A Motor City meltdown transpired on the hardwood as the Detroit Pistons failed to thaw their shooting woes, getting bested by the Orlando Magic in a 111-99 slump Sunday. The Pistons showed they could shoot themselves in the foot just as well as they could shoot a basketball, nailing a mere 26% from the three-point line, a stat that stands about as appealing as a cold pizza from the night before, The Detroit News reported.
Their handling of the ball wasn't any prettier, racking up 15 turnovers including four from young gun Jaden Ivey, and to make matters worse, none of the Pistons could crank their scores past the 20-point mark, as noted by the Detroit Free Press. Ivey and Cade Cunningham topped the chart with 18 points each, but not even their past efforts, with Ivey being consistent as a two-way performer since rejoining the starting lineup, could salvage this game; it's like they say one swallow does not a summer make and one or two players on their own can't always carry a whole team to victory.
It was the Franz Wagner show on Detroit’s home court, with the Orlando player and Michigan alum lighting up the scoreboard with 38 points, leaving Detroit's defense floundering and fans ruing what might have been if he'd been wearing their colors, as AP News highlighted. Orlando's three-point game outclassed that of the Pistons, especially in the fourth quarter where the Magic hit five out of seven from downtown, cementing their dominance with a shooting display that could only leave Detroit in envy.
Despite the loss, rookie Ausar Thompson gave Pistons fans a faint glimmer of hope, dropping 17 points and claiming seven rebounds, as the Motor City ponders what could be the future but right now, the Pistons will be hitting the road for six games with a record that's about as battered as overdone mozzarella sticks. They'll circle back to their stomping grounds after the All-Star break, but whether or not they’ll come back with some newfound magic of their own against Orlando on Feb. 24 remains to be seen, magic being something they were bereft of this Sunday afternoon.
.jpg){kind=link}