If things go according to plan for the Detroit Pistons, they’ll look similar down the road to the Memphis Grizzlies now. The Grizzlies started a full rebuild three seasons ago, and, led by superstar Ja Morant, they’ve emerged as one of the best teams in the NBA this season.
The disparity between the Grizzlies and Pistons was on full display Thursday. Memphis outscored Detroit 41-19 in the first quarter, and a brief second-half surge by the Pistons wasn’t nearly enough to close the deficit. The Grizzlies defeated the Pistons (12-43) at Little Caesars Arena, 132-107. It was Detroit’s sixth straight loss, all in February, and they’ll have fewer than 24 hours to regroup before hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
Jerami Grant led the Pistons with 20 points, four assists and four rebounds, and Hamidou Diallo notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Saddiq Bey added 17 points and seven rebounds. Morant led all scorers with 23 points and six assists, and Desmond Bane added 22 points.
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Cade Cunningham missed his fifth straight game with a right hip pointer.
Memphis opened the game with a 10-2 run and dominated most of the first half. The Grizzlies led by double digits from the 6:06 mark of the first quarter until the final buzzer. Detroit shot just 36.4% overall and 5-for-21 from 3 in the first half, and the Pistons’ five first-quarter turnovers led to 10 Grizzlies points.
The Pistons finally found their offensive rhythm going into halftime, closing the second quarter with a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 15. Their momentum carried into the second half, and a dunk by Diallo with 8:45 to play in the third quarter extended their run to 20-5 and cut the deficit to 10. That was as close as they would get.
Grant not traded, leads Pistons in scoring
Grant’s name was included in trade rumors for weeks leading up to the deadline, but the Pistons ultimately decided it wasn’t worth moving on from their best veteran. Grant started and delivered one of his most even performances since returning from a thumb injury and COVID-19 at the beginning of February.
Grant still hasn’t found his outside shot this month, but it was otherwise a good outing for him. He made six of seven free throw attempts, seven of 11 shots inside the arc and kept the ball moving. It was just his eighth game this season with at least four assists.
In his previous five games since returning from a 24-game absence, Grant averaged 14.4 points, three rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 35.3% overall and 33.3% from 3. He looked more like his usual self against the Grizzlies, and it’s a positive sign for the Pistons as they await the return of Cunningham.
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.