Detroit Pistons demonstrate value of staggering guard minutes in 118-112 win over Nets
It was as promising a start the Detroit Pistons have had all season. With just a few minutes remaining in the opening period, they led the Brooklyn Nets by 16 points and had controlled just about every facet of the game.
Then the second unit subbed in, and the game followed a familiar script: Brooklyn dominated the rest of the first half after four bench players subbed in at the end of the first for Detroit, leaving both Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey on the bench. The Pistons were outscored 49-30 through the end of the second, and the Nets entered halftime with a 57-54 lead.
But head coach Monty Williams switched his rotation in the second half and got the desired result for the Pistons, who rallied for a 118-112 victory over the Nets for their 10th victory of the season.
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The Pistons were crushed without their starting guard duo in the first. They were staggered in the second, with Ivey starting the fourth quarter after Cunningham played the entire third. They both delivered standpoint performances, the Pistons reached double-digit victories and pulled a game ahead of the Washington Wizards in the standings. Ivey led all scorers with 34 points, knocking down six of nine 3-pointers, and Cunningham had a double-double with 32 points and 11 assists. Ausar Thompson added 14 points and seven rebounds.
Dennis Schroder led Brooklyn with 31 points. Detroit won despite turning the ball over 22 times, leading to 24 points for the Nets.
Ivey snaps slump, leads Pistons as Cunningham rests
The second-year guard had the best shooting performance of his career on Feb. 8, knocking down all seven of his 3-point attempts in a road win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Since then, it has been a struggle.
In Ivey’s 10 previous games entering Thursday, he had hit just nine of 51 3s — 17.6%. That included a pair of duds in his past two, shooting 0-for-5 from 3 in each of Detroit’s road losses to the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.
On Thursday, he put the slump behind him. His six 3s matched hist combined total over his previous seven games. Ivey hit his final two shots early in the fourth period, as he led the second unit while Cunningham rested after playing the entire third. Ivey’s 3 with 10:51 remaining pushed Detroit’s lead to seven, and his fifth 3 less than a minute later gave the Pistons a 96-88 cushion.
Cunningham then checked back in and scored six straight points, dotted with a fastbreak dunk off a steal by Ivey. Ivey proceeded to knock down his sixth 3-pointer, giving Detroit a nine-point lead with 5 minutes remaining.
Williams has been reluctant to stagger his starting guard duo all season and declined to do so in the first half. Brooklyn capitalized on Cunningham and Ivey'-less stretch's time on the bench, reducing Detroit’s 16-point lead to five before the duo checked back in with 8:50 remaining until halftime. In the second half, either Cunningham and Ivey were on the floor for all 24 minutes. It made a difference, as the Pistons overcame themselves and secured their second win in as many weeks.
Wiseman shines in 2nd half
Wiseman has seen his minutes vary in recent games, with Isaiah Stewart’s return from an 11-game absence leaving fewer minutes available for the fourth-year big. After a quiet first half Thursday, in which he played only six minutes, he responded in the second half with one of his best stretches of the season.
He checked in with three minutes remaining in the third and tallied three points, a block and a steal before the end of the period. His steal led to a fastbreak dunk by Thompson on the other end, and he completed a three-point play, assisted by Cunningham, after he stole the ball from Schroder on the next possession.
Wiseman opened the fourth with another three-point play, spilling into the stands before knocking down the free throw to extend Detroit’s lead to four, 88-84. Williams has praised Wiseman for his work ethic this season, and Wiseman held up his end by helping the Pistons stay afloat as Cunningham rested in the second half.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons find winning guard combo in 118-112 victory over Nets
