Game Recap/Notes: Game #67. Pistons 103 - Celtics 114. (18-49)
Fun game, disappointing to end the way it did but with the Pistons so lacking in depth, not a big surprise.
Cory Joseph:
Par for the case but better than recently. 7 points and 6 assists in 31 minutes is still not much but it’s at least respectable. I’d like to complain about his defense more but it isn’t his fault he kept getting switched onto Jayson Tatum.
I’d also like to put forth the idea, even as a Cory Joseph hater, that with the current situation lets have Cory stagger a bit away from Cade to play with the bench guys? He wouldn’t fix a ton but they can’t hardly even get the ball started in the half-court. Against the Bulls some nice plays by Kelly Olynyk and Diallo covered up miserable offensive execution and they got smoked tonight with the bench units. So lets just let Cory at least make sure the ball gets over half-court with them until Killian comes back.
Cade Cunningham:
Similar story for much of the season. Cunningham was brilliant early on but ran out of gas. Finished with 27 points (on 29 equivalents) with 8 rebounds and 6 assists. He was excellent early in the game but did not score in the entire 4th quarter. This is alright, exactly the type of thing that happens for young players, conditioning and learning how to pick his spots is something that will come with experience. Also worth pointing out that in the 2nd half it was clear the Celtics built their defense around keeping Cade away from the paint and it worked. Getting gassed is especially understandable when he plays 41 minutes, he played nearly 16 straight to open up the game.
Still a fun game for Cade.
Saddiq Bey:
Had 6 assists which was nice, but now the 3rd straight game where he struggled to get involved offensively with just 9 points on 7 shots in 40 minutes of play. If the Pistons want to actually finish the season on a high note of some wins they need to get him back to scoring.
Jerami Grant:
20 points on 19 equivalents and 4 rebounds, was also as engaged defensively as he’s been in a while. Had a couple of bad freelancing possessions but overall he had a really nice two-way game even if he was incapable of slowing down Jayson Tatum.
Marvin Bagley:
So bad on defense that I genuinely thought “Man we gotta get Olynyk in here to tighten things up a bit” early on. That said, his offensive contributions, 20 points on 16 equivalents with 11 rebounds, still make him a net positive and to be honest I think I’d rather him stay the starter just for the synergy with Cade. He continues to be excellent at making himself available around the rim and he catches everything.
Kelly Olynyk:
Only played 13 minutes, 6 points on 3 equivalents.
Isaiah Livers:
Still doing much of the little stuff that helps you win, didn’t score.
Jamorko Pickett:
8 points on 4 shots and all those points came in a 66 second stretch in the 2nd quarter. Outside of that brief burst he had little impact and got obliterated by Tatum defensively, which is hardly a crime with how Tatum has been playing but still.
Saban Lee:
I hope we can stop acting like this guy is an NBA player. Worthwhile guy to take a shot on but he is so clearly in over his head on an NBA court. Talented enough that he will likely have a killer career overseas if he wants it. (and I say that in a complimentary way. Some guys are awesome hoopers that just don’t have the athleticism/size to last in the NBA but on a slightly lower level can be total killers, just look at his G-League numbers)
Luka Garza:
Played a couple garbage time minutes.
General:
Not keeping any starters on the floor to open up the 4th quarter, where the Celtics opened up a 9-point lead, was pretty dumb but overall it is hard to know what the answer would’ve been. The fact that the Pistons hung in as long as they did was nice.