Despite huge games from Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum, the Pistons lost a thriller Sunday night to the Dallas Mavericks 95-90. The Pistons leading scorer Ben Gordon, had a chance to tie it up with a three pointer with just 5 seconds left on the game clock, but the attempt was just off the mark giving Dallas the win.
Key Points:
- A rare game when Gordon was really off his game, Ben was just 1-for-16 from the field scoring just 5 points, 2 assists, a board and 4 turnovers. Those games are few and far between for Gordon, lets hope he bounces back quickly for the Western trip. He’s a little under the weather battling a cold right now.
- “They didn’t feel good and they didn’t look good, either,” Gordon said of his jumpers. “You’ll have games like that every once in awhile. I’ve just got to bounce back.” Via NBA.com
- What more can I say about Ben Wallace? The guy really is playing like he was when he was in his prime and you have to say that if it weren’t for him the Pistons would be in big trouble with Rip and Tay out of the lineup. Just like before he’s doing things that don’t always show up in the stats, but help the team immensely. Ben grabbed 10 boards, 2 assists, 3 blocked shots, 9 points and a steal.
- Absolutely the best game from Rodney this season who couldn’t miss in the first half. He was dodging through the lane like a formula one driver driving in Manhattan. He didn’t care who was in the lane, he was taking it to the hoop and making it. Stuck put up 28 on 12-for-20 shooting, with 4 boards and 2 assists.
Photo/Getty Images
- 13 turnovers for Detroit to just 7 from Dallas. I’m not spoiling Rodney’s night but he was accountable for 5 himself.
- Another DNP for Chris Wilcox.
- Jason Maxiell played 13 minutes and had 2 boards and 2 points. How in the world are we in games when Ben and Charlie are the only big guys doing it? It’s probably the little things that Kwame Brown is doing.
- 42 points in the paint thanks to Rodney and Will.
- Stuckey sat out the last 4 minutes of the game with cramps, possibly from playing 44 minutes the night before in Washington. Not before doing this all night long though.
Video Courtesy of The NBA, FSN and The Detroit Pistons
- Jonas Jerebko and Austin Day both with 5 boards and 2 assists.
- Henrik Zetterberg in the house to support his fellow countryman Jerebko.
- If you need a guard on your fantasy team….go pick up Rodrigue Beaubois, my goodness this kid didn’t miss. Best part about it was hearing Eli Zaret trying to pronounce his name on the broadcast.
- Bynum was responsible for 8-0 Pistons run to tie the game at 78.
- Will was the Spark again igniting the Pistons offense they were down. Bynum got Detroit right back in the game, something I have been repeating it seems like every day. Bynumite is clearly on track for Sixth Man of the Year. Seventeen of his 27 points came in the fourth quarter on 11-for-16 shooting on the night.
Photo/Getty Images
- Win or lose this game was fun to watch, I am amazed each night how the guards are contributing. Anyone else notice we play well when we go small? I’m not even bringing up last season.
- 55 points put up by Stuckey and Bynum.
- Dirk Nowitski led the Mavs with 25 but he had to take 27 shots to do it.
- Charlie Villanueva put up a double-double with 13 points, 10 boards, a blocked shot and an assist. Some points just come easy when you get a good dish from a teammate.
Video Courtesy of The NBA, FSN and The Detroit Pistons
- Despite the fact that Ben Gordon was cold all night, I had no problem with him taking the last shot for the tie.
- Bynum and Stuckey Highlights
- Game Recap from NBA.com
- A brutal stretch ahead out West and then when they return to Detroit. No word yet on whether Rip will make the trip or not.
well i really hoped we win this game. but we didnt, rip needs to come back for b4 the cavs’ game
We kept it close even with Ben Gordon shooting that poorly. I truly believed that he could hit that last shot. I am very happy with this team, we need a player who is not afraid of shooting the ball in the clutch, and Gordon has no fear. Stuckey and Bynum are also showing a lot of heart and improvement. Best duo at PG that I can think of in the NBA.
As for RIP and Tay, our team is showing that they can play without either of them. Who would have thought that they would be that close to winning the game without RIP, Tay, and pretty much without Gordon?
Ben Wallace, thank you, you never cease to amaze me. He bleeds the blue and red of Detroit no question about it. I am liking our future, our team is growing up in front of our eyes.
Now if we could only get another Big man, or a legitimate SF this would be a team to watch out for. Imagine:
PG Stuckey
SG Gordon
SF Prince or Hamilton
PF Charlie Villanueva
C Ben Wallace
6th Bynumite
7th Scoring Bigman down low
Daye, Sweede, Summers, Wilcox, Maxiell and Kwame. Very good team there
A true SF??? Sorry, a perennial all-defensive team fixture, a brilliant basketball IQ, and a good 3rd/4th option on offense. SF isn’t the place we need to worry about. Center is. Big Ben is a monster but when this team is ready to challenge for ‘ships (maybe 2-3 years) I think we are going to need a replacement, or at least a replacement for Kwame (Wilcox maybe??)
Great effort tonight, and bring on the LAKERS!!
How about that Lakers also lost today, im anticipating they would bounce back against us. Pistons need to play bigtime again..
Guards rocked it. I don’t even feel that bad about this loss. Do the Pistons have one of the best guard line ups in the league, even w/o Rip? Stuckey needed a good game – he’s clearly getting outshined by BG & Thrill.
Our guards are doing so much slashing and cutting, they should call ’em Top Chef. Past Piston teams were jump shot teams – primarily, through Rip. But I think the trio can breakdown just about any defense with their penetration. Do their performances make Rip available? The odds have got to increase that Rip will be on another team by February.
