The Detroit Pistons defeated the Utah Jazz, 125-116, in Salt Lake City, to my great surprise. Bojan Bogdanovic led the way for Detroit with 23 points and 3 assists, Marvin Bagley torched Kelly Olynyk for 19 points on 9-10 shooting, and KEVIN KNOX SCORED TWENTY-ONE POINTS?!??!?!?!??!?!?!??!?! That can’t be right…. nope yup that’s right. Kevin Knox made 6 threes and scored 21 points, scoring 20+ points for the first time in 1,330 days.
Jordan Clarkson scored 24 points for the Jazz, Collin Sexton added 17 points and 12 assists, and Malik Beasley poured in 29 points off the bench.
But yeah no, we gotta talk about Kevin Knox some more. Knox has now scored in double figures in three straight games. Last night in Denver, he was active in transition, getting fast break opportunities created by Jaden Ivey and Killian Hayes. Tonight, he just dropped some daggers:
I have zero clue if this will continue. Knox really only found minutes because Isaiah Stewart and Saddiq Bey are out with various injuries. But if Knox can continue knocking down shots, giving effort and energy on defense (his arms are quite long) and offering help on the glass, he will have something to say about his playing time when the Pistons are fully healthy.
(Speaking of fully healthy, the Pistons got even farther away from that status tonight, as Killian Hayes did not play in the second half with a left calf injury. It would be great if our guys stopped getting hurt.)
Jaden Ivey also made an impact on this game, scoring 16 points with 6 assists (and only 1 turnover!), and making some heady defensive plays down the stretch to help seal the win. After being pulled last night at the end of the game, it was great to see Jaden bounce back.
Random Thoughts:
- 17 points, 12 assists, +/- of -11 is the quintessential Collin Sexton game
- It was legitimately funny to watch the Pistons’ beat writers discover Simone Fontecchio in real time
- Jalen Duren also closed things down tonight for Detroit; maybe Dwane won’t start him, but he’ll let him finish, and that’s probably better
- It’s not a coincidence that the Pistons have looked a lot more competitive since Alec Burks has found his stride
Detroit plays Phoenix on Friday to bring this road trip to an end; I have no idea what to do if they win three straight games on the road, two against nominal Western Conference contenders.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving tomorrow, y’all.