SB Nation - Rodney Stuckey

Injuries, What Injuries? Pistons 101, Nuggets 99

Packey — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:09:12 -0000

Entering tonight's game the cards were not stacked in Detroit's favor (unless you believe in curses). The Pistons were missing not one, not two, but four of their better players (Hamilton, Prince, Gordon, and Bynum) and playing the second game of a back-to-back against one of the best teams in the Western Conference (0-5 in back-to-backs entering the game).

So it's realistic that Denver was overlooking Detroit and looking forward to returning home after a four game road trip. Charlie Villanueva thought so:

(Denver was) on the last game of the road trip. They might take us a little bit lightly, seeing all the guys out. But in this room, the guys believed we could win this game.

Pistons fans better believe it, too. We are 22 games into the season and despite all the injuries, falling behind (and sometimes big) in games, and having all odds against them, the Pistons continuously put forth 100% effort and scratch it out until the very end. Thursday night against the Nuggets was no different, and incidentally it also resulted in a hard-earned victory.

In addition to the injuries and any burnout from finishing a game less than 24 hours ago, Detroit also had to overcome a superstar performance from Carmelo Anthony. Anthony was essentially unstoppable tonight, dropping 40 points on 16-28 shooting.

Which makes one wonder why the Nuggets decided to give their final shot to tie the game, or win it with a three, in the hands of former Pistons guard, Chauncey Billups. Perhaps George Karl thought it was fate for Chauncey to come up big against the team, and in building, where he was coined as Mr. Big Shot. That's a noble thought, but 'Melo is one of the best clutch shooters in the NBA and just put up a career game. Why not let him finish it out right? Thanks, Coach Karl.

Big ups are also in order for Big Ben Wallace. He is averaging nearly 13 rebounds in the last seven games and without him tonight, the Pistons lose (by double-digits). He grabbed 16 rebounds tonight, six of those coming on the offensive glass. None were bigger than the tip in he had after an ill-advised Chucky Atkins shot around the two minute mark to put the Pistons up 99-96. He also had three steals, one which came with a minute remaining and led to a Stuckey layup to put the Pistons up 101-98.

More than those two huge plays and what the box score can tell you, he forced 'Melo to miss (when he did) a few times and created many other problems for the Nuggets that led to other Pistons collecting steals and/or rebounds.

Big Ben embodied Pistons basketball for all those years back around the time they won the championship, and he's doing it again. It's not really sexy to say a guy who has 16 rebounds to go with an ugly offensive game is our MVP, but then again, neither is the Pistons style of play, nor was this win.

Rodney Stuckey had his sixth quality game in a row, dating back to when he made his first start at the two spot. Tonight, he finished 7-14 from the field (11-15 from the line), which was good for 25 points. This was the first game of the season he did not have a single rebound. Charlie Villanueva added 27 points off the bench and had a team-high five assists.

More thoughts after you click.

Pistons are on a four game winning streak.
Denver has not won at The Palace since 1995. I didn't mean to dismiss that streak in the first paragraph, but I felt the way the Pistons continue to play was the bigger story. Denver Stiffs has an entertaining recap of what they think is a curse at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Being a die-hard Lions fan, I think I believe in curses.
Nuggets had a chance to gain momentum and possibly start to pull away when J.R. Smith had a wide open break to the basket. He tried to create a highlight reel double-clutch dunk and he missed! The Pistons then hit a three to tie the game on the ensuing possession. I think Ben Wallace was the game changer, but this was as close to a game changer as they come.
Harping some more on this team's hustle, it almost makes you forget that there are guys injured. While I'm watching the Pistons grind it out, I'm so encapsulated by what's going on, these Pistons don't give a fan much time to remember that they are missing key players. It's fun to watch, to say the least.
Austin Daye gave a solid 22 minutes of action, hitting three big shots (7 points). I sound like a broken record, but I love his shot.
DaJuan Summers hit a big time three pointer after a nice across court pass from Rodney Stuckey that gave the Pistons an eight point lead with 9:30 left in the 4th quarter.
Jonas Jerebko finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Hustled, like woah, and turned in another noteworthy game. His night included this and-one, which was Number 6 on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays ("count that baby and a foul!"):
The Pistons got to the line 41 times and took advantage of it by knocking down 35 of them.
Chris Wilcox was the only healthy DNP.
Highlights courtesy of NBA.com:
Box Score
Quotes
Pistons return to action on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors. I'll be in attendance, let me know if you will be, too.

Stuckey Has Your Answer: Pistons 90, Sixers 86

Packey — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:03:11 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Feed me starter minutes. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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It started out as another one of Rodney Stuckey's patented wild drives through the lane. With the score tied at 86, Stuckey was determined to get a shot up, at all costs, praying he'd get a call or his circus shot would fall with less than 10 seconds left. Unfortunately, he was swarmed by Sixers and Andre Iguodala taught him a quick, clean, lesson by blocking his wild attempt. Luckily, the loose ball wound up right back in Stuckey's hands. He promptly put up a fade away jumper that toilet bowled home and the Pistons had a two point lead they wouldn't give up.

