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Young
Core
Thrives
But Fall
in OT,
Pelicans
defeat
Pistons,117-110
Micah
Cummings/Sports
Writer
Tell Us
Detroit
DETROIT
-
Thirteen
days
into the
New Year
and the
Detroit
Pistons(14-27)
are on a
roller
coaster
ride
with
trade
talks
surrounding
Andre
Drummond
and
injuries
continue
to pile
up.
Monday
night at
Little
Caesars
Arena,
showed
once
again
the ups
and
downs of
the
Pistons.
The
Pistons
almost
had a
victory
but fail
short to
the New
Orleans
Pelicans(15-26)
with a
loss in
overtime,
117-110.
Pistons
were
down as
many as
16
points
in the
fourth
quarter
with 11
minutes
left.
One of
the
biggest
factors
that
stood
out had
to be
Drummond
sitting
out the
entire
fourth
quarter.
Pelicans
center
Jahlil
Okafor
was in
complete
control
during
the
matchup
against
Drummond
in the
first
half.
Okafor
had 19
points
before
the
start of
the
third
quarter.
Derrick
Rose
gave the
Pistons
a big
boost
late.
There
was 30
seconds
left to
go to
end
regulation,
when
Rose hit
a
driving
floating
bank
shot to
tie the
game,
102-102.
Coach
Dwane
Casey
allowed
the
young
core of
players
to
thrive
at the
end of
the
game.
“That
group
that was
in
there,
earned
the
right to
finish
the
game.
Hustle
and hard
play
with the
attention
to
detail
in the
second
half,”
said
Casey.
“I
thought
they
played
with the
right
purpose
and the
right
sense of
urgency,
defensively
we came
back
from
sixteen
down and
didn’t
turn the
ball
over.
Our
young
group,
Christian
Wood,
Sekou
Doumbouya,
and with
Rose
really
competed
their
behinds
off. So
thats
how we
look at,
as far
as being
positive
about
the
situation.
The
negative
is how
we first
started
out the
game, we
let
Okafor
have a
career
night
and he
dominated
us in
the
first
half.”
Okafor
scored
25
points
(11-21
FG) to
go along
with a
season
high 14
rebounds.
Lonzo
Ball
totaled
17
points,
12
rebounds,
and nine
assists.
Drummond
scored
11
points
and 10
rebounds,
recorded
his 33rd
double-double
on the
year.
“I
feel
like our
effort
wasn’t
there in
the
first
half, we
picked
it up in
the
second
half but
it was
still
too
late,”
said
Wood.
“Coach
Casey’s
big
thing is
effort
and
energy,
he wants
a set
five
thats
going to
play
hard and
play
defense.
Langston
Galloway
said, “I
think
going
down the
stretch
they had
a lot of
offensive
rebounds
and
killed
us on
the
boards
tonight.
Especially
with
bigger
teams
coming
into our
house,
we
really
need to
work on
that
going
forward.”
Galloway
elaborated
on the
advice
he told
the
younger
players.
“I was
trying
to
motivate
those
guys and
tell
them to
be
appreciative
of the
moment.
I
remember
when I
was in
that
position,
when I
was in
New
York,
you
might be
in there
for one
or two
minutes.
But you
have to
make the
most out
of the
opportunities
when you
get in
the
game,
because
they
don’t
come
around
too
often.
Guys
could be
here one
minute
and gone
the next
plus
there’s
a lot of
teams
watching.”
Wood
finished
with 18
points,
9
rebounds,
and 3
blocks.
Doumbouya
finished
with 16
points
and 8
rebounds.
One
of the
significant
missing
pieces
to the
puzzle
to the
young
and
future
core is
Luke
Kennard.
Kennard
is out
due to
injury
because
of
tendinitis
in both
knees.
Rose
finished
with 23
points
and team
high
eight
assists,
including
two
turnovers
in
overtime.
The
Pistons
look to
get a
victory
Tuesday
night,
January
14,
against
the
Boston
Celtics.
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