Late-season games can often feel unnecessary. The contenders already have their playoff tickets punched and rest players while the lottery-bound franchise are more interested in some extra ping pong balls than wins. The early nights of April are only important for a small group of teams that desperately fight for their playoff lives. Team like the Pistons and the Bulls.
NBA scores 2016: The Pistons may have salvaged their season and ended the Bulls at the same time
The Pistons edged out the Bulls and got a key win in the race to the playoffs in the East.
Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit prevailed in a close game and their 94-90 win brought them closer to the playoffs. For Chicago, this might prove to be the loss that ends its season.
It was not a pretty game, which is not surprising. These two squads need wins this late because they are not very good. The Bulls once looked the part of a contender but the deeper into the season they have gotten, the more obvious their fundamental flaws have become. The Pistons, meanwhile, are just now finding an identity after years of turmoil and are hoping their young players will carry them out of mediocrity in the coming years.
On Saturday Detroit was just a little sharper and a little luckier, but it still wasn’t easy to get the win in Chicago. The Pistons had five players -- their five starters -- in double digits, providing more of a balanced attack than the Bulls, which relied too much on Jimmy Butler. Butler delivered a triple-double, but no one else really stepped up on offense, with the team shooting just 38.6 percent.
It came down to the wire, when the two squads traded mistakes and heroic plays. Butler did much of his damage late, with 14 fourth-quarter points, but Reggie Jackson did enough to offset his fantastic performance. The Pistons' point guard was also on the favorable end of a controversial charge call that was reversed to give him free throws with 20 seconds to go and his team up just two points. It could have gone either way, just like the game, which really proves there's no much difference in the quality of these two teams, at least this season.
Yet at least one of them will likely get a chance to salvage this year with a playoff appearance. A first-round upset or even just a good showing could change the perception of a team. Weird things happen in seven-game series. That’s what makes these late-season bouts between desperate teams worth watching. Not because of the quality of the game but what’s at stake: the chance for 82 games of mediocrity to mean nothing, the chance to get redemption.
The Pistons got one step closer to it. The Bulls will have to continue to fight for that golden opportunity.
2 other things we learned
The Bulls’ loss might not have been so damming had the Pacers melted down completely in Philadelphia, like it looked they were going to. After leading by as many as 18 points, they allowed the 76ers to get back in the game and actually trailed with a little under five minutes to go. A loss would have prevented them from getting a two-game buffer between them and Chicago, with a tough schedule in their future.
They were lucky their opponent was the Sixers, which have been a disaster in clutch situations all year long. After an Ish Smith bucket with 4:58 to go, they allowed a 19-4 run by Indiana that sealed the win. It was a close call for a Pacers team that has not looked sharp in the past few games. They will have to do better in the future if they want to hold off the Bulls and climb out of the eighth spot and avoid the Cavaliers in a potential first-round matchup.
The Spurs' undefeated home streak is about to get tested
The Spurs had everyone available to go for Saturday's matchup against a Raptors team that was missing Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan and still struggled to get the win. It really took a career-high 33 points from Kawhi Leonard and 31 points from LaMarcus Aldridge to put Toronto away. Had the Raptors' All-Star backcourt been available, the Spurs' 39-game home winning streak might have been snapped.
Number 40 could prove even harder to get for San Antonio. Its next home game will be against the Warriors on April 10, and the one after that against the Thunder on April 12. If Gregg Popovich's past moves are any indication, he might give his starters a break so close to the postseason. Finishing the season undefeated at home would be a great accomplishment for the Spurs but it might prove impossible to do.
Play of the night
Myles Turner is just 20 years old and already has a sweet jumper, great shot-blocking instincts and the ridiculous explosiveness he showed here. The sky is the limit.
3 fun things
Final scores
Pacers 115, 76ers 102 (Indy Cornrows recap | Liberty Ballers recap)
Pistons 94, Bulls 90 (Detroit Bad Boys recap | Blog a Bull recap)
Spurs 102, Raptors 95 (Pounding the Rock recap | Raptors HQ recap)
Kings 115, Nuggets 106 (Sactown Royalty recap | Denver Stiffs recap)
Trail Blazers 110, Heat 93 (Blazer's Edge recap | Hot Hot Hoops recap)
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