It elicited the thought of a scene from one of my favorite movies. A sharp pang in my stomach seeing him try to force up a shot, followed by elation witnessing him redeem it a second later.

And Stuckey deserved that second chance opportunity. He had arguably the best game of his season, scoring a game-high 27 points on 10-19 shooting. He was perfect from the free throw line (including two clinchers), had eight assists, five rebounds, and committed just two turnovers. Rodney Stuckey was tonight's player of the game.

Allen "The Answer?" Iverson, not so much. While he did hit a tying jumper with a minute to go, he shot just 3-10 and had six (count 'em) turnovers against his former team. As he looked the other night against his other former team, the Denver Nuggets, Iverson seemed intent on sticking it to his former squad. Unfortunately for him, he just didn't have it either night.

It's a shame ESPN decided to cancel this match up, because with the Iverson "drama" and the game itself it was a great one. Neither team held a lead larger than eight throughout the course of the game and the leads were going back and forth the entire fourth quarter. Aside from the rebounding discrepancy (45-32 Detroit) the statistics were nearly identical.

But in the end, it was the Pistons who walked away with their third straight win and handed Philly their 11th straight loss. Detroit ended a five game road losing streak and a two game losing streak in Philadelphia. And, as George Blaha would say, don't look now, but the Pistons are currently sitting in the 8th seed in the Leastern Conference with a 9-12 record.

More after the leap.

This game was a great example of Pistons basketball. Detroit scrapped it out, hustled down rebounds, moved the basketball around (24 assists). It was like watching the good ol' days again. It's nice actually being entertained while watching the Pistons again, unlike the past few years where it was like going through the motions.
Jonas Jerebko has developed some offensive swagger. He had 17 points on 7-12 shooting and 10 rebounds for his third double-double in his last five games. He's averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds per game in his last six games. Unreal.
Kwame Brown had his best offensive showing of the season, thanks in large part to hitting 7 of 8 freebies. He was just 2-5 from the field but got to the charity stripe often. He also had five rebounds.
Will Bynum played 18 minutes and shot poorly again. He was just 2-7 and finished with four points. His ankle has to be bothering him. I plan on having a separate post up on that tomorrow maybe.
For all the jive I was giving Stuckey for his poor shooting earlier this year, he has really turned it on. He's currently 26-48 in his last three games, averaging 24 ppg and 6.3 assists per game.
Also, Stuckey absolutely broke AI's ankles tonight (although it could have been a mix between a fall & cross-over). I'll be on the lookout for that highlight.
Notable: Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins were a team best +14 tonight. I'm not in love with Chucky at point guard, but the way Stuckey has been playing, I don't want Kuester to change anything right now.
Charlie V had a relatively quiet 11 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes.
Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 18 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds. What I failed to mention in the recap above was he had a WIDE open three pointer to win it for the Sixers that banged off the back of the rim.
Box score
Liberty Ballers
Highlights:

Recap: Pistons 105, Bucks 96

Frank Madden — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:54:05 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Pretty much.

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Box Score

"Same old Bucks."

If you were a visitor from the year 2007, that's probably the reaction you would have had at seeing the 09/10 Bucks drop back-to-back games in uninspiring fashion in Washington and Detroit. Defense? Not much. Rebounding? Meh, too much effort. Road wins? Nah. Andrew Bogut? Still getting owned by Ben Wallace.

Ironically, the 06/07 Bucks actually started their season off with a 105-97 road win in Detroit (nearly reversed tonight), but as is usually the case, a promising start (15-14 through December 27) gave way to a miserable, injury-plagued final 50 games. It's too early to be condemning the 09/10 Bucks to the same fate, but the Bucks have seemed rather lifeless for long stretches over the past two, most notably in their inability to get big (or for that matter even small) stops on defense. And with neither Andrew Bogut (4/9 fg, eight points) nor Brandon Jennings (6/20 fg, 15 pts) providing any fireworks in the scoring column, the Bucks offense has been similarly toothless.

The Pistons had no such problems, as Rodney Stuckey stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points on 11 shots and nine assists. He helped set the tone early, beating Charlie Bell on a pair of quick cuts to the hoop en route to eight quick points that staked the Pistons to a 34-23 edge after one. Stuckey then beat Brandon Jennings and the halftime buzzer with a layup that restored the Piston lead to eight.

Detroit then used an early 8-0 run to push the lead to 14 in the third, and with the exception of some typical small Bucks runs managed to lead the game by double-digits most of the way. Jonas Jerebko was active and looking very un-rookie-like with 16 and 7, and ended the game by packing Charlie Bell on a three point attempt in the waning seconds. Fitting? Yes, fitting.

