Three quick observations after Tuesday night’s 118-105 loss to the Miami Heat at Little Caesars Arena
FINISHING KICK – It will be an off-season to roll up the organization sleeves and get to work fortifying the roster, but Troy Weaver and Dwane Casey can pop in the videotape of the season’s penultimate home game if they want to buoy their spirits about what the Pistons future can look like when Cade Cunningham returns. Rookies Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren gave the home crowd something to carry into the summer with fabulous performances against a Miami opponent desperately chasing wins to avoid the NBA play-in tournament. Duren’s 18th double-double – he finished with 20 points and 14 boards – means that the only three teenagers in NBA history with more are either already in the Hall of Fame or headed there: Moses Malone (50), Dwight Howard (46) and LeBron James (21). Ivey, who stretched his franchise record for consecutive games of double-figure scoring to 36, is the first Pistons rookie to lead the NBA in assists (5.1 per game) among first-year players since Joe Dumars in 1985-86. Ivey’s 30 points, two off his season high of 32, left him behind only Grant Hill among Pistons rookie scorers dating to Hill’s 1994-95 season.
NEW LOOK – Dwane Casey maintained that the least ready of all possible big man pairings from among the foursome of James Wiseman, Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley III and Isaiah Stewart would be the two least experienced, Wiseman and Duren. But with Bagley joining Stewart on the injured list, Casey started the two young centers next to each other for the first time. Wiseman and Duren overlapped for first 6½ minutes and played Miami to a draw. Casey also let them close the game along with a three-guard lineup of Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes and Cory Joseph over the final five minutes and that didn’t go as well. Miami used a 9-0 run to take command of the game and scored on each of its last 10 possessions. The Pistons gave up a 15-0 run in the first half and fell 17 points down, cut the deficit to seven by halftime and opened the third quarter with an 8-0 run to take the lead only to see Miami answer with a 13-0 run. But again the Pistons rallied back within two points late in the third quarter and they led by a point with five minutes to play. Jimmy Butler, in playmaker mode for much of the game, scored 18 of his 27 in the fourth quarter to power Miami’s win. Bagley missed the game after sustaining a neck injury during Sunday’s game at Orlando that led to concussion protocol. The Pistons, in addition to Bagley, were without six other players, as well: Isaiah Stewart, Bojan Bogdanovic, Alec Burks, Hamidou Diallo, Cade Cunningham and Rodney McGruder.
DODGED ONE – Isaiah Livers has shown everything required to be a valuable complementary player – he’s Dwane Casey’s most versatile perimeter defender, he’s an above-average 3-point shooter, he’s good in transition and he’s got terrific positional size – but he’s been dogged by injury since his college season came to an end at Michigan due to a foot injury two years ago. It appeared his buzzard’s luck would continue in Tuesday’s first quarter when, moments after draining a 3-point shot, Livers came down in teammate Jaden Ivey’s foot and suffered what appeared a potentially serious sprained ankle. Livers, fouled on the play by Kyle Lowry, stayed in the game to make three free throws, but was subbed out immediately when R.J. Hampton committed an intentional foul and Livers went to the locker room. He returned about 20 minutes later, however, midway through the second quarter. Livers, who figures prominently in next season’s plans, has averaged 6.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 23 minutes a game in his second season, missing 27 games with hip, shoulder and ankle injuries. He finished with 15 points and hit 4 of 6 from the 3-point arc in 24 minutes.