FAST BREAKDOWN
Three quick observations from Monday night’s 95-92 win over the Utah Jazz…
SLAM DUNK – The Pistons worked on nothing else, aside from a few passing drills to get warmed up, in a two-hour practice Sunday at the University of Utah and held the Jazz to 31.7 percent shooting in the first half. That was after four of their 10 worst defensive quarters of the season came on the first three games of the four-game road trip that wrapped up in Salt Lake City. The Jazz scored 23 points in the third quarter, getting a couple of early 3-pointers, but still headed into the fourth quarter under 33 percent at 21 of 64. Then all hell broke loose. They erupted in the fourth to make things very uncomfortable. Rodney Hood shot Utah back into the game early in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points in the first three minutes by making all four shots he took, three of them triples. The Jazz hit 7 of 9 shots to open the quarter, the Pistons countering with three Anthony Tolliver triples. But Utah kept charging and cut its deficit to one point with two minutes to play before the Pistons got a driving layup from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a triple from Reggie Jackson on their next two possessions to take a six-point lead with 1:08 to play. A Rudy Gobert dunk and a Hood triple with seven seconds left around a Jackson missed layup cut the lead to one point, Jackson pushing the lead to three with two free throws with 5.4 seconds left. Gordon Hayward, who shot just 7 of 23, missed a game-tying triple at the buzzer. Jackson led the Pistons with 29 points, shooting 12 of 19 and making a string of tough runners before his clutch triple.
FREE THROW – It’s not only about what teams you play, but when you play them. The Pistons found themselves in eerily similar straits in each of the last three games of the four-game road swing that opened with a win at Houston. Those three games – at New Orleans, at Denver, at Utah – came against teams outside the playoff field looking in and amid lengthy home stands that they likely knew would go a long way toward determining if they would have a legitimate shot at a playoff push heading toward the All-Star break. At New Orleans, the Pistons were playing a 14-27 Pelicans team four games out of the last playoff berth at the time and on the second game of a seven-game home stand. New Orleans took a 3-0 record on that stand into Monday’s game with Houston before losing to the Rockets by a point. At Denver, the Pistons were playing a Nuggets team 16-27 and 31/2 games out of the final playoff spot at the time in game seven of an eight-game home stand, splitting the first six with one of the wins over Golden State and the three losses coming by three (Miami), six (Oklahoma City) and one (Memphis) points to three teams in playoff position. At Utah, the Pistons were playing a 19-24 team that went into Monday’s game one game behind Sacramento for the final playoff spot and was playing the first of a six-game home stand – and also one that got star power forward Derrick Favors back after missing the last 16 games with back spasms.
3-POINTER – Stanley Johnson continues to get more comfortable with the ball in his hands, getting better at knowing when to probe and showing exciting potential as a playmaker off the dribble. Johnson has been one of the team’s best players in January, coming into Monday’s game with a plus/minus score of plus-9.9 per game. His declining usage rate – 24.7percent in the first month, a shade under 20 percent since then – underscores his growing comfort and expanding game, no longer having tunnel vision on taking the ball to the basket or pulling up for a shot when the ball is swung to him. Johnson finished with eight points, two boards and two assists, hitting a big triple early in the fourth quarter to slow Utah’s early charge. He’s also becoming a more aware defender. Always strong one on one, Johnson has improved, Stan Van Gundy said, in playing defense off the ball. One of Johnson’s strengths is his basketball IQ, Van Gundy said last week. He’ll pick things up quickly after seeing his mistakes on videotape. Johnson was on the receiving end of Rodney Hood’s fourth-quarter explosion, but there wasn’t a lot more he could have done – Hood made big-time shots.
