Detroit Pistons vs Dallas Mavericks - 3/9/2024
Game Breakdown
Pistons - 124 - 142 L
Cade, Ivey, Ausar, Stew, Duren
Not going to make Luka defend with this starting lineup because he is defending Ausar
I would use Ausar as the primary ball screener and see if you could get some switches or attack Luka that way
First time they do this Cade gets a floater in the lane over Luka
Second time they get a wide open 3PA for Ivey (miss) but they get 2 OREBs and Ivey eventually gets a floater
Good Offense usually leads to more OREB opportunities
2 early fouls on Duren……again, why not Stew at the 5?
Not going to question rotations as much in the first half because of the early foul trouble from Duren and Cade and then whatever was going on with Ausar
Ivey does come back in with a couple minutes to go in the 1st so we shouldn’t get but maybe a minute or two without either of them on the court still
Pistons defense is fine/Mavs are missing shots early but they have had some bad turnovers, no flow offensively and just gave away a couple of the DREBs
They should be winning right now and instead they are still down
These are the stretches that get forgot about by the end of the game when they lose
If there is ever a game to show the value of Ausar defensively for this team, this is the one
Luka probably gets it going eventually but nobody else on the roster can make him uncomfortable and work as hard for his buckets the way Ausar was
Disappointing that post ASB you are having to play Fournier, Umude and Wiseman all on the floor together for extended minutes
Don’t dislike the idea of them getting sprinkled in here and there but them being the ONLY options is not ideal
Ausar, Grimes not available…Galo, Muscala waived….Duren foul trouble
They simply had NO answer for the Luka-Gafford PnR
GAME GETS AWAY IN THE 3RD QUARTER
Doesn’t get any better to start the 4th
Just an absolutely brutal 2nd half all around
IVEY first 3PA is one I do like him taking, obviously
Wide open, weakside, that's good process
Just like keeping tracking of these with how many it seems like he has been taking recently
Second attempt is great process and the right attempt as well
LOVE him turning one down mid 2nd quarter
Drives the ball, missed but I like the process, opened up OREB for Ausar
This is the one where they both just stay with it and Ausar gets the dunk
First attempt of the 2nd half I actually didn’t like the attempt BUT he does make it and it was needed
Second attempt of the 2nd half was bad, bad process
Same with the third attempt…ATTACK THE CLOSEOUT!!! (even if it’s short, your first step is THAT good)
OR keep shooting them, haha (makes the next one off the OREB on same possession)
PROCESS IN THE 2ND HALF WAS BAD
The 3PAs and TOs, not his best half by any stretch
HE CONTINUES TO WIN ON THE MARGINS WITH HIS 2ND AND 3RD EFFORTS
AUSAR getting the Luka matchup and has a really nice possession against him early
Would be great to see another good performance after what he did to Bridges last game
Great steal, he’s making Luka work
FORCES ANOTHER STEAL (playing off ball this time)
They flat out have Luka a little frustrated right now (a lot of Ausar but the team overall is doing a nice job)
He looks gassed, maybe just from the work it takes to defend someone like Luka?
Nope, headed to the locker room now, must be something more
I know everyone wants Ausar to keep shooting but he can’t shoot every time down the floor…because he will be open EVERY SINGLE TIME DOWN THE FLOOR
He has to mix in some other actions
Cuts, DHOs, flare screens, etc.
CADE has been that guy in so many ways but man, at one point do we get nervous that the careless, nonchalant turnovers are a pretty ingrained part of his game…???
And this one in particular takes 2 points off the board (Ivey was open) and immediate transition leads to Duren’s 2nd foul
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the transition C&S 3PM from the top of the key mid 1st quarter
I am not sure he takes that attempt before the last couple of weeks
THEN THE ONE OFF THE DRIBBLE, wow, he is feeling confident in that jumper
AND now a step back 3 mid 2nd
Again, the arc on the 3P shot just looks so much better
His defensive intensity has picked up over the last week or so as well
WISEMAN, while I don’t agree with the substitution pattern, has given them good minutes so far
Play finishing and some rim protection
Good for him for taking advantage of his minutes and being productive
FONTECCHIO has been everything I had hoped when they made the trade
Even doing a little more off the bounce than I anticipated
Love being able to hear him on the broadcast communication defensively “low man, low man”
You could see that he isn’t nearly the defender as a guy like Ausar in this game but I do think he could be an overall neutral defender…just not a plus like Ausar or what Grimes should be
I don’t even think he does a “bad” job but he just doesn’t have the athleticism to make Luka uncomfortable
Gets his career high in points
STEW has not been good or impactful at all in this game
UMUDE who has shown flashes and I know has fans wanting to see more of him did not look like an NBA player tonight
Doesn’t mean he isn’t, doesn’t mean he can’t be but he didn’t look like one in this game
SASSER has a ways to go defensively
The size is always going to be limiting so he kind of needs to be really good in every other aspect
DUREN foul trouble just could never get much involved in the game
Was a tad disappointed with the play to start the 4th quarter
Get blocked at the rim and he and Gafford are essentially at the same spot as the Mavs start the break the other way….
Gets completely outrun down the floor by Gafford who gets an uncontested dunk
The game is out of hand at this point but still
Obviously was a rough night for him overall and then the ejection
My big takeaway is how will he respond when we see him on the floor Monday? That’s all I care about, how does he bounce back?
Mavs
Luka, Kyrie, DJJ, Washington, Gafford
EXUM is one of those guys you just love seeing back in the league and having found a way to get his NBA career back on track
Heard a stat that he is 99th percentile in the league for % of FGAs in the paint by his position
LUKA is so good…..but many he complains about literally every single call/non call
Him yelling at teammates to get involved on the DREBs is somewhat ironic
BUT he is so talented and he put it on display in the 2nd quarter where he just took over when he came back in
Once he gets it going he is tough to stop
Plus Ausar left the game in the 2nd quarter
Yea……the over his shoulder pass was pretty sweet
5th Consecutive 35+ point Triple-Double….wow!
First player in NBA history
KYRIE can really score the ball
Such a nice guy to stagger the minutes with Luka out
Really impressed with how he utilizes screens to get his shots off, on and off the ball
THJ still 3rd in the NBA in points per game off the bench even with his struggles the past 10+ games
Of course he is making shots in this game and when he is making shots it’s huge for their offense (doesn’t change their defense)
GAFFORD was a really good rim protector in this one