Pistons vs Charlotte Hornets
Game Breakdown
*SPECIAL SITUATIONS*
Hornets 0 for 7 from 3 to start the game (some good looks) and the Pistons have yet to attempt a single one
1 for 8 and then THJ attempts Pistons first
Looks like the Hornets are simply going to try and win the Math Game in this one and Detroit seems willing to play the other side of it, will be interesting how it plays out
They are 3rd in the NBA in 3PAr
4 for 14 (DET) vs 7 for 26 (CHA) in the 1st half
Hornets get hot and this game could quickly get away from Detroit
Worth mentioning that only 5 turnovers in the 1st half, as well
HARRIS at the 5 minutes to end the 1st half (Hornets essentially don’t have a center either is where you don’t create that much of an advantage)
Ivey bail out C&S 3PM from deep
THJ takes charge on Ball
Cade drive and miss AND misses OREB putback
Miller 2 FTM
Cade missed corner 3PA, ball barely gets above the rim on it’s path, OREB, Ivey missed 3PA
Miller missed 3PA (open look) and then Harris offensive foul
Both teams kind of sleep walking through this game until the 3rd when the Hornets go on a run with a 3PM, FTM, and back to back transition lobs….can Detroit wake up and answer after going down 6?
Ball goes for steal and fouls taking away ATO action, Cade plays with pace and hits a little floater (maybe this gets his flow back)
Fortunate miss for Detroit as Ball misses a wide open 3PA (Ivey was begging for a foul call instead of getting through screen)
THJ drills a 3PM off a Cade drive and kick
Ball answers as Ivey gets hung up on another screen, you know he is going to get it going at some point
Stew misses BOTH FTAs off a screen and roll with Cade
Bridges missed 3PA, followed by Stew WIDE OPEN from the top of the key missed 3PA, Miller missed 3PA, followed by THJ transition corner missed 3PA
Detroit somewhat stalls the Hornets run but haven’t created any sort of swing in momentum that has to come at some point if they want to win this game
4:08 4th (93 - 92), Reed with big minutes but maybe gassed and Stew comes in, Cade has gotten a few minutes rest going into this stretch, I LOVE that we get to see them in this situation to close out a game with the necessary stops and offensive generation
SLOB ATO is similar flex action but Cade comes off to ball side which then gets THJ coming off a pin down from Stew for C&S 3PM (96 - 92)
Bridges 2 FTM (96 - 94)
Cade refuses ball screen and gets caught in the air with no strong side outlet pass due to bad spacing from Harris and Ivey (96 - 94)
This was a bad pass but also awful spacing on strong side that would have resulted in WIDE OPEN 3PA if they were spaced correctly
Bridges nails corner 3PM on ensuing transition possession (96 - 96)
Never fails, TO (or missed layup) immediately leads to 3PM for opponent
They call it a LONG two
Harris with a mid range pull up off GREAT process from Ivey (98 - 96)
Ivey catches from Cade and could have taken a C&S 3PA but attacks the closeout and then kicks to Harris who shot fakes and dribbles into the jumper
ATO the Pistons give up ANOTHER LOB from Ball to Bridges, 2 FTM (98 - 98)
Harris missed corner C&S 3PA (98 - 98)
His 3P jumper is BROKE right now
Fortunate Miller missed 3PA off Ball skip pass (98 - 98)
Cade pushes and hits THJ in transition for a 3PM (101 - 98)
Uncontested Ball 3PM off miscommunication from Ivey and Harris (101 - 101)
I know it’s from deep but idc, you can’t give THAT player THAT look in THAT situation
Cade missed left hand layup (101 - 101)
Good look, he has to make that
Martin missed 3PA but Harris gives up OREB to Ball…..Ball breaks down THJ but STEW with a really nice rotation verticality contest forcing the miss (101 - 101)
Cade goes in transition and kicks ahead to Ivey who gets to the FT line, 2 FTM (103 - 101)
Ball almost drops Stew and hits a stepback 3P (103 -104)
This is what Stew value is supposed to be, he has to be able to stay up and not give up that clean of a look
Pistons defense breaks down TWICE here late and gives the best offensive player on the court for the Hornets good looks from 3P
THJ missed 3PA off the dribble (103 - 104)
I actually liked the Ivey process again as he gives shot fake and attacks the closeout before kicking to THJ
Ball attacks THJ off the bounce and finishes a little floater (103 - 106)
He has been absolutely CLUTCH late in this game
Ivey gets flat ball screen ATO and gets a quick dunk (105 - 106)
Beasley forces a TO that is picked up by Holland who goes in transition and gets a TOUGH finish in traffic (107 - 106)
WOW, what a turn of events
Feel like JB is so much better than what we have seen in the past with situational subbing
Would be HEART BREAKING to not go ahead and finish this one off now……AND THEY LOSE IN THE MOST HEART BREAKING FASHION POSSIBLE
Mad scramble, Holland actually ball watching gives Williams the initial 3PA BUT…..BEASLEY completely WHIFFS on the box out that gives Miller the putback game winner
Pistons
Cade, Ivey, THJ, Harris, Duren
Should never have been in this situation anyway, they never took control of the game throughout the middle portion when it was very much there for them to do so
These are the types of performances/losses that keep you from being a 30 win team
Looks like this team might face some injury adversity for the first time this season
Ivey and Duren ankles
Have given up 3 pretty good looks from 3 early in the game (1 to Miller, 2 to Ball) but have been fortunate with misses
Love the early opportunistic transition for the team 26th in PACE
They go to it mid/late 3rd quarter as well and it’s very productive
Beasley for Ivey continues to be the first sub
Crazy how consistent this rotation has been through 9 games compared to what we are used to seeing from this team
Start of 2nd quarter
They run that flex action we have seen before but this time it is to get Cade a quick post up, Ball not physical so it’s a catch and finish
IVEY with another big time defensive matchup vs Ball
Can he take advantage of him on the other end?
