The Detroit Pistons were severely shorthanded. The Golden State Warriors were at full strength. Plenty of blue and yellow jerseys dotted the crowd at Little Caesars Arena to watch the stars in town — Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Chris Paul.
The Pistons, though, were less awed and ended up giving the Warriors a run for their money. Detroit played its most complete game in more than a week, leading by five with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth. But the Pistons ultimately fell short, falling 120-109 for their fifth consecutive loss.
Detroit, which has battled a slew of injuries so far, had just seven healthy rotation players (plus three two-way players). Second-year big Jalen Duren was a late addition to the injury report with bilateral ankle soreness. He also missed last Wednesday’s game with an ankle injury. Joe Harris (right shoulder sprain) was added to the injury report for the first time this season.
Jaden Ivey (illness) missed his second straight game, Alec Burks (left forearm contusion) missed his fourth straight, and Bojan Bogdanovic (right calf strain), Monte Morris (right quad strain) and Isaiah Livers (left ankle sprain) remained yet to make their season debut.
The Pistons were lifted by Killian Hayes, who finished with a season-high 21 points and seven assists, and Cade Cunningham, who also scored 21. They also got strong performances from Isaiah Stewart (17 points, 11 rebounds), rookie Ausar Thompson (16 points, seven rebounds, four steals) and two-way forward Stanley Umude (15 points, including four 3-pointers in five tries).
James Wiseman, in his first game against his former team since the trade deadline deal that sent him to Detroit, made his second appearance of the season and finished with three rebounds in 11 minutes.
Curry opened hot, scoring 19 points in the first 18 minutes. But the first half was mostly a back-and-forth affair. A midrange jumper by Sasser early in the second cut Golden State’s lead to two, 33-31. But Curry’s fifth 3 extended it to seven with 7:09 left in the half, and a midrange jumper by Kevon Looney extended it to 13 with just over two minutes to go.
A pair of free throws by Thompson in the final second made it an eight-point game entering halftime. With Duren out, the Pistons were crushed on the offensive glass early and late — the Warriors had an 8-1 advantage at halftime, resulting in 15 second-chance points, and finished the night with 17 offensive rebounds and 26 second-chance points.
Detroit kept fighting, though, opening the second half with a 7-0 run. Back-to-back 3s by Umude briefly gave the Pistons the lead, 80-74, with 2:10 left in the third. But the Warriors grabbed eight offensive rebounds in the third, and the Pistons entered the final period facing a one-point deficit.
Hayes opened the fourth with a corner 3, and Umude hit two more big buckets — his fourth 3-pointer of the night, and a circus layup through contact that led to a layup and a foul — to help Detroit remain in control. But Golden State pulled away late, taking the lead for good with a 3-pointer from Thompson with 7:46 to go.
A layup by Cunningham at the 5:25 mark brought the Pistons back within two, 105-103. But the Warriors hit the necessary shots down the stretch, and a pair of free throws by Paul with 1:04 to go iced the game.
Curry scored a game-high 34 points.
Umude steps up
Down so many bodies, first-year Monty Wiliams was forced to go deeper into this bench than usual. Monday was Umude’s sixth straight game, but he had averaged four minutes in the previous five.
So his 15-point performance against the Warriors felt like a breakout game. He hit three of his four 3s in the second half, helping Detroit keep pace. The two-way forward showed an ability to knock down 3s during preseason, and it paid off Monday when the Pistons needed him.
Stewart answers the call
On Sunday against the Phoenix Suns, Stewart didn’t attempt his first 3-pointer until the third quarter. He had turned down a handful of opportunities, and didn’t embrace the “Let It Fly” mentality Williams has been trying to get the team to buy into.
“In the first quarter, Cade set a screen, he popped back and he turned it down and went to a DHO (dribble handoff),” Williams said before Monday's game. “I talked to him today. I’m like, 'Stew, you gotta let it fly.' That’s who we are. He puts the work in. We don’t want him thinking about that. We also want him to be able to go down inside and take advantage there, but I like his selection. I want him to take more.”
Monday was an improvement, as Stewart knocked down his first three 3-pointers — all in the first half. He has been among Detroit’s most accurate shooters, entering the game hitting 43.5% on 3-pointers, but attempting just 3.3 a game. The efficiency has been good. His next step is increasing his volume.