The Detroit Pistons weren't playing against the Portland Trail Blazers again. A night after their ridiculous comeback win against the Blazers, they faced an overwhelming deficit late in the game. And just like the night before, chipped away at the lead -- they were within four heading into the fourth quarter. But they weren't playing the Blazers again. No, the Pistons were up agains the Golden State Warriors, and they weren't coming back against the NBA champions.
2015 NBA scores: The Warriors aren’t allowing any Pistons comebacks, and 3 other things we learned
The NBA champs had no problems holding off the upstart Pistons, plus three other things we learned Monday night.
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The Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter to win, 109-95. They did so with a balanced attack -- Klay Thompson had 24 points and Stephen Curry had 22 -- as they shut down the Pistons offensively, holding Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond at bay.
The Warriors led from the get go. They had 10 fast-break points in the first quarter -- buoyed by seven Pistons’ turnovers -- and the Warriors led 27-15. The Pistons didn’t go away, though. Their bench, which is usually a weak point, looked great as the Pistons kept the Warriors’ lead in single digits.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the Pistons played great defense on Curry in the first half, holding the reigning MVP to just 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting. But when Curry couldn't get going, his teammates stepped up. The Warriors play such selfless basketball that it doesn't matter if their star isn't on fire.
They went into the half up by nine. Then the real Warriors showed up. They built a lead up to 17 points in the third. But the Pistons never gave up. They fought back and trailed by only four, 80-76, heading into the fourth quarter. And for a second, it seemed like the Pistons were maybe going to pull off the unthinkable again.
The Warriors were having nothing to do with that, though. They outscored the Pistons by 10 in the final frame and that was it.
Golden State outplayed Detroit in almost every facet of the game. They outscored the Pistons, 35-8, on fast-break points and forced 20 turnovers.
The Pistons have been successful not only because Jackson and Drummond are deadly on offense, but because of their shut-down perimeter defense. Everything was a struggle against the Warriors, though. Drummond was solid as he scored 14 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, but he was held at bay by Festus Ezeli and Andrew Bogut.
That doesn’t mean all is lost for Detroit, however. They showed resilience all night, always fighting back even when the Warriors’ lead swelled. Plus, they were facing off against the NBA champions, who have yet to show a chink in their armor this season. And at this point, it doesn’t seem like the Warriors do have a weakness.
2 things we learned
The grind of the Memphis Grizzlies almost got the best of the Los Angeles Clippers. The Grizzlies lost 94-92 in what turned into a free throw shooting contest down the stretch, but at least they looked like the Memphis team that put a scare into the Western Conference last season. That was mostly because Zach Randolph played a great game. He had 26 points and nine rebounds, and Marc Gasol added 18 points and seven boards as the Grizzlies hung tight against the Clippers, who were flustered by the grit and grind style the Grizzlies have perfected.
Blake Griffin had 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead Los Angeles on a night that both teams struggled to get into an offensive rhythm. Both teams were particularly bad from three-point land -- the Grizzlies were 2-of-11 from deep and the Clippers were only slightly better, shooting 5-of-19. Phil Jackson would have been proud. And on top of that, the Grizzlies appear to be back on their right track.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are capable of being really good, but they still like to remind everyone how young they are. The Timberwolves hung 72 points on the Atlanta Hawks in the first half, taking a 30-point lead into the locker room. Everything was clicking -- Andrew Wiggins had 16 points, Zach LaVine was playing like an All-Star point guard and Karl-Anthony Towns was a force down low. But then the Timberwolves came out for the third quarter. It wasn't quite as bad as the Blazers' meltdown against the Pistons on Monday, but the Hawks outscored Minnesota 42-21 in the third. The trend continued in the fourth. The Timberwolves couldn't get the offense going against the Hawks -- who were scoring at will on their own. The Hawks took a 107-106 lead with 3:30 to play and it looked like the comeback was complete. Then Wiggins took over. He hit a layup and got fouled, sunk a mid-range jumper and then made a ridiculous mid-range bucket with a foul that sunk the Hawks' hopes.
(h/t Free StreetHistory)
The Timberwolves held the Hawks scoreless down the stretch, winning 117-107. Wiggins ended the night with 33 points on 15-of-22 shooting and Karl-Anthony Towns added 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Timberwolves showed the good and the bad -- the future is bright in Minnesota.
The San Antonio Spurs are going to keep being the Spurs. The Spurs led by only three heading into the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings. Then, they decided to play like the Spurs, outscoring the Kings 34-19 in the fourth to pick up an 18-point win. Kawhi Leonard was superb as usual, with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting as Tim Duncan added 11 points and 14 rebounds. DeMarcus Cousins did return for the Kings, who continue to struggle a year after starting the season on a hot streak. Cousins had 21 points and 12 rebounds but shot only 5-of-20 from the field. At 1-7, things are starting to unravel for the Kings. It could be a long year in Sacramento.
Play of the night
Andrew Wiggins made clutch plays down the stretch, but he was also joining in on the party when the Timberwolves were blowing up the Hawks. Wiggins looks like a skinny LeBron James on this one. He elevates with such ease and then throws it down with such power. Paul Millsap should have gotten out of the way, he didn't stand a chance.
2 other fun things, and 1 not so fun thing
Scores
Bulls 111, 76ers 88 (Blog a Bull recap | Liberty Ballers recap)
Timberwolves 117, Hawks 107 (Canis Hoopus recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)
Nuggets 108, Blazers 104 (Denver Stiffs recap | Blazer's Edge recap)
Spurs 106, Kings 88 (Pounding the Rock recap | Sactown Royalty recap)
Clippers 94, Grizzlies 92 (Clips Nation recap | Grizzly Bear Blues recap)
Warriors 109, Pistons 95 (Golden State of Mind recap | Detroit Bad Boys recap)
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