The Detroit Pistons are now 4-0 this postseason in games when facing elimination after blowing out the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-94. Cleveland kept it close for a while, but Detroit finally gained separation in the third quarter and never looked back. Here is the recap of Friday night’s action from Rocket Arena, where the Pistons forced game seven.
Similar to the last series, Pistons Center Jalen Duren has not been a factor, but he stepped up in game six! Duren dropped 15 points on 7-10 shooting, along with 11 rebounds and three blocks. The seven field goals that Duren connected on were a playoff high this year, as he finally started finding his own shot, scoring ten of his 15 off driving layups. That will need to continue for the Pistons to advance out of the second round.
Daniss Jenkins and Duncan Robinson continued the theme of others stepping scoring 15 and 14 points respectively. Six of their combined seven three-pointers came in the second half, delivering multiple daggers to the Cavs’ hopes late in the game.
It was the second straight start for Jenkins, as he also filled in for game five while Robinson dealt with lower back soreness. Perhaps the Pistons just wanted to ease Robinson back into action, but Detroit may stick with Jenkins in the starting five based on how this game went.
Paul Reed already has a cool nickname (BBall Paul), but Paul George may have to hand over the Playoff P nickname now! Reed dropped 17 points on 7-9 shooting and six rebounds off the bench. It was an extremely efficient performance, as Reed only needed 16 minutes to put up these numbers. Reed would surely be on the All-Hustle team if it existed, as he made numerous effort plays to give the Pistons multiple second chances. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff praised his backup big man in the postgame press conference.
BBall’s been consistent. Every time he gets his opportunity to go out there, he does a great job of going out there and contributing at a high level.
More opportunities should be in the cards for BBall Paul after his game six contributions. Isaiah Stewart is usually the backup center, but Detroit may roll with Reed’s hot hand in the closeout game.
The one name that I did not mention in this rant was Cade Cunningham, which is actually a good thing. Cunningham had a solid 21-point, eight-assist night with five threes, but he did not have to put the entire team on his back as he did in the last series. That was Cunningham’s second-lowest scoring output of the postseason, yet the Pistons still won by 21.
In game five, Detroit was up by nine points with less than three minutes left in the fourth and could not close it out. That had much to do with Cleveland doubling Cunningham, and the other Pistons being unable to find a bucket in the final moments of regulation. Game six was the complete opposite, as Detroit received contributions from everybody. Even Marcus Sasser had nine points in 18 minutes on 4-5 shooting, making him a plus-27!
For the second straight series, it all comes down to game seven for the Pistons. The home crowd will surely be rocking at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday night as Detroit will look for its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2008. Many are already penciling in the New York Knicks as the NBA Finals representative from the East, despite being swept by the Pistons 3-0 in the regular season. Sounds like it will once again be Detroit vs. Everybody if the Pistons make it to the conference finals.
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