Detroit Pistons' hot start cools off in 124-117 loss to Minnesota Timberwolves at LCA
The Detroit Pistons picked up a rare win Monday, defeating a Washington Wizards team next to them in the standings for their fourth win of the season.
They couldn't repeat against the best team in the Western Conference.
The Pistons started hot but couldn't sustain a rhythm on either end en route to a 124-117 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena. A 18-4 run allowed the Wolves to turn a slim three-point lead late in the third quarter into a 109-92 advantage with just over 10 minutes to play.
Anthony Edwards (27 points, eight assists five rebounds), Karl-Anthony Towns (27 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Rudy Gobert (19 points, 16 rebounds) all had standout games for Minnesota.
Jaden Ivey scored a season-high 32 points and punished the Wolves repeatedly with his ability to drive to the basket. He also made four of his six 3-point attempts. Bojan Bogdanovic returned from a two-game absence with left calf soreness and finished with 20 points.
HELP COMING? Why Pistons believe Danilo Gallinari, Mike Muscala can help them this season
It was a fast-paced, back-and-forth first quarter with both teams combining for 79 points. And the Pistons led by the end of it, 40-39. Detroit shot 16-for-24 from the field with 13 assists and just a single turnover in the period against the NBA’s best defense.
But Minnesota took control to close the half, outscoring the Pistons, 31-22, and holding them to 38.5% overall shooting in the second. The Wolves led by as many as 12 before a 19-10 Pistons run cut their deficit to 91-88 with just over three minutes to play in the third.
Detroit’s turnover issues appeared in the second half, as they committed six in the third quarter. Marcus Sasser was responsible for two in the final minute of the period to help the Wolves push their lead back to eight.
That momentum continued into the fourth, as back-to-back 3-pointers by Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid opened a 17-point lead that the Pistons were unable to rally from. They tried, however, responding with a 17-6 run to cut it to 115-109. Ivey capped the run with a 3-pointer.
Minnesota got the response it needed on the other end, as McDaniels and Towns hit back-to-back 3s to push the lead back to 14 to end Detroit's comeback hopes.
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Detroit Pistons podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
Muscala, Gallinari officially join team after trade
Monty Williams acknowledged during his pregame media session that Wednesday’s game presented an ideal situation for one, or both, of the new players to make their debuts. Both Danilo Gallinari and Mike Muscala, who the Pistons traded Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and two future second-round picks on Sunday, were present during Detroit’s shootaround and were active for the game.
They only had limited practice time — the team had to cancel its session scheduled for Tuesday as weather-related flight issues prevented the team from leaving Washington immediately after Monday’s win. The Pistons stayed the night and made it back to Detroit on Tuesday.
“I’ve been talking to the coaches on how to use them properly,” Williams said. “If we can use them both, we will. Tonight’s one of those nights where we’re playing against such a big team, we could see them on the floor. We’ve only had one shootaround to get them acclimated because of the travel situation coming back here. We’ll see how it goes. They both have the ability to play the stretch five, but against bigger teams.”
Both veterans stand 6-foot-10, giving Detroit additional size against a Wolves starting five with three players standing at least 6-foot-9. Muscala checked in for the first time with three minutes to play in the first quarter. He logged five minutes in the first half, and checked in again midway through the third to spell Jalen Duren.
Muscala is known for stretching the floor, but his defensive presence was felt. He tallied two blocks and helped the Pistons wall off Gobert and Towns as they mounted a run in the third quarter to cut their deficit to single digits. The big man played 15 minutes and missed all four of his shot attempts, including three 3-pointers.
Gallinari did not play.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
Customize your Free Press experience: Download our app for the latest news, alerts, eNewspaper and more.
Next up: Bucks
Matchup: Pistons (4-37) vs. Milwaukee (28-13).
Tipoff: 3 p.m. Saturday; Little Caesars Arena, Detroit.
TV/radio: Bally Sports Detroit; WXYT-FM (97.1).
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons' hot start cools off in loss to Minnesota Timberwolves
