Loss shows maybe starters need another wrinkle
MIAMI — The Detroit Pistons opened the season with a close, 103-102 loss in Miami to the Heat. They rallied from a 19-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Cade Cunningham knocked down clutch shot after clutch shot and finished with 30 points and nine assists.
As a team, the Pistons looked primed to take the next step by following the close loss with two wins.
Much has changed since then, of course. The gulf between the Pistons and Heat has grown substantially since opening night, with the Pistons at the bottom of the standings. It was a competitive game, but the Heat prevailed again.
Jimmy Butler answered a late 3-pointer from Simone Fontecchio with a pair of jumpers, one from midrange and another from 3, to send the Pistons home with a 118-110 loss on Tuesday.
Cade Cunningham led Detroit with 23 points and eight assists. Fontecchio added 22 points off of the bench, knocking down five 3pointers. Butler led all scorers with 26 points.
Shooting issues persist for new starting five
The early returns on the Pistons’ latest starting five — Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren — were promising. The unit, with help from Fontecchio, led the Pistons to a road win over the Chicago Bulls last week. Head coach Monty Williams stated later that the Pistons will stick with the starting unit consisting of their recent first-round picks for the time being.
The results since have been less-than-stellar, as they suffered blowout losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic on Friday and Sunday. Poor spacing was an issue in both games, and the Pistons are shooting just 29.4% from 3 since that Feb. 27 win, the second-worst mark in the league in that span. On the season, Detroit’s shooting 36% from 3 (19th).
Tuesday didn’t ease the starting unit’s spacing concerns with has two non-shooters in
Thompson and Duren and zero elite shooters. After going 8-for-36 from 3 against Orlando and 10-for-36 against Cleveland, Detroit failed to crack 30% for the third game in a row by shooting 12-for-42 (28.6%).
Williams isn’t concerned about the group’s lack of success from 3.
“I’ve always told guys to play to their strengths and I’m probably in the minority, but I’m OK with guys taking 2s as long as they’re
efficient because it allows you to set your defense, change your defense and the more shots you make, the more confidence you get,” Williams said before Tuesday’s loss in Miami. “I’m not sold on that, going into a game and saying we’ve gotta get 35 3s. What if your guys can’t shoot? You’re just going to take a lot of bad shots. That’s never been my approach.”
The Pistons were competitive on Tuesday in spite of their problems from deep, though.
They shot just 4-for-16 from 3 in the first half as the Heat were 7-for-12, but Detroit entered halftime managing a 61-60 deficit. They overcame their shooting woes by making 17 of their 27 attempts inside the arc (62.9%) and limiting their turnovers to just four.
Cunningham and Fontecchio, who combined to hit nine 3-pointers, were responsible for the bulk of Detroit’s outside shooting. Fontecchio spent significant time alongside the starters, as he did in last Tuesday’s win, helping the team overcome its spacing issues for stretches.
Fontecchio shines off bench, closes with starters
The Pistons entered the second quarter with a 10-point deficit. Fontecchio is a big reason why they were able to rally back. The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter scored 11 points in the second period, sparking a 12-5 run at the start of the period with two 3-pointers, one of which led to a four-point play.
Fontecchio played the entire fourth quarter and closed the game alongside four starters — Cunningham, Ivey, Thompson and Duren — as Detroit stayed within striking distance. His 3pointer with 1:15 remaining brought the Pistons back within three before Butler closed out the win for Miami with a pair of clutch jumpers.
He entered the game averaging 14.2 points on 41.5% shooting from 3 as a Piston. He lost his starting job to Stewart last week, but remains one of the Pistons’ most productive and reliable players since arriving at the trade deadline.