FAST BREAKDOWN
Three quick observations from Sunday night’s 127-126 overtime win over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center
STREAK OVER – The Pistons carried a 15-game losing streak vs. Charlotte into Sunday night’s game with the Hornets, not only their longest drought against any NBA franchise but four short of the longest streak in franchise history to a single rival franchise. It was made all the more frustrating – baffling, even – by the fact the Hornets haven’t made the playoffs or posted a winning record in any season since the streak started after the last Pistons win, which came in the first game played at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 18, 2017. Kelly Olynyk wasn’t around for most of those games, but he’s the guy who saw to it that the streak didn’t reach 16. Olynyk’s turnaround baseline jump shot from 14 feet out at the overtime buzzer gave the Pistons a rousing win. Charlotte forced overtime and never trailed in the extra period until Olynyk’s basket, though the Pistons got the ball back twice in the final minute trailing by a point, committing a turnover the first time and having Cade Cunningham’s paint jump shot fall off the rim. Isaiah Stewart forced a jump ball and won the tip to give the Pistons a final chance.Olynyk carried the Pistons offense early in the fourth quarter, then passed the baton to Cunningham. Olynyk scored 13 of his 20 points in the first seven minutes of the quarter, going 3 of 3 from the 3-point line, as the Pistons heated up after shooting 8 of 28 from the arc through three quarters. But Charlotte also got hot from three, getting a pair from Kelly Oubre and Terry Rozier to counter Olynyk’s flurry. Cunningham, limited by early foul trouble again, had just seven points when he re-entered the game with 10:22 left and the Pistons trailing by six points. He scored 11 points to put the Pistons ahead 110-109 with 2:09 to play, but Rozier countered with a triple. Saddiq Bey tied the game on a put-back with 41 seconds to go and then put the Pistons up three with 13.5 seconds left on a Cunningham assist after a Charlotte turnover. After two Charlotte free throws, Cunningham split a pair with 9.4 seconds left to leave them with a two-point lead. That cracked the door. P.J. Washington’s put-back with 4.1 seconds left tied the game and the Pistons dodged a bullet when a backcourt turnover gave LaMelo Ball the chance to win it on a 21-foot jump shot from the right corner. Bey led the Pistons with 28 points. Jerami Grant added 26 and Cunningham finished with 19 points, five rebounds and six assists.The Pistons are now 4-7 on the second game of a back to back this season and they’re 3-1 in their last four games.
FIRST POINTS – Isaiah Livers made his NBA debut at Indiana on Dec. 16, missing two 3-point shots in a little less than five minutes. He played his second game – and scored his first NBA points – at Charlotte. The Pistons were missing Marvin Bagley III, who on Saturday aggravated an ankle injury he first incurred while in Sacramento before the Feb. 10 deal that brought him to the Pistons, and Dwane Casey elected to elevate the rookie from Michigan to his spot in the rotation. Livers, the 42nd pick in the 2021 draft, wasn’t shy when he entered the game to start the second quarter, getting up shots on each of the first two Pistons possessions. He missed his first three shots, but then drained his next two – both triples. That’s his identifiable NBA skill at this point, 3-point shooting, and at 6-foot-7 he’s got enough size to swing between small forward and power forward, where he got his minutes at Charlotte. Livers finished with six points in 13 minutes, playing in each half and hitting 2 of 4 from the 3-point line. Bagley accompanied the Pistons on their road trip, which includes games Tuesday and Thursday at Washington and Toronto.
MISSING IN ACTION – Frank Jackson was upgraded to questionable with back spasms that caused him to miss the previous four games, but he was held out again at Charlotte. Jackson missed 13 games in January with a sprained ankle and COVID-19.
Jackson’s scoring and 3-point threat make him a big part of the second unit. Though his 3-point shooting has declined from 40.7 percent a season ago to 31.9 this season, much of that is explained by a slow start that saw Jackson shoot 30.5 percent in 21 October and November games. He’s also become a more efficient off-the-dribble scorer this season, harnessing his elite athleticism, and Dwane Casey lauds Jackson’s defensive tenacity. In his stead, veteran Rodney McGruder has continued to do what he does – be ready when called upon. McGruder went scoreless on five shots in 16 minutes, one of the rare times this season he hasn’t given the Pistons a bounce off the bench. McGruder came into the game shooting 42.5 percent from the 3-point line after hitting 45.8 percent of his threes a season ago.