The Detroit Pistons lost to the undermanned Indiana Pacers, 115-109. Jerami Grant led the way for Detroit with 25 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Mason Plumlee had 17 points and 21 rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon keyed things for the Pacers, putting up 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and Caris LeVert also put up 25 points for Indianapolis.
The real story of tonight’s game was the poor play from the kids. Saddiq Bey scored only eight points on 14 shots, foul trouble limited Isaiah Stewart to 19 minutes (scored 13 points, though, including a three-pointer), and Killian Hayes only attempted one shot and had the same number of assists and turnovers (including an inbounds turnover off a made basket, which is one of the brainfartiest rookie turnovers I’ve ever seen). Hayes struggles were facilitated a little by Bey’s struggles – Bey missed at least three open threes off of Killian feeds – but Saddiq didn’t make Killian shoot only one time.
Hamidou Diallo also brought some nice energy off the bench with 11 rebounds in 21 minutes, and Tank Desk Jockey Frank Jackson was a team-high +7 in his minutes. The Detroit Pistons losing is fine, but the losing is easier to stomach (and, honestly, watch) if the kids are playing well and making things worth it. Tonight, fans got the worst of both worlds, sadly.
The loss DOES keep the tank rolling on, as Houston looks set to lose to Denver and Minnesota is playing the top-of-Western Conference Utah Jazz. The Pistons should preserve the hold they have on the third-best lottery odds.
The rest of the season is cushy for the Pistons:
After tonight, the Pistons will play nine of their remaining 11 games at home. This is the end of their last road “trip,” since both of their remaining road games are sandwiched by home games
— Omari Sankofa II (@omarisankofa) April 25, 2021
But Detroit proved tonight that any and all games they play are eminently losable, as they really rely on the kids production to close the talent gap most nights, and that production varies because … it’s coming from rookies and guys under 22.
The Pistons’ next game is Monday, April 26, against the Trae Young-less Atlanta Hawks.