Jaden Ivey unable to carry banged-up Detroit Pistons in blowout loss at Memphis Grizzlies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The injury report between the two teams was talented enough to make a playoff push.
A total of 19 players sat out of Friday night’s match between the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons. Memphis' list was headlined by Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart. The Pistons? Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson and Simone Fontecchio.
Even so, one team still managed to dominate. And it wasn’t the Pistons. Despite starting three of their recent first-round picks in Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren and Marcus Sasser and having a talent advantage on paper, they were blown out of the building.
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The Pistons lost, 108-90, and fell to 13-64 overall with five games remaining. They’re still three wins shy of tying the franchise-record for fewest in a season, which was set in 1979-80. Ivey, who finished with 31 points on 10-for-15 shooting, was the one bright spot.
Aside from Ivey, they shot just 22-for-64 (34.4%) overall. Memphis closed the first quarter with a 19-3 run to take a 10-point lead, and ended the first half with a 21-7 run that pushed their lead to 21 by halftime. Detroit turned the ball over 17 times, though Memphis was even worse with 20 turnovers.
Duren tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and scored 13 in the final two periods as the team faced blowout margins. The Grizzlies, whose eight-player rotation consisted of four players who arrived on 10-day contracts (Michigan alumnus Zavier Simpson, Trey Jamison, Jordan Goodwin and Maozinha Pereira) and only one player drafted in the first round (Jake LaRavia), shot 46.7% overall and led by at least 16 points during the entire second half.
The Pistons and Grizzlies have both had 31 players enter a game this season, setting a new NBA record.
Ivey’s big night not nearly enough
The second-year guard scored 15 of Detroit’s 22 points in the first quarter, shooting 5-for-6 overall with four 3-pointers. The game turned in Memphis’ favor for good after he checked out, as the Pistons were outscored 13-2 in the final three minutes of the quarter.
Despite his red hot start, Ivey took just two shots in the second quarter — a period that saw the Pistons shoot 5-for-14 overall and 1-for-7 from 3, with seven turnovers. At halftime, Ivey had 20 points, and his teammates were just 7-for-28 overall and 0-for-10 from 3.
Detroit's road trip will continue with a trip to Brooklyn on Saturday, before facing the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday.
Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jaden Ivey unable to carry Detroit Pistons in blowout loss at Memphis