Three Bucks

Luke Ridnour. If you were a visitor from two months ago who dropped by just for the last two games, you might be surprised to see Brandon Jennings still starting. After all, the kid's preseason didn't exactly scream rookie-of-the-year favorite, and Luke Ridnour has been outperforming him for a couple weeks now. Normally that would be a knock on the rook, but the reality is that it's mostly just a tribute to Ridnour, who continued his torrid shooting streak of late with a 7/11 shooting night, 21 points, and nine assists. That's now four out of six games with 20+ points.

Carlos Delfino. Delfino came out looking charged up against his former team, making 6/7 fg en route to 15 points by the half. Second half? Well, the charge wore off. The Argentine missed all five of his shots but still had one of the few respectable lines on the team: 15 on 12 shots along with seven boards.

Brandon Jennings. Young Buck still can't make shots to save his life (6/20 fg), but he continues to do other things--dish it out (eight assists), grab long rebounds (five boards), and for the second straight game he took care of the ball as well (one turnover after none two days ago). He made a couple big threes as the Bucks tried to stay in it late, but missed another triple and a layup (when Jerebko wasn't called for hitting him on the arm) in what seemed a fittingly frustrating end to the night.

Three Numbers

57%. Detroit's fg%...'nuff said.

46-30. The Pistons just waxed the Bucks on the glass, and with Bogut back (plus a brief cameo by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) there's no excuse for it. Big Ben led the way with 11, compared to Bogut's five in 27 minutes.

20-9. The only area where the Bucks did themselves favors was in the turnover department, as they both took care of the ball and forced 20 Detroit turnovers.

Three Good

Luke's still here. Alex and I have been joking about the inevitability of Luke Ridnour's return to earth, but so far he's not giving in. It's not that Ridnour can't shoot the ball, but he's never been close to this good for a full season (51.3% shooting right now vs. 41.7% career). Did he steal Brandon's mojo or something a couple weeks back? Who knows, but hopefully he doesn't go cold now because there's no one else picking up the slack. Somewhat interestingly, he's putting up his excellent shooting splits in spite of the fact that he's once again under 40% on inside shots (which is as terrible as it sounds).

Luc's back. He only played 12 fairly ineffective minutes, but it's still a very good thing to see LRMaM out of his boot and back on the court. Have fun with LeBron on Sunday, big guy.

Skiles will be back. Skiles wasn't pleased after the last game and probably wasn't a fun guy on the flight home, either. Let's hope the Bucks' uninspiring play over the last two can be at least somewhat explained by the absence of their fearless leader.

Three Bad

Jennings' shot. To say Jennings hasn't been able to shoot is a little deceiving; his three point percentage hasn't cratered but his percentage on everything worth two points has. Tonight Jennings finished 3/10 from deep and the same from inside the arc. It's a shame too, because he started the night off so promisingly with a one-handed floater from the elbow. Tough shot.

Instead, Jennings continues to find himself in a prolonged slump. In the last seven games he hasn't been above 33% shooting even once, a streak so bad that Chris Duhon himself might be taking notice. Thankfully he's still getting other guys involved, but he knows he's needed to score and it's just not happening for him. His frustration was evident after the game with this tweet:

I'm done shooting the ball. Straight passing

Bogut's...everything. That 22/15/4 game against Chicago seems so long ago, doesn't it? The Palace once again proved more like a prison for the big man, who again seemed to let Ben Wallace get in his head and stymie all his attempts to get going early on. Normally short guys struggle to keep Bogut from shooting his short hooks over them, but Wallace is stout enough and his hands are quick enough that Bogut never seems comfortable going at him. Worst of all, those offensive issues seemed to carry over to the other facets of Bogut's game as well. Wallace threw down four dunks to finish with 11/11 on the night, while Bogut grabbed a measly five in 27 minutes and was a team-worst -16.

Opportunity knocks. Had they gotten some vaguely respectable shooting nights from their starters, the Bucks could quite possibly have taken both of these games on the road trip. Instead, they came away with two demoralizing losses that put them at 9-9 and losers of six of the past seven games--and with the Cavs next up on the schedule.

The Concerns About Rodney Stuckey

Packey — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:30:11 -0000

More photos » by Steve C Wilson - AP

Rodney Stuckey's getting a lot of attention next to the basket, but there is no excuse for shooting just 40% from that distance. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

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As I've said before, Rodney Stuckey might be the happiest of all the Pistons that the west coast trip is behind them. Stuckey shot an abysmal 30% on the trip and capped it off with his lowest scoring output of the season, scoring just eight points against the Suns on Sunday night.

On the season, Stuckey is now shooting 39%, four percentage points lower than what he finished with last year, his second season in the NBA. Many fans believed this, his third, would be the year Stuckey exerted himself as the team's offensive leader and acted the part, too. If you ask fans how they feel about Stuckey after just fourteen games, they'd more than likely express disappointment.

