Nets vs. Pistons: NBA Cup debut and chance at a winning streak

SB Nation

Well, the days of fighting for that first win is officially over! Coming off a much needed 112-103 victory against the Pacers, led by a Michael Porter Jr. 32 point night in 35 minutes, the Nets were able

to finally get a W after being the only team left without one. Again, we aren’t expecting much this season, but little stuff like this can matter down the road.

This time, the Nets will be taking on a much better Eastern Conference opponent in the Detroit Pistons. Placed as a second seed in the conference just behind the Chicago Bulls (yes you heard that right), the Pistons are a young team that already have their cornerstone pieces for the future. The Nets will look to stand their ground against these players in their first action of this year’s NBA Cup.

Where To Watch

Catch the action at 7:30 p.m. ET on the YES Network and streaming on the Gotham Sports App.

Injuries

Cam Thomas (hamstring), Drake Powell (ankle), and Haywood Highsmith (knee) will be out. Three of the Nets first round picks — Nolan Traore, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf — will play their first game for the Long Island Nets at Nassau Coliseum. That game starts a half-hour earlier and can be seen on the G League website.

For the Pistons, Tobias Harris (ankle), Jaden Ivey (right knee discomfort), and Marcus Sasser (hip), will be out.

The Game

Just take a second to look at these two statlines. In the Pistons last victory against the Utah Jazz, Cade Cunningham went for 31 points and 10 assists while Jalen Duren went for 22 points and 22 rebounds. In the same night.

After being the first overall pick in the 2021 draft, Cade Cunningham has lived up to the hype and has transitioned himself into an arguable top five point guard in the league. Over the last five games, he’s averaging 28 and 11.5 assists, at 6’7”. Not only has he been great, the Pistons have centered lots of young talent for him to flourish. Other than the promising Duren, Detroit rosters a Thompson twin, that alone speaks for itself. They also have Ron Holland, who is reminiscent of the toughness Detroit basketball was once known for because of his willingness to get his hands dirty to go along with elite athleticism.

Without Cam Thomas, it will be hard to find opportunities to score against this team. Noah Clowney will have to step once again, as he did so well in his 17-point effort against the Pacers. If the tandem of Terance Mann and Egor Demin can find a way to create opportunities for Clowney and Clax, as well as themselves, they can see some success against Detroit. Michael Porter Jr. will be Michael Porter Jr., so I’m not necessarily worried about him.

Player to Watch: Ausar Thompson

If it wasn’t for his brother having the spotlight, Ausar Thompson would be labeled as the most athletic player in the NBA. You have to keep an eye on him on both ends of the floor, because Thompson will spend one second locking down your team’s star player on one end and then catching an alley oop dunk on the other. Averaging close to 14 points and 6.9 rebounds, Ausar is taking a leap this season after the playoff run the Pistons had last year, and this is surely not good for the league.

Max Sturm of Detroit Bad Boys laid out how he’s improved.

Outside of Cunningham, the biggest individual takeaway is the on-ball creation of Ausar Thompson. While he has always possessed tantalizing talent, Ausar often struggled to maintain control during his first two seasons and appeared unsure of himself with the ball in his hands. With Jaden Ivey, Marcus Sasser, and Caris LeVert all missing significant time due to injury to start the year, Thompson has been thrust into an on-ball role by necessity, and I don’t think anyone could have imagined the returns being much better to this point. The handle is noticeably tighter, and his decision-making has been a revelation for this team.

From the Vault

Detroit is Motown and Motown is Detroit but one of the untold stories of Hitsville, U.S.A. was the support of Ed Sullivan who famously had an 8 p.m. Sunday slot on CBS. He was legendary for his ability to spot talent and promote it on his show which was watched by tens of millions each week. Most famously, the Beatles 1964 U.S. debut attracted 73 million viewers. He also was resolute in promoting black artists particularly those of Motown’s impresario Berry Gordy.

Here’s a compilation of the top ten Motown acts that appeared on Sullivan.