The Detroit Pistons made a statement with their latest victory, blowing out the defending champions. They’ll look to make another against a Western Conference powerhouse when Denver visits on Friday night.
The Pistons are on an eight-game winning streak, their longest in 17 seasons. The last time Detroit won eight or more consecutive games was in 2008, when the Pistons strung together 10 victories from Jan. 23 to Feb. 13.
Detroit showed the NBA world that its resurgence is no fluke with a resounding 117-97 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.
Other than a barrage of 3-pointers in the second quarter that led to a halftime tie, the Celtics were stymied by the Pistons’ aggressive defense. Boston was held to 20 points in the first quarter and 42 in the second half.
“I think we were outstanding. To set the tone the way we did to start the game, to hold them to 20 points in the first quarter, meant we came out with a point to prove,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. ” I thought we were excellent in the first quarter, and then again to hold them to 18 points in the fourth quarter shows your ability to want to close it out. We had multiple plays where everybody was a part of it, everybody was making extra efforts.”
The offense was once again boosted by sixth man Malik Beasley, who scored 26 points in 22 minutes. Beasley is averaging 16.7 points and shooting a career-high 42.5 percent on 3-point attempts.
“He just has that type of personality that’s engaging, that you want to root for. [His] shot-making ability just lifts people up,” Bickerstaff said. “When he’s hot and that ball’s in the air, you can tell when it leaves his hands [that it’s going in], and it’s taking the crowd’s breath away. I’m happy for Malik because he’s a genuine character and he loves this.”
The Nuggets won their first meeting with the Pistons, 134-121, on Dec. 28 as Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray combined for 71 points.
Denver has won 10 of its last 12 games, but one of those losses came on Thursday. The Nuggets gave up 67 second-half points as Milwaukee came away with a 121-112 victory.
The Nuggets shot 44.8 percent from the field and 26.5 percent on 3-point attempts. Jokic had 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, but his teammates shot 38.2 percent. Jokic has 27 triple-doubles this season.
“The big thing was we really struggled to make shots and we really struggled to finish tonight,” coach Michael Malone said. “We easily could have had 70 to 80 in the paint, but we missed a bunch of bunnies, a bunch of easy ones.”
Denver has a quick turnaround as it faces the red-hot Pistons.
“Really aggressive team. Really young team,” Jokic told the Denver Post. “I think they have a lot to prove. They’re playing much, much better than last year. They seem united as a team. They have good size.”
–Field Level Media