Wow… those were some incredible performances by stuckey and bynum…
even without rip and tay.. it came down to a 3 pointer…
if we could keep rip and trade tay and maxiell for bosh..
stuckey-bynum,rip-gordon, charlie v, bosh, Big ben……
Powerful offense with adequate defense and a deep bench… now thats a keeper.
On the second night of a back-to-back with Dallas coming in rested, you figured the shots might not come as easily. Nevertheless, this game is nearly ours despite the odds being stacked against us. If Gordon makes a few more shots, if Austin Daye doesn’t go through his rookie growing pains, etc. etc. These are things that are going to happen. I’m not too concerned about this loss. I like the way this team is shaping up.
I just don’t know what to think of our guard rotation. I think we have too many tweeners. I mean, they are all great players, but I worry that we don’t have a true, pure PG.
Between Stuckey, Gordon, and Bynum we have plenty of scorers… but I think we are always going to struggle in the assist category as long as these guys are running the show.
Of those three, Bynum averages the most assists on a per-minute basis… so I guess the best thing to do is to make him the starter at PG, and then possibly look to trade Stuckey. Or we could trade Rip and move Stuckey over to the 2-guard slot. I like the idea of keeping Gordon around because he’s a perfect 6th man. What do you guys think?
Joe,
I’ve said it before. Throw out the assist numbers for the point guards in this particular offense. It’s very similar to the offense Larry Brown brought here and you’ll notice that Chauncey’s assists really went up once Saunders got here. Why is that? Because this offense works best when the ball is moving whereas Saunders was okay with one pass and a shot. In this offense, the point guard initiates, but if the ball moves as it should, someone else will pick up the assist.
Also, I don’t see a problem with our guards. When Rip gets back, you’ll pair a driving point guard with a guard who can make catch and shoot jumpers. That way if defense collapse to stop the drives, the shooters will get good shots. If they stick with the shooters, Stuckey and Bynum will have more open real estate to drive.
With Charlie V settling in, it will open things up even more. I just wish we had one more sweet shooting, dependable big for the bench. McDyess would’ve been perfect.
Al (Wolverine Lake, Mich.): What do you think about LeBron’s idea that the NBA should retire Michael Jordan’s No. 23 and no one should ever wear that number again?
Langlois: Abject foolishness. Nice gesture by LeBron, but that’s where it needs to die. Michael Jordan was a great player, but there’s certainly not unanimity that he was the greatest to ever play. I’ve always thought Magic Johnson was the best I’ve ever seen, and I can’t speak to those that came before. I didn’t see enough of players like Wilt, Oscar or Russell in their primes to compare. Even if you could get 90 percent of basketball experts to agree that Michael Jordan was the best NBA player ever, so what? Isn’t it enough that the team he led to six titles retired his number? There is far more agreement that Babe Ruth was the best baseball player ever, and at least as much that Jim Brown was the best football player ever, yet MLB teams allow No. 3 to be issued, and the NFL suits up lots of No. 32s.
Joe, don’t even think about it. we got the most aggresive backcourt in the league, and it is just great. a lot of 1 on 1, and we have to be really happy when we play like this.
I don’t know why, but after start of this season and being 5-5, I think we are capable to beat anybody, just give us Tay and Rip back
If BG played halfway decent yesterday there’s no loss for sure. I like this team and back to backs are very tough especially after facin a needy WAS team… Should be interesting when RIP comes back but I don’t think he will be til at least when we are done with this road trip… ugh we could really use his consistent scoring in these games…
Trade rip for a solid big! this team would be set!
Starters
Bynum
Stuckey *Natural position*
Prince
Villanueva
New Big
Bench
Wallace
Wilcox
Brown
Atkins
Jerebko
Daye
Summers
what about gordon?
Steve, u forgot Ben Gordon, lol)))
CAPTAIN JACK goes to Larry Brown, to the Bobcats
Now we have real dog fight for the 4th to 8th spot in the PlayOffs:
Pistons, Bobcats, Wizzards (if they avoid injuries), Milwaukee (Jennings+Redd+Bogut are HUGE), Miami, Phila, Raptors, Indiana – and only 4 spots, because other 3 are almost clear.
It’s a dog fight, fo real
i wouldn’t include the bobcats in that dogfight. and i would consider that miami has pretty much locked the no. 5 seed.
when you see ben wallace with a nothing but net jumpshot you know your watching an entertaining game. Will Bynum just cannot be stopped it seems, its like as soon as he decides to drive its automatic and he’s not taking that many shots. Will Bynum better than AI especially if you factor in personality and lockerroom ediquitte. Ben gordon wasn’t hitting but still his assist numbers didn’t go up, that bugs me a little bit
as for the lakers game, i am terrified that kobe will post on ben gordon alll game long since we dont got rip or tay to guard him. and plz dont say rodney would gaurd him down low cuz he cant.
dang band wagon piston fans are getting scared
That’s ok, no one in this league can’t shut down Kobe for 48 minutes. And they are furious about their loss to Houston, crowd boooed them in Staples, it’s unusual. So the will be playoff-like in a game with us.
We must do our thing, use our small ball against their 2nd unit to keep up and take our chances. We can’t just predict how Kobe will play, because if we’ll start to talk about who’s stronger, who has better chances we will make a conclusion that they are stronger almost everywhere. But we have something to show to them, we should play like Rockets did, die on the court for the ball! And we will win there!
DEEETROOIT BASKETBAAALLL
does anyone know when RIP will come back?
I think stuckey is an awful player – A king of turnover.guys.He play no defense /shooting that poorly all the time.
Are you kidding? You’re going to type that rubbish after he just scored 28 (could have had more in the 4th)?