For the future of a Pistons team that revolves around Cade Cunningham and the three 2020 first-rounders, they’ve got to get there without becoming permanently scarred by the trauma losing inevitably entails.
Winning games might not be the overriding priority for a Pistons team loaded with first- and second-year players, but giving themselves a chance to win as many times as possible over 82 games is very much an objective.
“It’s very valuable,” Cory Joseph said of the experience young teams absorb through the trials of pressurized NBA fourth quarters. “That’s where you learn a lot. Those close games down the stretch, you gain a lot of experience during those types of games.”
The Pistons followed their most exhilarating game of the season – Monday’s 115-106 road win over the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks – with two non-competitive losses in a back to back at Charlotte and Memphis. The quality of competition was different on Saturday, Orlando bringing with it to Little Caesars Arena the NBA’s worst record at 7-32.
But Dwane Casey got what he wanted – what his young team needed – out of Saturday’s 97-92 win. He got a fourth quarter, on a night the Pistons didn’t have fairy dust sprinkled on any of their players, where the grittiest team was going to win.
“They have to grow. That’s where we are,” Casey said. “I was proud of the way our guys came in tonight and competed and closed it out.”
Joseph was a big part of that. The last of the eight Pistons to return from the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Joseph teamed with Canadian national team partner Trey Lyles in breaking a 73-all tie after three quarters with a strong opening few minutes of the fourth. Lyles scored the first eight points for the Pistons and Joseph picked up three of his five assists as the Pistons opened an eight-point lead that was never overtaken.
“We made a lot of mistakes down the stretch,” Casey said. “Blitzing when we should be just switching, fouling when we shouldn’t be fouling. Inexperience. As many times as every coach told a player on the way out what we’re doing, it starts and they get so excited. That’s where a veteran player comes in. Cory did that down the stretch and held serve and helped Cade out.”
Cunningham made two winning plays among the final few possessions, though, to help the Pistons close the door. The first was a gorgeous lob pass with a little over a minute left and the Pistons protecting a three-point lead. But Hamidou Diallo, who led the Pistons with 17 points, tried to hammer it down with one hand and clanged it off the back iron instead. They connected the next time down, though, after Orlando had pulled within a point. The Pistons survived a Terrance Ross missed layup to preserve a three-point lead and then Saddiq Bey smothered Cole Anthony on a tying triple attempt in the final seconds.
“We needed it,” Bey said. “We came off two tough games. They made a run down the stretch. We had to make sure we came together and finished the game.”
Casey used the two veterans, Lyles and Joseph, to close the game alongside Cunningham, Bey and Diallo. Lyles finished with 16 points, hitting 7 of 10 shots, plus a game-high 13 rebounds in 28 minutes. Joseph had eight points, five rebounds, five assists and a single turnover in 24 minutes after missing the past six games.
“He has great poise and pace,” Bey said of the veteran point guard who spent his first four seasons playing for Gregg Popovich’s Spurs dynasty and then two years under Casey in Toronto. “We rely on him to get us in our sets and be able to help us win games. It was great to have him back.”
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January 09, 2022 at 10:55AM
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Vet Cory Joseph returns to help young Pistons close out a win - Pistons.com
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