FAST BREAKDOWN
Three quick observations from Monday night’s 113-102 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Little Caesars Arena
OVER EARLY – Dwane Casey’s concerns about slow starts – the Pistons ranked just 22nd in the NBA in first-quarter scoring differential – probably were magnified by the fact the Pistons were coming off of a rare four-day break. Even more rare, though, was the fact that so was their opponent, Cleveland – as in the 2-12 Cavs. Did you hear that LeBron James doesn’t play there any longer? It took a while to get going – the Pistons led by just a point midway through the first quarter – but Cleveland’s league-worst defense revealed itself, the Pistons rattled off 38 first-quarter points and took a 20-point halftime lead and went up by 30 late in the third quarter before an 18-2 Cleveland run – in which Stanley Johnson, Jose Calderon and Reggie Jackson all picked up technical fouls – sliced the lead to 14 with eight minutes left. The Pistons pushed the lead back to 19 before the Cavs closed the gap in the waning minutes. Blake Griffin finished with 21points, 12 rebounds – his 12th put him at 5,000 career rebounds – and five assists. Andre Drummond added 21 points and 14 rebounds.
BENCH FINDING ITSELF – Monday marked the sixth straight game started by Glenn Robinson III and the relative permanence in Dwane Casey’s starting lineup has given his bench a chance to establish the identity he craves for that unit. Two key figures have emerged to join Ish Smith as bench staples, Langston Galloway and Stanley Johnson. Galloway’s streak of six straight games scoring 10 or more points was snapped as his 3-point shot didn’t fall in a 2 of 10 outing. Johnson helped the Pistons snap out of a bout of offensive lethargy in the second quarter with seven points, two assists and two rebounds as his energy running the floor stood out. Johnson finished with nine points and six rebounds in 14 minutes. Smith scored 11 points in just 17 minutes as he was limited due to five fouls. In a new wrinkle for Casey’s rotation, rookie Khyri Thomas – who’d played just four minutes at the end of a blowout win at Atlanta earlier this month – came on for the Pistons late in the first and third quarters. In six games with the Grand Rapids Drive, Thomas is averaging 19.7 points and shooting 45 percent from the 3-point arc. In nearly eight minutes of playing time, Thomas was scoreless – missing his only shot, a 3-pointer – while picking up a rebound and an assist.
TRIPLES RECORD – The Pistons came into the game ranked 30th in the NBA in 3-point percentage at .313, but they’re shooting them at a high enough volume – more than 37 percent of their shots, the 11th highest rate in the NBA – that they’re still getting their fair share of points from the arc. With their 13 makes (in 38 attempts) against Cleveland the Pistons established a new franchise record of six straight games with at least 10 made triples. It was established last November at five. Reggie Bullock, showing signs lately of coming out of his early-season slump but still at 32.7 percent coming into the game, led the Pistons from the arc by hitting 4 of 7 in a 21-point outing. Reggie Jackson hit 3 of 6.