The #Pistons had another case of the fourth quarter sniffles as they lost a close one to the Nets 93-90 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. With every chance to send the game into overtime or win in the final minutes Detroit just couldn’t pull off a bucket scoring just 17 points in the final quarter.
Key Points:
- Andre Drummond played just four minutes due to his back issues. He’s not worried though, he feels he just needs a day or two to recover and he’ll be fine.
“It’s not my back – it’s my tailbone,” he said. “I fell on it the wrong way in the Laker game. I just need a day or two and I’m good. I felt good. Just after I took that charge, it hit me again. It’s tough. I couldn’t be out there to help my teammates tonight. I’m just going to take care of it and I’ll be back in no time.” Via Pistons.com
- With Andre out and Jason Maxiell in foul trouble we saw Rookie Slava Kravtsov who despite some “rookie type” fouls, played very well. Slava scored four with two boards in ten minutes on the floor. And there is nothing like dunking right on Lopez to make the Palace crowd love you.
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- Stinkers from both Stuckey and Villanueva. Stuckey was just2-of-7 for four points and Charlie was just 1-of-8 for two points.
- Another game with a fourth quarter lead lost.
- Odd player combinations late in the game for Detroit when Frank tried to counter the Nets going small.
- I didn’t even realize Reggie Evans was still playing let alone putting up double-doubles.
- Highlights Via NBA.com
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- Greg Monroe was the star of the night for Detroit leading the team with 23 points, 10 boards, two assists and a blocked shot. As good a game as he played I wanted to bite my own hand when he kept fumbling the ball late in the fourth when Detroit had a chance.
- Jerebko getting solid time with the absence of Daye and Tay. He scored six points in 19 minutes on the floor on 2-of-7 shooting. You know I have a Need4Swede but it seems like he’s trying a bit too hard and doing things he would normally do. He just needs to play his game and he’ll be just fine.
- The Palace finally got to see Jose in uniform and a glimpse of what is a great PG can do for a team. He didn’t light up the box (just yet) scoring just eight, with nine assists, but when was the last time you remember a Detroit PG not named Chauncey get close to double-digit assists a game.
Photo/Getty Images Editing Need4Sheed.com
- Bynum a solid 13 points and seven assists, but he’s still got to know when to go up in a crowd and when to dish it off. When it works you wonder how he does it and when it doesn’t you scream.
- Spurs on Friday night at the Palace to try to stop the slump.
Slava is just pure power mixed with athletic ability. that dunk was SICK. and I already knew about his good footwork i could see glimpses of it in highlight videos. His defense can obviously get a lot better. Nice to see Jonas come up and talk to him to show him how he can’t use his body so much on defense or its a foul. I guess thats different in Euro games. But there was one defensive possession where slava was guarding brook on the block and Brook tried to back him down and he could not move Slava one inch. He was planted like a rock.
One thing I’m wondering is when that Nets guy shot 3 straight airballs and they pulled him the palace crowd cheered him. Wasn’t sure if they were making fun of him or if they were legit trying to make him feel better.
overall I’m really happy to see slava get some minutes. If he can just work a little harder on defense I could see him as a big fixture in the big man rotation.
Actually glad to hear it was andres tail bone. In the long term that kind of injury should heal with out any lingering sign effects. Fell on my tailbone really hard, skate boarding as a teenager. Tho no signs of any permanent damage.
However Andre may be underestimating how long it will take to heal. Mine took about a month.
Also if Andre hurt is tail bone before the brooklyn game, i wish he just would have taken the foul and not put him self in that scenario by taking that charge.