Being loose with the ball early, hopefully he can reign this in
Haven’t loved his process and decision making in the 1st quarter after such a good game on Monday
Has at least knocked down his C&S 3PAs though
Goodness, this is starting to be a long enough stretch where you can really believe that perhaps he has figured out the C&S 3P
He also goes down with an ankle injury
He actually returns here mid 4th quarter, interested how effective he can be
THJ takes another tough one tonight as well vs Miller
He is going to lead this team in charges taken this year…???
Really nice outlet pass mid 3rd quarter that got Harris a transition dunk
HARRIS continues to show his accurate and active hands
He HAS to start knocking down some of these corner 3PAs, they are ALL flat and short
CADE defensive effort continues to shine
Gets beat off the bounce by Miller but gives second effort to contest at the rim and forces a miss
This does NOT continue throughout the game, see some of the lack of intensity we have seen in previous years, especially off the ball
I felt like this was his (and Ivey) worst defensive games, or at least the least impactful
Love seeing the nuance he has in ball screens
Snakes, jails, patience, etc.
Early transition post up….I love it!
First true mid post isolation possession he draws just enough of the secondary defender to get Beasley an open C&S 3PM
Getting to the rim ANY TIME he wants in the 1st quarter
We see his patented right hand reverse under the rim
Floater, putting the full non 3P scoring package on display in the 1st half
3P stays off throughout the entire game
Mid 2nd quarter it now looks like he is going in a little casual because it had been so easy up to this point and now isn’t adjusting to the rim protection the Hornets are providing
Goes completely COLD to end the 1st half, can he find his groove in the 2nd?
Gotten his shot blocked multiple times at the rim over the last two quarters
Trying to take over here in the 4th and you can see his gravity in some of the easy looks he creates for teammates
STEW unnecessary offensive fouls/TOs continue
Continues to NOT look at the rim when he catches at the 3P line
Does have back to back nice catch and finishes out of the ball screen to end the 3rd quarter
The misses two attempts after getting Ball switched onto him
I do love the way he uses his hands/length in ball screen drop coverage
FONTECCHIO with an early bucket to end the 1st quarter, can THIS be the thing that gets him going and in the flow?
Doesn’t look like it, just a complete non factor for this team so far this season
THERE WE GO!! HUGE 3PM off the Cade mid post isolation when down 3
And follows it up with a drive and layup!
BEASLEY needs to just stay with with these C&S 3PAs
Eliminate the dribble shots and most of anything inside the 3P line
These are WORSE than the Harris mid post isolations, at least those have drawn some double teams
Space, C&S, space, C&S…he’s trying to do too much right now
HOLLAND being guarded by Gipson (opponents center) which means teams scouts have labeled him as a complete NON shooter/floor spacer
He has to start making shots or find a way to make them pay (dribble immediately into DHOs)
Hey, there we go….dribbles into a stepback for a harder shot but knocks it down
Then knocks down his first C&S opportunity immediately upon entering the game in the 3rd and a shot they needed
The kid has CONFIDENCE
REED minutes as Duren ankle issues flare up again
I guess the “illegal screen bug” isn’t just with Duren and Stew
Really nice sequence with a rotation block and then transition run and dunk
Has done a really nice job as a play finisher
Including a TOUGH left hand little hook shot
He isn’t looking at the rim when he catches at the 3P line either
Big steal and transition dunk!!
He has brought some real energy and production to the game
Hornets
Ball, Green, Miller, Bridges, Gipson
BALL might be the champion of “creative”, “out of nowhere” finishes like the floater off the block to start the game
On top of just making some ridiculous shots and CLUTCH ones
And he REALLY shows this late with the 2 3PMs
Him taking the Ivey matchup will be interesting to watch also
He has actually been switched onto Cade 3 times and given up the first 3 buckets of the game without much intensity to get stops
He’s been pretty bad defensively so far
Missing shots in the 1st half that he normally makes and I assume we will see him make throughout the rest of the game
Gets the shot off so quickly because he doesn’t elevate that much
He doesn’t get enough credit for what he does off the bounce
He can really breakdown the defense and we know he can REALLY pass
MILLER taking the Cade matchup will be a good test for the 2nd year player
Still has to figure out the finishing at the rim
Has a nice little floater out of the ball screen to start the 2nd half
Smooth looking jumper from 3 though
GIPSON playing his butt off early in the game, loving seeing vets bring this to the game regardless of how much “skill”/etc. they have left
WILLIAMS having to play as the backup 5 man
Provides floor spacing from the 5 spot and the Pistons don’t really have a big to fully take advantage of his lack of size on the other end (maybe on the OREBs)
BRIDGES just very, very physical with his drives to the rim
Has been their biggest offensive scoring threat through 2.25 quarter
Catches a couple big time lobs as well
Continues his scoring prowess throughout the entire game including some big ones late in the 4th
GREEN has REALLY struggled to put the ball in the basket in the 1st half
Hasn’t been the case coming into the game where he has been pretty efficient, especially from 3P
MARTIN has been their best and most impactful defender so far
MANN has not been the factor offensively that we have seen from him so far this season
2nd leading scorer coming into the game at almost 18 PPG
Gets it going a little bit with a couple big buckets to end the 3rd quarter
SALAUN has not been efficient from the field to start the year but hits a pretty big 3 late 3rd quarter that looks very confident
Thanks, Bryce.