Stuckey's supposed to fill the traded shoes of Chauncey Billups at the point guard position, but he continues to show that maybe he's just a two guard out of position. His assist numbers per 36 minutes are down by nearly two full assists a game this year and he doesn't seem to have the point guard's keen sense of his surroundings when he has the ball and drives to the hoop.

However, if he's going to be a shooting guard, he needs to shoot better than 39%. Chauncey Billups has shot 44% in his career just once (42% career average), but he can get away with that because of the shots he creates for his teammates as their point guard. If Stuckey isn't going to create shots, then he needs to make shots. It's science.

We are seeing some improvements in major areas. He is averaging nearly a full rebound and half a steal more per 36 minutes, and his free throw shooting has improved to 85% so far this year. He's also scoring almost a full point more, but he's also taking more shots.

Next, I looked at his shot chart to try and get an idea where Stuckey's poor shooting totals were coming from. I was pretty surprised to see that his struggles are actually with what should be the easiest shots. He's shooting a head scratching 39% on shots near the basket and a respectable 42% from mid-range. Stuckey's awful 22% from beyond the arc puts his overall percentage down to his season total, but he hasn't been shooting enough from outside to consider that a major liability, in my mind.

As you can see, Stuckey seems to like the right side, and naturally, because he is right handed. His third favorite shot appears to be from the right elbow (which often comes at ill-advised times in my opinion). Let's hope he either gets better with it or falls out of love with it because he's just 7-22 there on the season.

Again, what's most bothersome to me is that he's making just 40% of what are essentially layups. For comparative purposes, Lebron James is hitting those shots at a 71% clip and Will Bynum is making 56% this year. I honestly believe, with his size and strength, Stuckey should be somewhere in the middle of those two. If he gets to that point, he averages 25 points per game and the rest is moot.

So should the Pistons be concerned about Rodney Stuckey?

If people are expecting him to be the next Chauncey Billups, then maybe. He doesn't appear to be improving while serving as the point guard. Although I'll remind you, Chauncey only averaged 3.9 assists his first year with the Pistons and that was his sixth year in the league. Regardless, Stuckey does seem to be improving elsewhere in his game. If he can just somehow find a way to do some extra (contested) mikan layup drills to up that 40% average around the basket up to the 60% range, seeing him shooting the ball might not seem like such a drag after all (that is unless it's outside the arc, but we'll leave that one alone).

H/T to Not Qualified to Comment

Game Preview: Suns vs. Pistons

Wil Cantrell — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:19:48 -0000

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

21 days ago: Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry reacts on the sidelines in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Hornets in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. The Hornets defeated the Suns 110-103. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)

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Tonight the Suns look to bounce back from a pathetic tough loss agains the Hornets Thursday night and test their 4-0 home record vs. the Detroit Pistons. Like the Suns, the Pistons are coming off a loss, with Detroit falling in overtime to Utah, 100-97. Tonight marks the end of the Pistons four game West Coast road trip, in which they are 0-3 thus far, losing to the LA Lakers, Utah, and Portland by an average of nearly 5 points. The only double digit loss was to the Lakers.

The Pistons should be tired after a tough loss to the Jazz last night. Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, and Ben Wallace all played over 40 minutes. Look for the Suns to push the tempo early and try to run Detroit out of the building.

Overview

At 5-8, the Pistons have lost 4 in a row and occupy the cellar in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.
Ben Wallace has made it back from his very short tenure with the Suns, along with his consideration of retirement to average 9 boards a game.
The Pistons shoot 30% from 3 point range. Rodney Stuckey and Co. penetrate well though, so the Suns may go with the zone. Let's hope the Suns wear their rebounding shoes tonight.
Detroit has been playing without Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton due to injury. Hamilton has been battling ankle injuries while Prince has had problems with his back. Neither players are expected to play tonight.
The lineup of Bynum, Stuckey, Gordon, Wallace, and Villanueva is a combined +24 this season, and not surprising, is the second most used lineup the Pistons use.

Players

Guards

Ben Gordon is a certified Suns killer, averaging 24.9 points versus the Suns in his career. He is coming off a 25 point, 47 minute performance against the Jazz. Rodney Stuckey brings high energy to the floor. Look for him to test the Suns bigs early and often as he attempts to get to the rim. Wil Bynum is averaging 14.5 points per game, but isn't a three point threat, leading the Pistons with a meager 4 assists per game.

Forwards/Centers

Charlie Villanueva is a solid big, averaging 15 and 5. Ben Wallace is typical Ben Wallace but a little older, averaging 9 boards a game and 50% from the free throw line. Jonas Jerebko is a 2nd round project from Sweden. He has been starting of late, but not doing anything exceptionally well, with 4.7 points a game and nearly 4 rebounds a game. Jason Maxiell goes 6-7, 260 and averages nearly a block a game and 3 rebounds off the bench.

