A hot offensive start helped the Detroit Pistons to leave Little Caesars Arena with a win for the first time in nearly two weeks, and sweep their three-game season series against the Toronto Raptors.
The Pistons defeated the Raptors, 118-104, behind strong performances from much of their young core. In his second game with the Pistons, Hamidou Diallo scored 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots. Saddiq Bey (19 points, 5-for-7 shooting from 3) and Saben Lee (19 points, 7-for-12 overall shooting) also led the Pistons in scoring. Corey Joseph added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists off of the bench, and Isaiah Stewart scored 14 to help Detroit snap a four-game losing streak.
Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 22 points, and OG Anunoby added 19.
Detroit built a 16-point lead at halftime and led by as many as 23 in the second half. The Pistons shot better than 50% overall and 50% from 3 for the night, and hit nine of their first 13 3-point attempts to run away early.
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Diallo excels in second game
The Pistons acquired Diallo three weeks ago but is coming off a groin injury. He made a quiet debut on Friday, and sat out of Saturday’s game against the Washington Wizards.
Diallo looked more comfortable against the Raptors. He got off to a quick start coming off the bench in the first quarter, using a hesitation after crossing the halfcourt line to create an open lane to rim toward the end of the quarter. He finished in traffic about a minute later, and then hit a 3-pointer a minute after that for his seventh point in just 3 minutes of action.
He maintained that momentum in the second quarter, pump-faking and catching Rodney Hood in midair while attempting a 3. Diallo stepped inside the line on his shot attempt, but made both free throws. A 3-point play and pair of free throws later in the quarter gave him 14 points on 4-for-5 shooting, five rebounds and a block at halftime.
Diallo’s athleticism is as-advertised. His jumps have a lot of hangtime and defenders struggle to keep up with his first step. Hitting his lone 3-pointer during the first half was a good sign, as his outside shot has been a weakness for him in the NBA. But even without a consistent jump shot, he was an efficient scorer with the Thunder this season. He’s looking to continue that in Detroit.
Lee gets second start, steps up as scorer
Considering he was a second-round pick just four months ago and signed a two-way deal, Lee’s emergence has been a welcome development. With Killian Hayes potentially still week-or-more from returning with a hip injury and Dennis Smith Jr. out with bilateral lumbar spine soreness, Lee picked up his second-straight start on Monday.
Lee responded with his strongest performance in weeks. Like Diallo, he got off to a hot start in the first half and made six of his first seven shots. Notably, he made both of his 3-point attempts in the first quarter. He’s been working with the coaching staff to improve as an outside shooter, and it was only his second game this season with more than one made 3-pointer.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. The Free Press has started a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can gain access to our most exclusive Pistons content. Read more on the Detroit Pistons and sign up for our Pistons newsletter.