After trailing by more than 13 points in the second half, the Pistons rallied but ran out of gas in a 107-101 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Saddiq Bey, who went without making a 3-pointer against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, had a bounce-back effort with a team-high 23 points and seven rebounds.
Jose Alvarado led the Pelicans in scoring with 28 points and had five rebounds. Zion Williamson added 13 points and Naji Marshall scored 14 and grabbed four rebounds.
The Pistons were clicking on all cylinders during the early portion of the first quarter. Every starter had knocked down a 3-pointer to begin the game save for Marvin Bagley, who was inserted into the lineup to match the Pelicans’ formidable frontcourt of Zion Williamson and Jonas Valanciunas.
The game started on a 20-9 Pistons run, but easily turned around in the Pelicans’ favor once the starting lineup took its first breather on the bench. The Pistons were outscored 50-31 for the remainder of the second half and ultimately had to play from behind.
Jaden Ivey, who went without committing a single turnover against the Knicks, had some difficulty holding on to the ball with six turnovers. He also struggled with his shot, going 2-of-10 from the field for 14 points, with five assists and three rebounds. Despite his shooting difficulty, the Pistons rookie found a way to get to the free-throw line often. He made all nine attempts from the stripe.
Turnovers were a problem in New York, and the giveaways continued in New Orleans. For the second consecutive game, the Pistons had 22 turnovers. Those mental mistakes led to 24 Pelicans points.
Pistons rookie center Jalen Duren did not play against the Pelicans due to an undisclosed injury. Detroit was also without Hamidou Diallo (leg contusion) for the second consecutive game.
The Pistons (0-2) are done with the road for now and will return to host the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies next week.
Here are a few more in-depth observations from the Pistons’ loss to the Pelicans:
New starting lineup
There was a shakeup in the starting lineup on Friday night. After starting sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic in the preseason opener against the New York Knicks, Marvin Bagley was inserted at the power forward spot to begin the game alongside Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart.
The move gave Detroit two bigs on the inside to match up against the Pelicans’ frontcourt of Zion Williamson and Jonas Valančiūnas.
Here’s how they did: In typical Isaiah Stewart fashion, the 6-foot-8 center commanded the paint from a defensive standpoint. He contested a fadeaway by Valančiūnas and blocked another in the first quarter.
Williamson picked up two early fouls in the first quarter, forcing the Pelicans to bring Larry Nance Jr. and Jaxson Hayes. The Pistons’ second unit consisted of Killian Hayes, Cory Joseph, Isaiah Livers, Bojan Bodanovic and Marvin Bagley.
The Pistons’ starters built a 20-9 lead after a flurry of 3-pointers, but the second unit couldn’t maintain that hot shooting and allowed the Pelicans to go on a 22-5 run at one point.
Bagley wound up in foul trouble after several encounters with Williamson and picked up his fifth less than 60 seconds into the third quarter.
It’s hard to predict how permanent the lineups are, given Jalen Duren’s absence from the game, but a little experimentation during the preseason is encouraging to see from a team with several versatile pieces.
3-point shooting
Saddiq Bey started a flurry of early 3-point makes by the Pistons after he knocked down the first two 3-pointers.
Just as he had done in his preseason debut, Ivey drained his first 3-pointer of the night and gave a slight bounce with his follow-thru once the ball went through the basket. However, he struggled from distance for the rest of the game and missed his next five attempts.
Cunningham found his range early in the first quarter with a 3-pointer and Stewart continued to show the ability to make standstill shots, draining 2-of-5 from deep. By the midpoint of the first quarter, every Pistons starter had knocked down a 3-pointer except Bagley.
The Pistons’ hot shooting didn’t last long. After starting 5-of-9 from distance, the Pistons finished 14-of-49 from the 3-point line (28.6%).
Saddiq bounces back
After failing to connect from beyond the 3-point arc against the Knicks on Tuesday, Saddiq Bey had a bounce-back game and led the Pistons in scoring and rebounding against the Pelicans.
Bey began the game with back-to-back 3-pointers, finding his range from the perimeter. He ended the game with 23 points, seven rebounds and five 3-pointers.
If Bey is clicking offensively, it gives Detroit another primary scorer alongside Ivey and Cunningham, who totaled 10 points and dished out eight assists.
Duren sits out
Pistons rookie center Jalen Duren did not play, but he did make the trip to New Orleans and spent the game on the bench dressed in warm-up gear.
Casey told The Detroit News during Wednesday’s practice that Duren was “a little gimpy” after the Pistons’ 117-96 loss to the New York Knicks. Duren dominated the glass during his preseason debut with 14 rebounds.
“Duren’s a little gimpy, but this is the time of the year,” Casey said. “There’s nobody that’s 100%. If you are, you’re wrong — If you’re not a little sore, a little banged up from training camp.”
Duren participated in Thursday’s practice, according to Casey, but there was no determination as to whether he would play or not.
“He’s better,” Casey said of Duren. “He went through practice today. He’s much better, so we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
Without Duren, the Pistons were competitive the glassallowing the Pelicans just a 47-45 rebounding edge. Hayes, Stewart and and Bey led the team in boards with X each.
After sitting out Friday’s game, the 18-year-old rookie will have two days off since Detroit does not practice on Saturday. Pistons guard Hamidou Diallo also missed Friday’s game — his second of the preseason — due to a leg contusion he suffered in a practice following the team’s open practice and scrimmage.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2