Stats

Offense: Detroit averages 92.6 points per game, (26th in the league). Detroit shoots 45.2% per game (18 in the league). Phoenix averages 109.8 points per game (1st in the league). Suns shooting 48.7% per game (tied for 1st in the league)

Defense: Detroit allows 92.9 per game (4th in the league), allowing opponents to shoot 43.3% FG. Suns allow 106 points per game (27th in the league), allow opponents 48% FG.

Quotes:

"The way we played, the effort we brought and this is no offense to them, but we would've lost to ASU."

-Grant Hill, on the loss to New Orleans

"We can't keep playing from behind and then think we can make our way back. It's important to get off to a good start, so when we do make a run, it's not to get even, it's to get a lead."

-Alvin Gentry

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/22/09 1:40 PM MST ]

At shoot around this morning I talked to Suns VP of all things Player Related and Various Other Scouting and Trading and Cutting and Signings, David Griffin. Taylor Griffin is destined for a stint with the Iowa Energy this year where he will get a lot of floor time playing the Small Forward - a position he's transitioning into after playing the PF in OK.

No specific time-line for his assignment given but the Suns have a plan in mind. So expect that to happen sometime between today and perhaps March or April.

Jarron Collins' contract does not become guaranteed until the January 10th date when all contracts become guaranteed for the rest of the season. If Jarron is cut before then his salary won't count against the Luxury Tax. Right now the Suns are happy with him and say that his staying or going isn't directly tied to Robin Lopez' return. Reading between the lines my guess is that he will stick around at least for several more weeks with the big decision coming near that Jan 10 date.

As for this game, it has blow out written all over it.

The Pistons are going to be tired after playing OT last night and bummed about losing and the Suns are pissed about the way they played in New Orleans. Do not be surprised to see Phoenix up by 10 at the end of the 1st quarter. In fact, I would be surprised if they aren't.

Same Song & Dance: Jazz 100, Pistons 97

Packey — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:43:29 -0000

Chalk up another winless year in the Salt Lake City. After falling in overtime on Saturday night, the Pistons are now winless in Utah since 2002 and have not beat the Jazz, period, since March 2005. More importantly, the Pistons dropped their fourth straight of the 2009-2010 season to fall to 0-3 on the current west coast swing and 5-8 on the season. Things don't get any easier as they travel to play the first place Phoenix Suns, with tip off in less than 24 hours. Detroit is 0-4 this season in the second game of back-to-back's.

Aside from the demoralizing final result, this was probably the best game of the season. It was back-and-forth for the full 48 minutes of regulation and fans received a free five minutes of overtime basketball to boot. There were nearly 20 lead changes and over 10 different tie games.

Even though it was an entertaining game, that doesn't mean it was aesthetically pleasing. The Pistons turned the ball over 17 times and allowed Utah to get to the charity stripe 44 times, of which they made 33, serving as the difference maker in this one. Detroit made 21 of their 25 attempts.

Trailing by one in overtime with 15 seconds remaining, the Pistons had a chance to take the lead and possibly win it. Unfortunately, Will Bynum's one-on-one drive to the hoop resulted in the ball slipping from his hands and out of bounds. Utah, as they were all game, hit the free throws when they needed to put them up three with a little under 10 seconds to play.

As the Pistons did against the Mavericks when they needed a three to tie the game, they drew up a play for the efficient shooter, Ben Gordon. They had him inbounds the ball to Bynum and ran him off a Ben Wallace screen, only it didn't look well executed at all. Ben Gordon got the ball in his hands, but his man was on his tail the entire time. He was forced to put up a contested three with the time expiring. The shot sailed to the left of the rim, buzzer, and curtains.

Ben Gordon led the Pistons with 25 points on 10-20 shooting. Kirilenko and Boozer each had 22 points to lead the Jazz.

Reflections, and more, after the jump.

Heading the ugly column, continues to be the shooting of Rodney Stuckey. He did score 18 points, but on just 7-18 shooting. He is now 16-51 in his last three games (31%) and his misses haven't been close. Despite his poor shooting, he somehow manages to salvage his stat lines. He led the team with five steals and a team-high six assists on Saturday night (opposite four turnovers). I think it's safe to say he's ready to get the heck away from this west coast road trip.
Despite the big shots the Jazz were able to hit, the Pistons put up great effort on defense, I thought. The two things the Pistons could not contain were Utah's pick-and-rolls with Boozer and working the back door cuts with the ball in Boozer's hands in the post. Utah picked Detroit apart on those plays.
Ben Wallace played 43 minutes, nearly logging a double-double. He had eight points and nine rebounds.
Charlie Villanueva had an impressive game. He was very active on defense, finishing with three blocked shots. He fouled out in overtime, but his final line was respectable with 17 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
The Pistons did a great job clearing the glass. They outrebounded the Jazz 40-34 and had five guys with five or more rebounds.
One of the Pistons lowlights of the season has been their free throw shooting. Tonight they were 21-25, great for 84%. They were shooting just 72% from the stripe coming into tonight. Ironically, and I might be nitpicking, but Will Bynum's missed free throw late in the overtime proved to be crucial. For starters, the Pistons would have been tied on the possession Bynum lost the ball out of bounds with 10 seconds. It would have also put the Pistons within two, as opposed to three, on the final possession allowing Detroit to go to their strength in the final nine seconds, rather than force up a three.
Game highlights:
Box Score
SLC Dunk for the opposing view.

