CLEAR THE LANE FOR CADE #DetroitBasketball
After losing an NBA record 28 games in a row, the Detroit Pistons picked up their 10th win of the season as they defeated the Brooklyn Nets 118-112 at Little Caesars Arena thanks to the hot hand of Jaden Ivey.
It has been a rough year for the Pistons as they were expecting to improve from their 17-win season in 2022-23. Things haven't gone according to plan, but over the last couple of weeks this team has showed promise, whether it's winning games or competing till the very end against playoff teams. The young talent on this squad is developing and players are building chemistry.
Tonight showed the improvement from this team, as their starting backcourt combined for 66 points. Jaden Ivey hit 6 threes and finished with 34 points (his career high) while Cade Cunningham scored 32 points to go along with 11 assists. Jalen Duren recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds while rookie Ausar Thompson had 14 points and 7 rebounds. James Wiseman provided 10 points off the bench.
Dennis Schroder scored a team high 31 points and hit 5 triples of his own. Lonnie Walker IV contributed 21 points off the bench and also made 5 shots from behind the arc. Nic Claxton finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks while Mikal Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith each ended with 13 points.
Detroit improves to 10-52 with this win, surpassing the Washington Wizards for worst record in the league. The Pistons are slowly starting to put things together and after another offseason with each other in addition to the new talented players coming in through the draft, this team may actually begin to improve and move past the rebuilding phase. This victory snaps a 3-game losing streak and they will look to build off this win on Saturday against the Dallas Mavericks.
On the other hand, this was an embarrassing loss for the Nets and it might be the low point for them this season. They fall to 25-38 on the year and things just haven't been going well in Brooklyn. There are tons of questions surrounding the group of guys in the locker room and their future with this team and it will be an interesting offseason to see if any changes are made. They are 4-6 over their last 10 games and will face the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
CLEAR THE LANE FOR CADE #DetroitBasketball