Entering Wednesday, the Detroit Pistons were down 12 players — eight due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and four more due to injury.
They tipped off against the New York Knicks at Little Caesars Arena with just four players available from their main 15-man roster: Saddiq Bey, Hamidou Diallo, Frank Jackson and Luka Garza. That number was cut down one midway through the second quarter, when Jackson suffered a right ankle sprain that ended his night early.
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Through all of the adversity, the Pistons fought. A strong third quarter allowed them to take control, but their lack of depth cost them late. The Knicks’ bench brought the road team back into the game, and New York used a 14-0 fourth quarter run to take the lead for good and defeat the Pistons, 94-85.
Saddiq Bey (32 points, nine rebounds) and Hamidou Diallo (31 points, 13 rebounds) both set season-highs in scoring to keep the undermanned Pistons in the game. Michigan alumnus Derrick Walton Jr. added eight points and a game-high nine assists in his second-straight start.
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Alec Burks led all scorers with 34 points. The Knicks rode their five-man bench unit of Burks, Obi Toppin, Taj Gibson, Immanuel Quickley and Miles McBride to close the game as the starters struggled.
Diallo, Bey carry Pistons
After Jackson left the game, the Pistons were down to just two players with meaningful NBA experience in Diallo and Bey. Despite the final result, the wing duo did all they could to make it a close game.
Diallo went off in the third quarter, d making all six of his shots to score 12 and help the Pistons win the quarter by a 30-14 margin. It was a continuation of what has been a strong week for Diallo, who led the Pistons with a then-season-high 28 points during their loss to the Spurs on Sunday. With a normal roster, he isn’t able to take 15-plus shots per game, but he’s stepped up to fill a scoring void for a depleted Pistons team that needs as much help as possible.
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Bey was also strong in the third, scoring eight points on 3-for-4 shooting. Wednesday marked Bey’s sixth time crossing the 20-point threshold in his last seven games, after accomplishing the feat just three times before then this year.
Walton starts, impresses
It has been lost somewhat during the madness of this past week, but Walton has been living out his dream. The Detroit native and Harper Woods Chandler Park Academy product was called up from the Motor City Cruise on a 10-day contract last Thursday.
Sunday was his first career start with the Pistons. He followed that with a good performance against the Knicks on Wednesday, shooting 3-for-10 from the field and handing out nine assists versus five turnovers in 34 minutes. He knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and a midrange shot late in the third quarter that extended Detroit’s lead to 14.
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.