Game 13: Detroit Pistons @ Utah Jazz [Game Thread]

Packey — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:00:51 -0000

NBA Regular Season Game 13
	@
5-7 (2-5 away)		6-6 (3-2 home)
Energy Solutions Arena Jazz Blog: SLC Dunk
November 21, 2009 9:00 PM ET
TV: Fox Sports Detroit PLUS Radio: 950 WWJ
Probable starters:
Rodney Stuckey	PG	Deron Williams
Ben Gordon	SG	Ronnie Brewer
Jonas Jerebko	SF	Wesley Matthews
Charlie Villanueva	PF	Carlos Boozer
Ben Wallace	C	Kyrylo Fesenko

You know how the Pistons kind of own the Magic over their last 25 meetings? Well, that's kind of how the Jazz own the Pistons in the Salt Lake City.

The Jazz have beat the Pistons in 17 of their last 19 meetings in Utah and the Pistons have not won there since March of 2005.

Hopefully, the new-look Pistons can put an end to the misery that exists for the Pistons when they step foot in the state. Luckily for the Pistons, they won't have to deal with former Piston, Mehmet Okur, who could have provided plenty of match up problems for the 'stons. He will miss his third straight game due to flu-like symptoms.

Detroit, of course, will be without Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince again. They've made slight progress in their recoveries, but it does not appear that they will be back this month. Will Bynum sprained his ankle in LA, but played in Portland and is expected to play tonight.

Detroit needs to take advantage of their couple days off and hop on Utah early by playing to their strengths. And it seems they aren't at their best until they get three guards on the floor.

Utah is averaging around 20 three pointers per game, so the Pistons will have to be conscious of the kick-back passes from the post and contest the Jazz shots. The Pistons have done a good job keeping opponents field goal percentages low (and rank 4th in points against), but the Jazz are top half in scoring and shooting 36% from beyond the arc and capable of lighting up on any given night with Williams and Kirilenko.

This should be a highly competitive game because these Pistons aren't going to walk into the arena scared and they'll be more focused on trying to end their current three game skid than any futility vs. Utah in the past. And with Phoenix tomorrow (Detroit 0-4 on back-to-back's), Utah is their best bet of winning on this west coast trip.

Tip off is 9 PM EST.

Lakers-Pistons Preview

DexterFishmore — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:00:38 -0000

On the scale of sportswriter adjectives, the Los Angeles Lakers hover somewhere between "shorthanded" and "injury-ravaged." Pau Gasol is improving but still out of commission. Kobe Bryant is playing, but with a hurt groin. Luke Walton has an aching back and is likely out until 2010.

And yet, their Tuesday night opponent, the Detroit Pistons, might be worse off still. Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince, who together dropped the guillotine blade on the Shaq-era Lakers in the 2004 Finals, are both shelved with injuries, and point guard Rodney Stuckey left the Pistons' Sunday night game early with a strained something. (It was either an ankle or a calf, depending on who you ask.) Stuckey will play tonight, but Detroit still runs only eight deep.

And that's only if you count Kwame Brown.

Despite their injury-ravagedness, the Pistons haven't looked too bad so far. In fact, they're the very model of a middle-class NBA team. Their record is 5-5 against an average slate of opponents, and they're 15th in the league in net points. Nothing in those results should embarrass new coach John Kuester. Especially since he's had to give 15 minutes a night to Kwame and 20 to Jonas Jerebko, the only Swedish player in the league.*

And here you were thinking the Lakers' bench sucked.

Prithee take a closer look at the Pistons' team stats, below.** All terms and their significance explained here. League rankings are in parentheses.

*Pace*	87.4 (29th)
*Offensive Rating*	106.8 (13th)
Turnover Rate (Off.)	13.0% (7th)
FTA/FGA (Off.)	0.36 (3rd)
Free Throw % (Off.)	70.2 (28th)
Effective FG % (Off.)	48.7 (19th)
True Shooting % (Off.)	53.0 (20th)
Offensive Rebounding %	27.9 (9th)
*Defensive Rating*	104.7 (15th)
Turnover Rate (Def.)	13.3% (19th)
FTA/FGA (Def.)	0.37 (28th)
Effective FG % (Def.)	46.5 (5th)
True Shooting % (Def.)	51.8 (8th)
Defensive Rebounding %	70.9 (24th)

The Pistons play at a slow pace, as they've seemingly done forever. The offense runs through four perimeter players: Stuckey, new acquisitions Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva and backup PG Will Bynum. Though he's the only one to come off the bench, Bynum might be the best of the group. He's an efficient scorer and has the potential to wreak Aaron Brooks-like havoc on the Laker D.

