The Detroit Pistons demonstrated tonight why they are on top of the NBA’s Eastern Conference, beating the banged-up Portland Trail Blazers 110-102. Jalen Duren poured in 26 points for the winners and Shaedon
Sharpe led the Portland response with 25.
Player of the Game
Sidy Cissoko was the “Grinch Who Almost Stole Christmas” from the Blazers tonight. The end-of-bencher chipped in with 26 minutes, 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal. He also managed to foul Detroit star Cade Cunningham out of the game at 9:08 left, which opened up the highway to a comeback.
Stat of the Night
Offensive rebounds, anyone? Tonight’s game put the top two offensive rebounding teams in the NBA on the same court, and the result was 22-9 Detroit. Probably made a difference in the final outcome, yes?
3-point shooting? Detroit 7-30 (23%), Portland 7-32 (22%). Kind of a draw, but a classic missed opportunity.
Free throws? Detroit 15-24 (63%), Portland 29-43 (67%). The Blazers won the free-throw battle in the aggregate but lost the game at the line.
What We Noticed
Some exceptional Blazers showed up tonight, but they apparently forgot their sneakers because none of them played. They did dominate halftime, however, as the fans got the chance to salute several members of the Portland team that reached the Western Conference Finals in 2000.
Meanwhile, this year’s Blazers demonstrated convincingly that they are never really out of a game. They entered the final frame down by 17 and actually claimed the lead for the first time in the game at the 4:05 mark. A combination of missed free throws and turnovers blunted that valiant effort, though, underscoring the challenge inherent in playing long minutes without the top end of your roster.
