A 90-second sequence in the third quarter encapsulated the difference for the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.
A Bojan Bogdanovic 3 gave the Pistons a 19-point lead over the Golden State Warriors — the defending champs — with 8:30 on the clock at Little Caesars Arena. The Warriors are adept at closing deficits quickly, and the Pistons have been good at conceding big deficits early in the season. On cue, Jordan Poole sparked a Warriors run. The Michigan alumnus completed a 3-point play, and then hit three consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to seven in less than a minute.
The Pistons led the Indiana Pacers by 14 two Saturdays ago and and lost, 124-115. They led the Atlanta Hawks by 12 points last Wednesday and collapsed in the fourth quarter, 118-113. On Sunday, they followed a different script. With 6:03 on the clock, Cade Cunningham blocked a layup attempt by Steph Curry. It led to a fastbreak dunk by Jaden Ivey. A minute later, Ivey hit a 3. Less than 30 seconds later, Isaiah Stewart hit a 3 to extend Detroit’s lead back to 12.
Whenever the Warriors threatened a run, the Pistons answered. It amounted to a 128-114 upset to snap a five-game losing streak. It was a needed win, and came against one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
SUNDAY’S VICTORY:Pistons upset Golden State Warriors, snap five-game skid with 128-114 win
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Coach Dwane Casey reminded the media — and fans — after the game that the young Pistons will have more highs and more lows this season. But Sunday showed this team is capable of winning big when it takes care of business on defense. The offense clicked, but holding the Warriors to 30.4% shooting in the second quarter allowed Detroit to win the period by a 34-18 margin and take control of the game for good. Golden State led by 10 points early in the second quarter, and the Pistons responded with a game-clinching 34-16 run.
“That was very important,” Casey said. “Believing, not losing our confidence and understanding we did it with our defense. I was on them hard the other night and yesterday in practice as far as defense was concerned, and they responded. Did one of our better jobs of executing our switches, our double switches, making sure our low man, all the parts of our defense we were harping on yesterday we carried on today, which was important. We’re going to generate points. We will be able to generate points and we generated points off of our defense. I thought that was good. It’s another step in our growth.”
Detroit’s big win was punctuated by several small wins. Four starters scored at least 20 points. Saddiq Bey led the pack with 28, and Stewart (career-high 24 points, 13 rebounds), Cunningham (23 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists) and Bogdanovic (21 points) all did their parts. Ivey also chipped in 15 points and five rebounds, putting all five starters in double figures.
After turning the ball over seven times in the first quarter, they committed just nine turnovers through the next three. Poor ball control has been a big factor in Detroit’s 2-5 record, but the Pistons remained in control on Sunday. Detroit also withstood big nights from Curry (32 points) and Poole (30 points), while the rest of Golden State’s roster struggled. Andrew Wiggins scored an inefficient 10 points, and no other Warrior cracked double figures.
It wasn’t a perfect night — Detroit only got 17 points from its reserves, a consistent issue through the first two weeks. But it was a night that showed this team’s ceiling when it executes its game plan. The Pistons shot a season-high 48.2%, including a 14-for-33 mark on 3-pointers. They haven’t struggled to score this season, but limiting the Warriors to 12-for-39 shooting from downtown was another big factor in their win.
It won’t get easier for the Pistons, as they play the Milwaukee Bucks twice this week and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Next week brings two games against the Boston Celtics. Sunday gave them an identity to build on as they go through an Eastern Conference gauntlet.
“Tonight we showed what Pistons basketball is,” Stewart said. “We showed how we’re supposed to play every night on the defensive end, and on the offensive end we’re sharing the ball, playing unselfishly.”