Stuckey and Gordon throw some different looks at you. The former is a big power guard in the Rajon Rondo mold, while Gordon loves shooting like Kwame loves cake. It wouldn't surprise me to see Ron Artest spend time checking these guys, both to give Kobe a rest on defense and because the Pistons don't have a small forward worth guarding. (Jerebko hardly ever shoots. I told you he's Swedish.)

Speaking of nobody worth guarding, Ben Wallace is back as the Pistons' starting center. He's the same Ben Wallace you remember, but worse. This doesn't mean, though, that Andrew Bynum gets the night off. Stuckey and the other Bynum are both adroit at getting shots in the lane, and as the numbers above show, Detroit's a good offensive rebounding squad. The Lakers are next-to-last in the NBA in defensive rebounding, so... you know. If they feel like hitting the boards tonight that'd be great.

The Laker offense has been a disaster two straight games now. Their shot selection has been bad, their shot making even worse, and not nearly enough effort has been made to pound the ball in to Bynum. The Pistons don't have amazing inside defenders, so Drew could have another big night if the other Lakers don't forget he's on the team. Except for whoever's guarding Fish (most likely Gordon and Will Bynum), there's no position at which the Lakers don't have a matchup edge on offense.

It's unclear, though, exactly how much of a problem Kobe's groin will be. He practiced fully on Monday and says he's OK, but you and I know he hasn't looked the same the last couple games. Detroit doesn't have a Battier-caliber defender, so Tuesday should bring us closer to knowing whether Kobe's just been off lately or, alternatively, whether the groin is a real concern.

We'll also find out how Phil Jackson adjusts the rotation for Luke's absence, which opens up about 10 minutes of playing time. Technically Adam Morrison is next on the small-forward depth chart, but Phil must know he'd be exposed in a bigger role. Instead I expect to see more small lineups, with incrementally more run given to Shannon Brown, Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic.

(Feel free not to explode with delight at this prospect. Until Pau returns, allowing Lamar Odom to spend more time at three, there aren't a ton of great options here.)

Detroit's a team the Lakers should beat, even at less than full strength. If you combined the two teams' rosters, only one Piston (pick one of the guards) would start, and a couple Pistons who get real minutes (Jerebko and Kwame) would play not at all. The Lakers have been so bad the last six quarters, nothing can be taken for granted, but the first three-game losing streak in the Era of Gasol for now looks pretty unlikely.

* - I was going to write that Jerebko is the only Swedish player in NBA history, but it turns out Miles Simon was born there as well.

** - Thanks to Basketball Reference and Hoopdata for the numbers. Excellent sites, both.

Ben Gordon Off; Pistons Fall to Mavs, 95-90

Packey — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:03:07 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

He might be ugly, but Dirk Nowitzki can score at will. He was clutch in the fourth quarter and led the Mavs to victory with 25 points. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

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Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum were stealing the show and the Pistons were flirting with victory against the Dallas Mavericks. Meanwhile, Ben Gordon was in the midst of having the worst game in his career. If it weren't for his abysmal night, the Pistons probably would have pulled this one out.

Gordon shot 1-16 (6%!) from the field, 0-6 from downtown, and went just 3-6 from the charity stripe despite being an 86% career free throw shooter. This performance most likely trumps the poor game he had his rookie season when he went 0-10, but hit all six free throw attempts.

If Gordon makes even just 13% of his shots and all his free throws today, the Pistons probably would have been on their way to the West Coast with their fourth win in a row.

Ben Gordon was paid the big bucks this off-season to come in and be the clutch, sharpshooter that he proved to be while he was in Chicago (see 2009 playoffs for exhibit A). And perhaps that's why the Pistons appeared to draw up a play for Gordon with five seconds remaining, down three, despite his awful night. Unfortunately, Gordon's night got worse, as his off-balance three clanked the front of the rim and rolled off the back and kicked left, out of the reach of any Piston rebounders.

With the type of night Gordon was having compared to Bynum and Stuckey, it may have many fans wondering why a play was not drawn up for one of the other two. After all, Bynum scored 17 of his 27 points in the 4th quarter and Stuckey had 28 points. Both were a combined 23-36 shooting and 2-4 from downtown.

Good question.

Stuckey injured his left calf* midway through the fourth and did not return. As for Bynum, I'm not sure why he wasn't the go-to guy in that situation. He single handedly brought the Pistons back into the game when they trailed by eight in the fourth quarter, slicing through Dallas' defense consistently. Instead, Detroit had him inbounds the ball on the final play. Maybe Gordon was meant to pass it back to Bynum if he wasn't open, but Gordon looked like he was going to have a clear look. He just jumped awkwardly to his right and made it a much tougher shot than it could have been.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 25 points on 11-27 shooting.

