Pistons suffer 126-119 loss to Jazz

Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News on Dec 19, 2024

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DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons recently revealed their aspirations to end their five-year playoff drought. This season, the Pistons have appeared to be on the right track at times, but they have also had several games in which they looked far from achieving their goal.

Thursday night inside Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons looked like a team headed straight for another draft lottery in a 126-119 loss to the Utah Jazz. In order for the Pistons to achieve their postseason goals, they cannot afford to lose to a team hoping to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in June.

The Jazz came to Detroit with the league's third-worst record (5-20), having lost eight of their last nine games. Utah had dropped its previous three games by an average of 29.6 points.

The Pistons played from behind the entire night, except when Tim Hardaway Jr. connected on a 3-point field goal during Detroit's first offensive possession.

Detroit allowed the Jazz to go on a 7-0 run following Hardaway's triple. By the end of the first period, the Pistons trailed Utah 48-19. The 3-pointer Hardaway hit at the start of the night marked his only triple until late in the fourth quarter. He finished with eight points while shooting 2 of 9 from deep. The Pistons are 11-17 overall.

Collin Sexton led the Jazz's dominating performance during the first quarter, scoring 13 of his game-high 30 points. Despite the Pistons cutting their once 29-point deficit to six in the second quarter, the Jazz held a 65-54 lead at the half. Lauri Markkanen had a double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds. Keyonte George added 28 points on 7-of-13 shooting from behind the arc.

Before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 33 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Malik Beasley scored 26 points off the bench. Despite being in foul trouble for most of the night, Ausar Thompson recorded nine points and four assists in 20 minutes. He received his second consecutive start amid the absence of Jaden Ivey, who remained sidelined due to a knee injury.

With 1:37 left in the third quarter, rookie forward Ron Holland and the Jazz's Jordan Clarkson got into a minor skirmish, which led to both players being ejected.

Up next

The Pistons will close the calendar year with a four-game road trip out west. They will start Saturday against the Phoenix Suns and travel to Los Angeles on Monday to play the Lakers. Tipoff between the Pistons and Suns is slated for 9 p.m. at Footprint Center.

Observations vs. Jazz

— Slippage in their 3-point shooting defense: Despite Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr.'s overtime heroics, the improvements the Pistons showed in their ability to defend the 3-ball were critical in their win over the Heat. They held Miami to 27.9% shooting from deep, with 12 triples made. However, against the Jazz, Detroit nearly gave up just as many in the first quarter alone.

The Pistons' slippage in their perimeter defense led to the Jazz beginning the night by making six of their first seven attempts. By the end of the period, the Jazz had shot 9 of 13 on 3-point shooting for 69.2%, marking one of Detroit's worst defensive quarters of the season. With 49 points scored, the Pistons allowed their highest-scoring quarter of the season by an opponent.

— Great production from Paul Reed off the bench: Amid Isaiah Stewart's absence, coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed that Paul Reed would receive adequate minutes against the Jazz. Reed took advantage of his opportunity and had his most impactful game, finishing with 12 points and nine rebounds. He was vital in helping the Pistons establish momentum in the second period, where they outscored the Jazz 35-19.

— Tobias Harris returns: After missing the previous game due to a right thumb sprain, Tobias Harris returned to the lineup. However, he had a poor shooting performance. He shot 3 of 13 from the field and 0 of 3 on 3-point attempts to go along with eight points. Harris's disappointing shooting effort is a small sample size of Detroit's shooting woes as a whole. The Pistons ended the night shooting 27.7% on 3-point shot attempts.