Pistons have no answers for Gasol, Z-Bo
Memphis improved to 9-1 with a 95-88 win over Detroit on Saturday. Marc Gasol (23 points, eight rebounds) and Zach Randolph (17 points, 22 rebounds) punished a youthful Pistons interior, while Mike Conley chipped in 18 points.
Here’s the analysis from FedExForum:
The early difference: Saturday’s matchup featured two of the better frontcourt tandems in the NBA, with Gasol and Randolph battling Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe down low.
The first quarter exposed the disparity in experience and polish between the two pairings. Gasol and Randolph, cogs in a fluid and methodical offense, churned out a combined 15 points in the first quarter while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. Pick-androll mastery from Gasol was coupled with the muscle of Randolph down low, and the inexperienced Pistons had no answer.
On the other end of the floor, Detroit’s offense was neutralized by the hard-nosed defense that has come to define this Memphis team. Without an impressive catalog of half- court sets, the Pistons were left to create for themselves on isolation plays. Point guard Brandon Jennings shot 1-for6 from the field. Caron Butler and D.J. Augustin failed to make a basket. Drummond and Monroe, like most big men, struggled to create quality looks against Randolph and Gasol inside.
Detroit shot a lowly 30.4 percent for the quarter and trailed, 25-16.
The unexpected: The Pistons clawed back behind their second unit, erasing a deficit that had reached as large as 11 points to pull within 51-50 at the half.
Leading the way was the unlikely duo of backup point guard Augustin (seven points, three assists in the first half) and stretch four Kyle Singler (11 points in the first half). Twice Augustin swooped in from the left wing for reverse layups, using his change of pace to frustrate Memphis in transition. Singler, a former Duke standout, did his damage from beyond the 3-point line.
The ball moved quicker with Augustin, Butler and Swedish big man Jonas Jerebko on the court. Singler, a deft shooter, was the beneficiary with a handful of catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts. He connected on three in a flash and finished with five 3-pointers for the game.
The turning point: Detroit began to wilt in the final two quarters of the finale of a four-game road trip. Drummond, who had eight rebounds at halftime, grabbed just one in the entire third quarter. He expended so much effort defensively against the Memphis big men that he looked tired on offense. A left-handed airball on a jump hook left him shaking his head in frustration.
That fatigue, which appeared contagious among Detroit’s starters, enabled Memphis to bludgeon its opponents on the interior throughout the fourth quarter. Randolph, Gasol and Kosta Koufos scored nine straight points to extend the lead to 78-69 with 7:41 remaining.
The knockout punch: Back-to-back baskets by Monroe (a layup off a rim dive) and Singler (a 3-pointer from an out-of-bounds play) cut the Memphis lead to five with 1:43 remaining. A wild shot by Randolph on the next possession gave Detroit an opportunity to apply serious pressure.
But a pick- and-roll between Jennings and Jerebko went awry along the right sideline, with Jennings stepping out of bounds. The ball went back to Memphis with 55.2 seconds remaining.
A frantic, scrambled possession proved fortuitous for the Grizzlies when Conley corralled a loose ball out beyond the 3-point arc with the shot clock winding down. He slithered his way into the lane and hit a short, double-pump runner to extend the lead to seven with 31 seconds remaining.
The win was preserved.