Detroit — There wasn’t the same anticipation level as the season-opener on Oct. 19, but the Pistons’ final home game of the season resulted in a little bit of theatrics and a career-night for RJ Hampton.
The Pistons entered the third quarter trailing the Brooklyn Nets by 17, but Hampton exploded for 18 of his career-high 27 points in the period to lead a fierce 31-18 run. Hampton connected on four of his five 3-pointers in that quarter to bring the Pistons within seven going into the final quarter.
Brooklyn built its lead to as many as 19 after tallying 47 points in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game, but the crowd inside Little Caesars Arena rallied behind it team as it fought back to trail by six points midway through the fourth quarter.
However, Nets forward Royce O’Neal put an end to Detroit’s momentum with a 3-pointer to increase their lead to 11. The dagger allowed Brooklyn to cruise comfortably to a 123-108 victory in what was the last Pistons game of the season inside Little Caesars Arena.
“It definitely came down to the little things,” Hampton said after the game. “There’s not much to say than the little things. I think that’s what we’ve been dealing with all season, at least since I’ve been here. We’re in the game then we kind of give in to the other team. I don’t think the other team beats us. We beat ourselves, so if we can learn how to sustain that for 48 minutes instead of 42 minutes, I think we’ll be fine.”
With the loss, the Pistons dropped to 16-64 and increased their losing streak to 11 — tied for the longest skid of the season. Detroit lost 11 straight from Feb. 12 to March 11. The Pistons also fell to 9-32 at home, which marked a new franchise record for the worst home record, surpassing the 1993-94 team that went 10-31.
Pistons rookie Jaden Ivey, who left the game for a brief moment due to an apparent knee injury, returned in the fourth quarter and tried to spark a comeback. He led the Pistons with 23 points, five rebounds and 10 assists.
Jalen Duren had another solid performance with 18 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-11 from the field. James Wiseman added 13 points and three rebounds. Cory Joseph’s 3-point shooting kept Detroit into the game as he drilled five of his eight attempts from distance.
Six different players scored in double figures for the Nets, led by Mikal Bridges, who finished with 26 points, three rebounds and five assists. Nic Claxton added 16 points and six rebounds. O’Neale and Cam Johnson had 15 points each.
The Pistons have two chances left to avoid tying their franchise-worst record of 16-66, which was originally set by the 1979-80 team, when they conclude the season at Indianapolis and Chicago later this week.
BOX SCORE: Nets 123, Pistons 108
Here are a couple of other observations from Wednesday’s home finale:
Nets offensive explosion: Brooklyn shot lights out from the 3-point line in the first quarter of the game. The Nets scored 47 points against the Pistons’ defense, with the majority of those points coming from the 3-point line. Joe Harris was responsible for six of those triples as he totaled 18 points on 6-8 from the arc in just seven minutes off the bench. Harris didn’t score again for the remainder of the game, but he didn’t need to since his teammates began to pull their weight in the second quarter. Harris set the tone for the Nets, who are looking to secure the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Gores makes an appearance: Pistons owner Tom Gores sat courtside to watch his team live watched his team in-person for the fourth time this season. He sat next to Jalen Rose, who has spent his fair share of games at LCA this season. At the end of the first quarter, Gores interacted with the fans as he tossed a couple of T-shirts into the crowd. After Ivey knocked down a 3 to bring the Pistons within four in the second quarter, Gores and Rose stood up to applaud Detroit’s soon-to-be sophomore guard. Gores and Rose also gave the team a standing ovation as the final seconds ticked off the clock until the buzzer rang.
mcurtis@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @MikeACurtis2