from the field and 5-5 from the line are alright but the 8 assists against just 3 turnovers is a lovely addition. In particular, he found Duren with great passes 5 times by my unofficial count, and man, Ivey has had some stinkers but overall his passing has been an absolute revelation, and the idea that he could spend a game as the genuine point guard and look this solid seemed unthinkable before the season. I’d still like him to be more aggressive in looking for his own drives to the hoop but when he drops off as many good passes as he did tonight it’s hard to complain.
It is worth noting that Ivey was probably the main victim of Kyrie Irving going off for 40 points tonight which isn’t great. Although if there’s one guy you can just sort of shrug and go “aye man it happens” it’s Kyrie. So overall a really exciting outing for Ivey.
Alec Burks:
Moving into the starting lineup while Hayes moved to the bench. Burks played 30 minutes and scored 20 points in his usual fashion. 6-9 from the field, 5-6 from the line, generally just hitting tough shots and picking his spots well. Tack on 4 assists and its a really good night for Burks. He remains about as clear a definition of a professional scorer as they come.
Saddiq Bey:
25 points on 10-19 shooting from the field with 9 boards and 3 assists for a really nice game from Saddiq. We are now at 6 straight good games and I guess we can officially take our hands off the “panic” button. Much of his damage from deep, going 5-8, but he had some really nice interior buckets as well. He’s shooting over 40% from deep the last 6 games and generally looks more comfortable in the offense. It doesn’t mean everything is good now because he’s a non-passer and mediocre defensively but it is good to see him find his footing.
Bojan Bogdanovic:
Quiet night for Bojan and this is the first time in…. I don’t know, that the Pistons won a game with Bojan having a bad night. just 11 points on 4-15 shooting from the field and 3-4 from the line and just 1 assist. He just didn’t have it tonight. On the flip side he still somehow managed a game-high +11 in his 32 minutes.
Jalen Duren:
17 points on 7-8 shooting from the field and hitting all 3 of his free throws. 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal and a block. Duren did a great job of finding open space and his teammates (especially Ivey) did a great job of finding him. Nick Claxton scoring 27 points is a bit of a downer on Duren’s night but still a great effort and he’s looked consistently good since entering the starting lineup. He’s so explosive that if he gets the ball near the rim with any space there is no chance to try and stop him.
Isaiah Livers:
Played 23 minutes and wasn’t terribly effective. Just two points on 1-5 shooting from the field. Took a few goes against Irving and didn’t really fare better than anyone else.
Isaiah Stewart:
Coming off the bench and played 21 minutes. 11 points on 3-6 shooting and 5-5 from the line, didn’t even attempt a three. Was generally effective in his limited minutes. The only speculation I saw on him being off the bench was also for health precaution but we will see how things develop from here.
Killian Hayes:
Despite coming off the bench he still played 25 minutes, and scored 16 points on 6-12 shooting from the field with 3 assists and 3 steals on the night. He continues to do a good job of hitting tough shots when he needs to. We will see if tonight's coming off the bench was merely a precaution for health reasons or something more. It is nice to see that there isn’t some magic sauce of him being a starter that automatically makes him play better though.
General:
Once again. The Nets don’t have KD and they did not play particularly well, but the Pistons needed a win to get back onto some sort of track and a couple of their contributors didn’t exactly play well either. Ivey’s passing remains remarkable and its good to see Saddiq finding his footing.