Detroit Pistons fall to weak Utah Jazz, 126-119

By the end of the opening period, the Utah Jazz had made more 3-pointers than the Detroit Pistons had total field goals.

A fierce rally by the Pistons followed, but it was not enough to overcome a 29-point deficit with 36 minutes to play. The Pistons (11-17) fell to the Jazz, 126-119. It was only Utah’s sixth win of the season, making it the NBA’s third-worst record at 6-20.

The Pistons cut their 15-point lead to five with 1:45 to play after a series of clutch plays. A steal by Malik Beasley led to a transition basket by Ausar Thompson. Cade Cunningham stole the inbounds pass and immediately put it in, and Beasley hit a 3 on the other side to cut the deficit to five, 114-109.

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John Collins answered with a 3 at the other end and Keyonte George hit a Dagger pull-up 3 with just under a minute left to put the game on ice.

The Jazz started the game red hot, knocking down nine of their 13 attempts in the first quarter. In comparison, the Pistons were 8 of 24 overall and 1 of 11 from 3. Collin Sexton (30 points) and George (28 points) were particularly effective as they each knocked down all three of their attempts over the period to take a commanding lead of 48 -19 to build jazz.

They are the latest team to break out of three against the Pistons, taking advantage of lax perimeter closeouts. The Pistons outscored the Jazz by 22 points in the final three quarters, tightened their defense and eventually reached the bottom. The turning point simply came too late.

Cunningham led the Pistons with 33 points, seven assists and six rebounds on 56.5% shooting. However, outside of Cunningham, scoring wasn’t easy. Beasley scored 26 points on 9-for-25 shooting (36%), including 18 attempts from 3. Paul Reed finished the game with 12 points and nine rebounds and was the only other Pistons player to reach double figures.

As a team, they shot 43.8% overall, but only shot 13 of 47 (27.7%) from 3. The Jazz shot 20 of 40 on 3 shots.

Isaiah Stewart (left knee, hyperextension sprain) and Jaden Ivey (left knee inflammation) both missed the game. Ivey was ruled out Monday against the Miami Heat due to the same injury. Stewart’s injury occurred in the second quarter on Monday, ending his night early.

Ron Holland was ejected after a brief scuffle

With 1:37 left in the third quarter, Paul Reed rebounded a missed three-pointer from Beasley and put the ball in. As he turned to run back to defend, Clarkson blocked his path and they collided.

They exchanged words as Reed jogged across the floor, bumping chests a second time before Holland intervened. Reed and Clarkson were each hit with a technical during the initial confrontation, and Clarkson and Holland were subsequently sent off for taking fighting stances. JB Bickerstaff was not happy with the referees’ decision after the game.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “The double technical foul is ridiculous.”

It was Holland’s first career exit, but his teammates didn’t seem to mind.

“This is Ron,” Cunningham said. “Ron is a super loyal guy, super stubborn guy. I could have closed my eyes and guessed who would be in the middle. That’s exactly what he is. That’s the mentality of this team. We only have each other. We have to protect each other, have each other’s backs.”

After a slow start, the Pistons crank up the defense

It took 12 minutes for the Pistons to wake up after a two-day layoff. When they finally did, the energy of the game changed. They forced ten turnovers in the second half, scoring 17 points in a 33-10 run that brought them within six points (58-52) with just under three minutes left before halftime.

After knocking down nine three-pointers in the first half, the Jazz made just one of seven attempts over the remainder of the half. It was an unusually disruptive defensive stretch for a Pistons team that entered Thursday averaging just 6.4 steals per game, the fewest in the league. They also held Utah to 1-for-6 shooting and 3-for-3 on just 6-for-16 shooting (37.5%) during the span.

Jazz’s unforced errors also helped them. The defensive pressure continued in the third period, forcing six more turnovers to fuel a 17-5 run and cut the 22-point deficit to 10, 96-86.

That run eventually extended to 23-6, punctuated by an alley-oop from Cunningham to Thompson to get within six points, 98-92, with ten minutes to play. That’s as close as it’s ever been – 3-pointers from Sexton and George pushed Utah’s lead back to 10, and the Pistons trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

Thin rotation injuries

The Pistons brought back Tobias Harris after he missed Monday’s game with a sprained thumb. But they missed Ivey’s scoring prowess and Stewart’s defensive energy early on. JB Bickerstaff said both players were “fit to play” after Wednesday’s practice and their status before the Pistons’ four-game holiday tournament on the West Coast was not yet known.

Duren finished the game with eight points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Reed was on the floor during the Pistons’ third-quarter run. Still, what Stewart brings to the team as a rim protector and emotional leader was and is difficult to replace.

“Just his presence has an impact on the game of basketball,” Bickerstaff said of him before the game. “The physicality with which he plays, how he helps protect our paint, and the way he communicates and speaks with others makes their job easier. “That’s the spirit he plays with, he likes to fight. That gives everyone else around him the same energy and charisma.”

(MUST WATCH: Make The Pistons Pulse your favorite Detroit Pistons podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live/on-demand on YouTube. )

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Todd Howard “rolled his eyes” at the idea of Troy Baker playing Indiana Jones in “The Great Circle,” but the Bethesda boss later told him, “You’re doing a hell of a job.”