More thoughts/notes after the jump:

Dirk was ridiculously good tonight (and when is he not?). I give a lot of credit to Charlie Villanueva for the defense he played on him most of the night. I know Wallace D'ed him up quite a bit too, but every time I saw CV on Dirk, he had a hand in his face. Dirk is just a freak. And did anyone else notice that when Dirk makes, it's a clean swish every time?
Kwame Brown and Austin Daye were noticeably impressive on the glass tonight, each grabbing five rebounds.
Personally, I love that the Pistons went to Gordon on that last shot. It shows that they have the "utmost confidence" in him no matter what and are implicitly reiterating to him, still a young guy, that great shooters should have short term memories. Kuester said in his post-game interview, "I’ll call it for him again when I get the chance."
The highlights:
Pistons hit the West Coast now, starting with a 10 PM EST game on Tuesday night against the defending champs, Lakers. They'll play another back-to-back game on Wednesday in Portland. It's going to be a difficult road trip, but if we've learned anything from the Pistons first ten games it's that they don't go down easy. Let's hope that continues out west.
UPDATE: *There were questions as to what exactly happened to Stuckey when he was injured. Some thought it was his ankle and others thought it was his calf. During the game, it was reported as a calf injury --- most likely cramps -- and I've linked to the Detroit News, who say it's a calf injury . However, as a reader pointed out to me, Yahoo is saying it was an ankle injury and that Stuckey wanted to come back in. I'm sure we'll hear the accurate report tomorrow.

Another Third Quarter... Nevermind; Pistons Persevere, 106-103

Packey — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:47:20 -0000

More photos » by Ned Dishman - NBAE/Getty Images

Ben Gordon led the Pistons with 29 points on Saturday night. He is averaging 24.3 points per game through nine games this season. (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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During the third quarter, I thought I'd be cutting and pasting an old song here to explain how the Pistons lost. The Pistons were well on their way to allowing another 40-point quarter, giving up 17 points in just the first four minutes of the third and falling behind by as many as 10 points despite having an eight point lead at the half.

Then Will Bynum took over and scored the final nine points for the Pistons in the third and pulled them back to within two heading into the fourth.

As I said, Detroit led by eight at the half, but the Wizards carried the momentum into the locker room and third quarter due to the strong play of recently signed Earl Boykins and a buzzer beating three pointer by Gilbert Arenas to end the first half.

In the fourth quarter, it was seesaw basketball, but the Pistons put the defensive clamps down on Washington in the final five minutes, allowing just one bucket, and Detroit hit big baskets when they needed them to prevail 106-103.

Ben Gordon's running bank shot with 1:44 to go put the Pistons ahead for good, and he then sealed the deal with three free throws and another jumper with less than a minute remaining. He ended the night with a game-high 29 points on 10-21 shooting. He was 5-8 from three-point range. Charlie Villanueva added 25 points on almost an identical shooting night (10-21, but 4-7 from downtown ). CV also had seven rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.

Earl Boykins, the veteran 5'5" recent signee, nearly carried the Wizards to victory, though. They seemed like a completely different team when he was on the floor, all over the place, making plays happen, and scoring. He had 20 points on 7-12 shooting, Mike Miller, back after missing three games with a shoulder injury, also had 20 points. Agent Zero, added 19 points, six of them coming from a buzzer beater at the end of the first half and a meaningless three near the end of regulation.

Detroit improves to 5-4, the first time they've been above .500 since last March. The Wizards fell to 2-7 and are currently on a six game losing streak.

More notes/thoughts after the jump:

Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum continue to complement each other nicely. Stuckey had 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Will Bynum had 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
Charlie Villanueva fouled out in the fourth quarter. He fouled out five times last year, but I'd like to think his fouls are a result of him putting in the extra effort on the defensive side of things. It could also be a result of him getting beat and having to compensate by fouling.
Nothing but a rebound from Austin Daye and DaJuan Summers in eight combined minutes.
Big Ben was great again. Seven rebounds and two blocked shots. One block came in the fourth quarter when Haywood looked like he was going to have an easy layup and put the Wizards up five with four minutes left.
Opponents were shooting just 28% from three-point range against the Pistons coming into tonight, but the Wizards shot 53% from beyond the arc. They were shooting 70% from there after three quarters.
It was the second time this season the Pistons have scored above 100 points. It was the third they have allowed 100+.
Detroit outrebounded the Wiz, 44-43. It is the fourth time this season the Pistons have outrebounded their opponent.
Not much time to enjoy this one as the Pistons had to fly back to Detroit immediately after the game to prep for a game vs. the 6-3 Mavericks tomorrow evening. Tip off is slated for 6:00 PM EST.