It’s become a familiar script for the Detroit Pistons on the beginning of this five-game road trip.
The Los Angeles Clippers scored the first four baskets Friday afternoon and pushed it to a 24-point halftime lead before recording a 107-96 victory over the Pistons. Detroit trailed 14-0 in Wednesday’s loss at Milwaukee against the Bucks and ended up losing by 21 points.
The chances to be competitive at the end of games have been lost early for the Pistons (4-15). They got as close as 10 points in the second half — even after the Clippers (11-8) built the lead up to 29.
Detroit forward Jerami Grant came back from a slow start to score 20 with 10 rebounds, and Greg Lyles had 13 points while Cade Cunningham, Cory Joseph and Frank Jackson each had 10.
Reggie Jackson led Los Angeles with 21 points, and was followed by Terrance Mann (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Eric Bledsoe (15 points) — who was on fire at the start. Center Ivica Zubac had 10 points and 13 rebounds, as his team had a 43-39 edge on the boards.
Detroit had center Isaiah Stewart back from his two-game suspension for his altercation with superstar LeBron James, who received a one-game suspension he termed “some bull—-,” in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-116 victory Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.
Stewart had four points and 12 rebounds, and also returned with several stitches to close the wound near his eye.
BOX SCORE: Clippers 107, Pistons 96
“He has six or seven (stitches) across his eye,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said in a pregame press conference. “I told him they were beauty marks.”
Detroit will play LeBron and the Lakers on Sunday night at the same Staples Center where it lost to the Clippers. There will be plenty of national focus on the combatants taking the court against one another just one week after the incident.
“It was an unfortunate situation,” Casey said. “But nine out of 10 would’ve responded in the same manner. I don’t think LeBron’s a dirty player. It’s an unfortunate situation for both men.”
Casey said the fracas — which began with James elbowing Stewart while positioning during a free throw and ended with Stewart needing to be repeatedly restrained after the initial scuffle — needs to be placed in the “rearview mirror.”
He noted that the return of Stewart means his “energy and toughness inside” is back in play for his team.
Detroit got off to another slow start with Grant going 1-for-10 in the first half before going 4-for-6 in the second half, and rookie guard Cunningham going 1-for-6 while missing all three three-point shots before intermission.
Bledsoe — who nailed three treys to help get the Clippers their early lead — had 13 by halftime. Zubac had eight rebounds as Los Angeles had a 34-20 edge on the boards before Detroit the edge in the second half.
Casey termed Zubac “one of the most underrated centers” in the NBA.
The Clippers managed to dominate without their best player. Kawhi Leonard, who suffered a partially torn ACL in the playoff series with the Utah Jazz that required surgery, doesn’t have a return date scheduled.
Detroit played without injured point guard Killian Hayes.
The Pistons will close out this road trip with games at Portland and Phoenix after the rematch with the Lakers.
Steve Kornacki is a freelance writer.