Game Thread 2023-24 Game #5 - BLAZERS @ PISTONS - NOVEMBER 1, 2023 - WEDNESDAY - 4:00 PM PST - ROOT

Usually how it works bro.

 

• KEYSTATS
  •Portland outscored Detroit 63-42 in the second half, including 27-17 in the fourth
  quarter. The Trail Blazers’ 63 second-half points were their second-most in a half this
  season while Detroit’s 42 were their fewest.
  oPortland made 16 free throws to Detroit’s three in the fourth quarter.
  •Although Detroit out-shot Portland from 3-point territory in the first half, .562 (9-16)
  to .222 (2-9), the Trail Blazers shot .455 (5-11) from deep in the second half compared
  to Detroit’s .154 (2-13).
  •The Pistons committed 31 fouls that led to Portland shooting 27-of-33 (.818) at the free
  throw line; The Trail Blazers committed 15 fouls as Detroit shot 10-of-11 (.909) from
  the line.
  •Detroit committed 18 turnovers which led to 15 Trail Blazer points, while Portland
  committed 17 turnovers which led to 18 points for the Pistons.
  KEYRUN
  •Detroit led by 15 (75-60) with 6:17 remaining in the third quarter. Portland finished
  the quarter on a 23-9 run to cut the lead to one (84-83) headed into the final frame.
  •With the game tied at 99-99 after an Isaiah Stewart layup with 3:40 remaining in the
  contest, the Blazers outscored the Pistons 11-2 down the stretch for the nine-point
  victory.
  TEAMNOTES
  •The Pistons have committed at least 17 turnovers in each of the first five games, the
  longest such streak to start a season in franchise history.
  •Detroit’s 11 free throw attempts are their fewest in a game since attempting 10 on
  March 13, 2023. The 11 attempts are the team’s fewest in a game this season and would
  have been the second-fewest last season.
  PISTONSPLAYERNOTES
  •Cade Cunningham scored 30 points (5-9 3FG) with five rebounds, four assists and one
  steal. It is his second 30-piece of the new campaign, joining Tobias Harris (2017-18)
  and Blake Griffin (2018-19) as the only Pistons since Jerry Stackhouse in 2000-01 with
  multiple 30-point performances within the first five games of the season. In the process,
  Cunningham tied his most career 3-pointers in a quarter (three, three times) and a half
  (four, twice).
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • Ausar Thompson scored a career-high 16 points with seven rebounds, two assists and
  two steals. At the conclusion of the contest, he leads all rookies with 49 total rebounds,
  ranks second with 10 blocks and 19 assists and fourth with 50 points.
  • Marcus Sasser set career-highs with six assists and four steals to go along with eight
  points and three rebounds. He joins Cade Cunningham (2022), Killian Hayes (2021,
  twice) and Stanley Johnson (2016) as the only Pistons rookies with such minimums in
  a game since Grant Hill did so three times in 1994-95. It is the 17
  th
  such performance
  by a rookie in Pistons history. Sasser trails only Victor Wembanyama (6) for the most
  steals among rookies, with five.
  • Isaiah Stewart scored 12 points with six rebounds, four assists and a steal. He has
  eclipsed 10 points and six rebounds in each of the first five games of the season, which
  sets a career-high streak of at least 10 points and six boards. He is tied for his second-
  longest career double-digit scoring streak as well, at five.
  • Joe Harris shot 3-of-6 from 3-point land, his first time making multiple 3-pointers as a
  Piston. Harris ranks third on the NBA all-time list with a .437 career 3PT%.
  
  TRAILBLAZERSPLAYERNOTES
  
  • Shaedon Sharpe scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-16 FG, one point away from
  his career-high of 30 (March 29, 2023), with seven rebounds and five assists. He poured
  in 17 in the third quarter and 26 in the second half, his most points in a quarter and half
  in his career.
  • Deandre Ayton scored 16 points with 11 rebounds, one assist and a block. He has
  notched a double-double in three of five games this season with 10+ rebounds four
  times and has recorded a double-double in nine of 11 career games against the Pistons.
  • Jerami Grant scored 24 points (7-16 FG, 2-4 3FG, 8-10 FT) with one rebound and one
  steal. In three career games against the Pistons since he played in Detroit from 2020-
  22, he has averaged 28.7 points on .579 3PT%

 

• DETROIT PISTONS HEAD COACH MONTY WILLIAMS
  
  (On the factors that led to the loss): “We got outrebounded. That tells us that the attention to detail wasn’t there
  as far as gameplan discipline. We talked about that a ton, about how we had to board the free throw discrepancy.
  We got into foul trouble early, and that’s a huge discrepancy for such a physical game. We were attacking the
  basket just like them...[but] we didn’t come out and match their intensity. When you’re missing this many guys,
  everybody’s got to step up and do the little things. I thought that slipped a bit tonight.”
  
  (On the team’s 17 turnovers): “It’s starting to be concerning just because of the timing of the turnovers, they’re
  turning into points. We just don’t get up the shot, it’s tough. [When] you look at the possessions, we still had
  more, but we turn it over so much that we don’t get up a shot. It’s something that we have to stop talking about,
  we just have to do it.”
  
  (On the team’s momentum going into the second half): “We had a lot of momentum going into halftime and
  even right before halftime. We gave up an offensive rebound for a putback that gave them some momentum going
  into halftime. I don’t think we had the same juice. I’m playing [the same guys] for way too many minutes because
  we’re down [players], and maybe those guys are tired.”
  
  DETROIT PISTONS FORWARD AUSAR THOMPSON
  
  (On what changed in the second half): “We needed a shift in energy. We started boxing out less, allowing more
  rebounds. We got a little stagnant, we got a little rushed because they were coming back. We fell into their
  momentum, and we just can’t do that.”
  
  (On the team’s 17 turnovers): “We just need to be stronger with the ball. We need to be more decisive [and
  make] quicker decisions. We need better spacing. If three guys are on me, that means somebody’s open. We draw
  the defense, but we just need to kick [the ball] out and have faith in our teammates.”
  
  (On Shaedon Sharpe’s 29 points): “He had a really great second half. I got lax on defense a couple of times, I
  let him back door me and hit a three. I just need to be better because I know his [tendencies], I know what he does
  but I need to lock in better.”
  
  PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS HEAD COACH CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
  
  (On Portland’s ability to make a second-half comeback): “Super, super proud [of these guys]. We talked all
  day today about what it was going to take to win this game, and I just kept saying the team that wins the hustle
  game is going to win this game. In the first half, they really beat up on us, they really caught us off guard. I really
  got after our guys at halftime, and they just turned it around.”
  
  (On Shaedon Sharpe’s 29-point performance): “He was great the entire second half. We know he’s going to
  be capable of these kinds of offensive nights, but I am demanding a lot from him on both sides of the floor. He’s
  in that phase where we’re trying to mold him, so we are not going to let up on him, or Scoot (Henderson), or these
  young guys. But he’s going to be a star and he’s going to appreciate that one day.”
• 
  
  (On Deandre Ayton’s growing comfort in Portland): “He’s starting to relax a lot more. We are starting to find
  him in his sweet spots a lot more. I thought he and Scoot (Henderson) were really good today in the pick and roll,
  kind of learning to find him in that pocket. He was really good defensively out there and he’s starting to show us
  what he’s capable of.”
  
  PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD MALCOLM BROGDON
  
  (On Portland’s second-half adjustments): “We came in at halftime and focused on execution in the second
  half. We started turning the ball over, we got some blocked shots...Just the way we started with the way we were
  able to fight back and finish the game. I think that is going to really help us when we are 50 games in being able
  to finish a tight game, having the maturity [to do that].