National Basketball Association

Grading the Detroit Pistons 102-78 win over the Bucks

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Detroit Pistons fell behind 46-29 in the second before waking up behind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s hot shooting and 23 points. They surged back and closed on a 73-32 run to win 102-78 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

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The Milwaukee Bucks jumped out to a big 46-29 over the seemingly lifeless Detroit Pistons behind the hot hand of Giannis Antetoukounmpo, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went on a torrid run as the Pistons rallied. Over the final 30 minutes the Pistons outscored the hapless Bucks 73-32 and took the win in front of the home crowd.

Without further ado, let’s grade the Pistons.

Ish Smith

PG, Detroit Pistons

BIsh Smith had a perfectly reasonable game. Starting at point guard, he scored five points on five shots, hitting his only three-pointer. He also had seven assists and three rebounds in 20 minutes. He didn’t turn the ball over and was an excellent +15 on the game. This is exactly what the Pistons hope to get out of Smith in Reggie Jackson‘s absence.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

SG, Detroit Pistons

AKentavious Caldwell-Pope had a breakout performance Monday night against the Bucks. His preseason thus far had been underwhelming but he caught fire in the second and third quarters as he helped lead the Pistons charge back from 17 points down. KCP played like a guy who is about to get paid, scoring 23 points in 27 minutes. He hit 7-of-15 from the field including 6-of-11 from three-point range. He added five rebounds and five assists and was +16.

Tobias Harris

SF, Detroit Pistons

B-Tobias Harris had an effective night, scoring 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He added seven rebounds and was +15 in 33 minutes. He helped carry the offense in the early stages of the first half until KCP took the game over.

Jon Leuer

PF, Detroit Pistons

CJon Leuer was forced into the starting lineup at power forward with Marcus Morris‘ lingering knee tendinitis and had a quietly effective game. Leuer scored just four points on 1-of-2 shooting, adding three steals and three blocks. He was second on the team with a +15 differential.

Andre Drummond

C, Detroit Pistons

BAndre Drummond was a force as usual. He got into quick foul trouble with four in the first half but didn’t commit another foul the rest of the way. Drummond finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds in just 18 minutes. He led the Pistons with a +25 and hit both of his free throws.

Aaron Baynes

C, Detroit Pistons

D+Aron Baynes argued his way into the lineup on Monday. He was suffering back spasms and Stan Van Gundy wanted to hold him out, but Baynes couldn’t be kept off the floor. He ended up playing 18 minutes and was the only player to have a negative differential with -10, but Andre Drummond’s early foul trouble didn’t help matters. Baynes was the first off the bench and scored two points and added four rebounds to go with a block. Maybe not an effective outing, but it was gutsy.

Boban Marjanovic

C, Detroit Pistons

B+Hard to do more in 10 minutes than Boban Marjanovic did in this one. He scored eight points on 2-of-2 shooting and 4-of-4 from the free throw line, adding four rebounds. He added a steal and was +10.

Reggie Bullock

SG/SF, Detroit Pistons

C+Reggie Bullock took some time to get going but finished with eight points in 20 minutes. He hit three of his seven field goal attempts and was 2-of-6 from three-point range. He had a rebound and an assist, and was on the floor for the Pistons’ final surge to put this one out of reach. He was +9.

Henry Ellenson

PF/C, Detroit Pistons

AA game after Michael Gbinije stole the show, it was Henry Ellenson‘s turn on Monday against the Bucks. He played 23 minutes, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and hit all three of his three-point attempts. He added five rebounds and a steal, and he was +7 in his time on the floor.

Michael Gbinije

SG/SF, Detroit Pistons

C+Michael Gbinije had a quiet game in comparison to his performance on Saturday, but it was effective. He scored four points on 2-of-5 shooting, adding two rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes. He also had a late steal and was +10.

Ray McCallum

PG, Detroit Pistons

B-Ray McCallum didn’t do anything to hurt his case for the backup point guard role behind Ish Smith. McCallum scored six points, shooting 2-of-7, adding six assists and two rebounds. He also had a block and committed just one turnover in 28 minutes running the Pistons’ offense. Related Story: Has Michael Gbinije earned a shot at the Pistons' rotation?

Stan Van Gundy

Head Coach, Detroit Pistons

BStan Van Gundy continued the rotational strategy of giving fringe guys the night off while playing their positional competitor, this time sitting Darrun Hilliard and Lorenzo Brown and playing Reggie Bullock and Ray McCallum. He also sat Stanley Johnson with a foot injury and Marcus Morris with knee tendinitis, but allowed Aron Baynes to play through back spasms. Just another night of coaching in the NBA during the preseason.