A recital. Kevin Durant gave us a real recital in Michigan tonight.
Author of 51 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists, at 16/31 on shots, 5/10 on 3-points and 14/15 on free throws, “KD” simply established the new highest point total of the season! Guiding, as a bonus, the Nets to victory (116-104), against these Pistons who have long believed they could end their series of defeats. Series of defeats which now stands at 12 in a row.
Unfortunately for Cade Cunningham (26 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) and his teammates, last twelve minutes much too badly managed, because lost 30 to 13, will have been right for their many efforts in the second and third quarters.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— Kevin Durant’s masterpiece. 10, 12, 16 and 13. That is to say the distribution of points of the indefensible “KD”, in each quarter-time. For the seventh time in his career, and the first since November 2018, he has exceeded the 50 point mark in the regular season. A total reached by eight Nets players before him, and no one had made it by 33 years of age. In the oven and in the mill, the 2014 MVP was once again very (too much?) In demand by Steve Nash (41 minutes), who however could not do otherwise to win. Because when the All-Star winger was resting, Brooklyn was getting nowhere in attack. Did you say addiction?
— Cade Cunningham fell on harder. The more the days go by, the more the N ° 1 of the last Draft grows in power. Without Jerami Grant, he will even be very scrutinized during the next six weeks and, this night, the “combo-guard” has seduced again. Despite the waste (7 losses of balls), the former Oklahoma State resident was omnipresent for the Pistons, allowing them first to resist the flight of the Nets, before doing what is necessary to pick up and then pass in front to score, with 3-points (5/8). Regular in the shoot and in the intake, aggressive and enterprising, the nugget of Detroit is growing slowly, but surely.
— One last one-way quarter. Won 30 to 13 by Brooklyn, the last act could not be more complicated for Detroit. Dwane Casey’s men, however, led 91-86, twelve minutes from the end, but they then totally cracked, conceding a terrible 19-1 (!) To start this final quarter-time. In addition to their skill at half mast (4/18 on shots, 2/9 at 3-points …), it was above all their 8 losses of ball (!) Over the period that weighed on the Pistons, too often penalized in counter-attack, because of these many lost balloons. Lack of experience spoke.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ The Jackson / Lee pair. Out of the bench, Frank Jackson (25 points) and Saben Lee (17 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals) made the powder speak. On the one hand, with Cade Cunningham, Jackson blasted the New York defense with his 3-point success (6/13), in the second and third quarters. On the other hand, Lee, recently voted G-League player of the month, set the pace in the organization and sanctioned Brooklyn’s defensive mistakes, behind the arc or in the paint. And, finally, when the Jackson / Lee duo was on the floor, it had a positive influence on Detroit’s game. #Catalysts.
✅ Le trio Mills/Thomas/Aldridge. Without James Harden, Kevin Durant needed effective lieutenants more than ever. It wasn’t always perfect, especially when he was resting, but the winger was still able to count on the interesting contributions of Patty Mills (18 points, 5 assists), LaMarcus Aldridge (15 points, 5 rebounds) and Cam Thomas (13 points, including 9 in the last act). In turn, they were all able to take advantage of the shifts created by “KD”, especially when he found himself caught in two, to better feed the brand and compensate for the absence of the other All-Star of the Nets.
⛔ Saddiq Bey. 4 points, 2/9 on shots and 0/5 on 3-points. The statistics of the Pistons player, repositioned in position 4 without Jerami Grant, speak for themselves and perfectly illustrate his failed game. Unable to weigh in attack or defense, the 22-year-old winger wandered like a lost soul on the floor, when he could be expected to show more, given the injured Detroit inside (Grant, therefore, in addition to Kelly Olynyk).
KILLIAN HAYES STILL TOUCHED IN THE THUMB?
This is one of the bad images of the night: the exit of Killian Hayes, in the third quarter, after he injured his left thumb. In other words, the one who had already made him miss four games at the end of November, and who still seems to bother him, as shown by the splint he wears on his hand.
For now, it remains unclear whether the Frenchman’s injury has really worsened, but it should be noted that he still managed to come back into play a few minutes later, in order to finish this game. Good news for Dwane Casey, who would obviously love to avoid another absence of one of his holders.
THE FOLLOWING
Detroit (4-22) : trip to a Chicago decimated by the Covid-19, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (2 a.m.).
Brooklyn (19-8) : return home, for five games, with the reception of Toronto, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday (1:30 am).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfVbabEVwTA
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