The Detroit Pistons start the NBA Cup off with a bang. Detroit thumped the Brooklyn Nets 110-94. A plus-16 point differential is a solid start on their quest to win their first NBA Cup in franchise history.
Detroit’s defense got off to an uncharacteristic start. They got mixed up on several pick-and-roll possessions, but that didn’t last long. They figured out the Nets’ speedy guards. Nolan Traoré turns on the turbos when turning the corners. Detroit adjusted to his speed and Julius Randle’s bully
ball style of play.
For the second straight game, Detroit held their opponents to a seemingly never-ending scoring drought. The Pistons hard-hedged, blitzed, and switched PnRs depending on their personnel on the floor. It’s a luxury to have so many versatile defenders.
The John Collins at the five lineups always present a different look. It’s a lot of speed out there when Detroit goes small. The lineups with Paul Reed aren’t technically small ball, but J.B. Bickerstaff can employ him so many different ways. Reed is not too much of a drop big, but he pressures guards coming off screens in every other way.
When Detroit did go small, Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter got their hands dirty helping the team gang rebound. It didn’t register in the box score every time, but the fight was there. Huerter was scrappy and hit a pair of first-half triples. His explosion from trey is coming. I will remain patient and will take all the other little things he’s doing.
Robinson is off to a career-best start. The 3s were hit or miss, but he thrived in transition and baited Brooklyn into several turnovers. Robinson is such an educated cutter. Teams press up on him, sticking to him like gum under the desk, but he has no issue using their momentum against them, beelining to the rim.
Robinson and Ausar connected on some backdoor cuts. Their synergy is so evident. They burned another defense with their DHO link-up.
We got aggressive Ausar tonight. Right from the opening tap, he searched for his shot and was content to put his head down to get to the rim.
We got a middy pull-up in the second! Ausar was feeling it and took another jumper the following possession. Make or miss, that is the mentality that can change this team’s outlook.
Ausar’s all-around play was terrific. We’re watching a legit point forward in the making game by game. Ausar had six assists tonight. This one was gorgeous.
Ausar’s 9-to-5 defensive intensity clone, Ron Holland, had himself a ball game. He had a turnover and ill-advised fouls early on, but Holland turned it up a notch in the 3rd quarter.
The third-year wing was EVERYWHERE. His hound-em defense showed up, but Holland buried two 3-pointers during his energy blitz. He finished with 18 points, going 6-for-10 from the field, along with four steals.
It was another day in the office for Deuce. He might be the first player to get a foul called in their favor in real time. He did the classic Kobe/DWade up fake, then shoot while the defender is off their feet. It did not seem like the referee was going to reward Cade’s craftiness until he walked over there with wide-spread arms demanding an explanation. Nice to see Cade getting that superstar whistle these days. He dropped 20/5/4.
Brooklyn remains winless (0-5). Traoré is a blur, and Mikel Brown Jr. seems to process PnR coverages like a point guard who’s been around the block. That dude has promise. High process and deep-range shooting is always a dub in my book. Brooklyn fans won’t enjoy watching Randle go one-on-one with 10 eyes staring at him, waiting for his drive, but hey, it’s not all bad elsewhere. Focus on the young guards.
Ebuka Okorie probably gets more run in a typical blowout. Detroit aimed to run up the score for the cup point differential, so that might explain why Bickerstaff went with his proven horses until it was less than three minutes in the contest.
Detroit’s 2025 second-round pick Chaz Lanier got in on the action. He knocked down two deep balls with his quick trigger release. This was a monster performance from Detroit after their defense got back on a string. Brooklyn isn’t the 1996 Bulls but has competed in most of their games so far. Not tonight.
Detroit looks to beat up on the Charlotte Hornets again to kick off their November schedule on Monday. Maybe they get Charlotte so discombobulated that Charles Lee has to bench another starter.
(Daniss had another end-of-quarter buzzer-beater. Add this one to the highlight reel)
