Detroit Pistons play strong but fall short against the Golden State Warriors
The Detroit Pistons put up a great effort, but lost to the Golden State Warriors 119-113 on a night where Kentavious Caldwell-Pope looked like a star.
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As good as Harris was, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was even better. Caldwell-Pope played outstanding defense while still managing to be efficient offensively. Caldwell-Pope’s defensive importance was obvious late in the game, when the Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, both found themselves being defended by Reggie Jackson.Curry and Thompson both made critical three-pointers at the end of the game when they had Jackson defending them, Curry being defended by Jackson after an offensive rebound. The Pistons couldn’t match the Warriors late-game shooting, and that was the ultimate difference in the game.Despite the loss, the Pistons’ performance tonight was encouraging. They played their best basketball in two or more weeks, and probably would have beaten anyone but the league-best Warriors tonight. If they can capitalize on tonight’s positive performance, Pistons fans have reason to be optimistic for the first time in weeks.
Reggie Jackson
PG, Detroit Pistons
CReggie Jackson looked much more comfortable than he typically has since he returned from injury. He played within the offense and scored 17 points and tallied six assists in 30 minutes. He did turn the ball over five times and he over-dribbled a bit late in a close game. Defensively, he was a bit of a liability and a frequent target of the Warriors’ off-ball action.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SG, Detroit Pistons
A+In a game against a team with four All-Star caliber starters, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was arguably the best player on the floor. He scored 25 points on 17 shots, but he shined the most defensively. He made things incredibly difficult for Stephen Curry and helped out his teammates as well. KCP was +2 in perhaps his best game as a Piston.
Marcus Morris
SF, Detroit Pistons
DMarcus Morris stayed in the starting lineup Friday night, but didn’t make a convincing case that he should stay there long-term. Morris scored just two points on seven shots and was invisible for the most part offensively. Defensively, Morris had a tough task, as he was asked to guard Kevin Durant much of the game. Still, he failed miserably in that matchup.
Jon Leuer
PF, Detroit Pistons
BIn his first game starting for the Pistons, it was if nothing ever changed for Jon Leuer. Leuer was his usual solid self, scoring eight points on seven shots and adding seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal. Leuer was at a big physical disadvantage defensively, often facing Draymond Green, but he managed to hold his own.
Andre Drummond
C, Detroit Pistons
C+Andre Drummond was very good in the first half tonight, but he failed to bring much energy in the third quarter and JaVale McGee had a big third quarter as a result. Drummond shot the ball well from the floor, going 6-for-8 from the field, but his poor free throw shooting (3-for-9) was an issue in a tight game.
Tobias Harris
PF, Detroit Pistons
A-In his first game out of the Pistons’ starting lineup, Tobias Harris responded as well as Stan Van Gundy could have hoped. Harris was the Pistons’ leading scorer with 26 points, and he did that while only attempting 14 shots. His three point shooting (4-for-6) was a huge key to the Pistons offensive success tonight.
Stanley Johnson
SF, Detroit Pistons
A-Stanley Johnson played perhaps his best game of the season as a Piston. He scored only five points, but he knocked down a key three pointer off good ball movement and was a more active member of the Pistons’ offense than he has been all year. Defensively, Johnson was huge. He played great pressure defense and ended up with three steals which led to easy transition opportunities when the Pistons’ offense was struggling.
Aron Baynes
C, Detroit Pistons
B-Aron Baynes provided the Pistons with 17 solid minutes off the bench. He scored six points and grabbed two rebounds, while playing solid defense for the most part. He did make a couple mistakes in help defense which led to Warriors’ layups, lowering his grade slightly.
Ish Smith
PG, Detroit Pistons
B-Ish Smith scored nine points and dished three assists off the bench in his 18 minutes. Smith did a good job running the offense while he was on the floor, and brought a lot of energy defensively. His size hurt him a few times against a big Warriors’ bench, but Smith held his own for the most part.Related Story: KCP is thriving with Reggie Jackson on the floor
Stan Van Gundy
Head Coach, Detroit Pistons
A-In the middle of the Pistons’ worst stretch of the year, they showed up with a high level of effort and discipline in a game they could have easily written off. Van Gundy gets credit for keeping the team focus as well adapting his lineups based on the many different looks the Warriors gave him. The Pistons’ talent level, not their coaching, lost them tonight’s game.This article originally appeared on 
