DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons entered Monday with the best record in the NBA by winning percentage. If they’ve had an Achilles heel this season, though, it is their 3-point shooting — or lack thereof.
Little Caesars Arena provided a playoff-like atmosphere for Monday night’s matchup between two of the best teams in the league. The San Antonio Spurs beat Detroit at its own game, matching the Pistons’ physicality and shooting them out of their own gym.
After the 114-103 loss, Detroit ranks 22nd in the NBA in 3-point percentage (34.9), 27th in 3-point attempts (31.8) and 28th in 3-point makes (11.1) per game. The Pistons generally defend the 3-point line well — their opponent’s 3-point percentage of 34.9 percent is fifth in the Association. But the Spurs exploited them from the 3-point line on both ends of the floor.
San Antonio wing Devin Vassell’s seven made triples matched Detroit’s total. Julian Champagnie wasn’t far behind his teammate, nailing five 3s. The Spurs went 18 of 40 (45 percent) on 3s. Meanwhile, the Pistons were 7 of 36 (19.4 percent).
Factor in San Antonio limiting Cade Cunningham to 5-of-26 shooting for just 16 points, and you’ve got a recipe for the Pistons’ 14th loss.
“We just didn’t execute our coverages well enough,” Cunningham said. “(We) allowed them to get downhill, and obviously they have a vertical threat with the lob (in Victor Wembanyama). That brings our help so far in, and they were able to spray out for shooters. Just being better at the point of attack, stopping the ball, keeping the ball out of the paint.
“I think we can be more fanned out to the shooters and not allow them to have all those 3s.”
The Spurs (41-16) have won nine straight and are pushing the Oklahoma City Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference. But this Pistons loss, and their inability to defend or make 3s, could be indicative of larger issues once the postseason rolls around. Given Detroit’s dominance thus far this season, it’s unnecessary to overanalyze the first meeting between these two teams. It is fair, however, to take note of this loss and see how they respond before they play in San Antonio on March 5.
The majority of Vassell’s looks were relatively open thanks to Wembanyama’s gravity, and Detroit didn’t rotate the way it has all season. Vassell poured in a game-high 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Ausar Thompson, arguably the best perimeter defender in the association, played a total of 18 minutes and just four in the second half.
Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Thompson logged fewer minutes than normal because of how well Ron Holland II was playing. Thompson and Holland’s two-man lineup has a 14.7 net rating, the second-highest of any two-man Detroit lineup that’s played more than 200 minutes together.
Apart from at the 3-point line, Detroit made a concerted effort to stifle Wembanyama and did a decent job, holding him to 21 points on 6-of-16 shooting. The All-Star made more free throws (seven) than field goals. De’Aaron Fox, San Antonio’s second leading scorer, was held in check en route to 10 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
But what about the Pistons’ 3-point struggles?
“We’ve got shooters,” said Jalen Duren, who had a team-high 25 points and 14 rebounds. “I feel like we got good looks; it just wasn’t our night tonight knocking down shots. We’ll be better — it’s not the end of the world. I trust everybody in here to hit those same shots 10 out of 10 times. So we’ll be better.”
As valuable as Vassell and Champagnie were with their accuracy from long range, Stephon Castle’s point-of-attack defense on Cunningham was equally important. It helps to have someone like Wembanyama, who alters every shot that goes up when he’s in the game, but Castle’s ball pressure on Cunningham was some of the best this season.
Bickerstaff credited the Spurs as a unit for containing Cunningham.
“It wasn’t just (Castle),” Bickerstaff said. “They had five guys dialed into him, trying to limit what Cade could do with his impact. But we’ll go back and watch the film. We’ve got them next week, we’ll be prepared.”
Each Piston who spoke postgame, from Bickerstaff to the players, mentioned how eager they were to dissect the film and learn from this matchup. Cunningham alluded to this being his first time playing “an 8-footer,” in reference to Wembanyama.
“We just couldn’t find our rhythm in the game, and I think that carried over to the 3-ball as well,” Cunningham said. “If you see the ball go through the rim, even if it’s layups and easy ones, when the ball flies out to you on the 3-point line, the game is going well and the ball goes through the rim more. I know that’s the same case with me as well. I didn’t have anything rolling for me in the paint or in the (2-point) land.
“And with my 3-ball, I just couldn’t find my rhythm. … I thought we still found a way to compete and be in the game to give ourselves a chance. So there’s a lot of good things that we can take from this game and be better from.”
Detroit won’t have long to learn from the film and apply the lessons against contending teams. The Pistons play host to the reigning champion Thunder on Wednesday. They also have the surging Cleveland Cavaliers at home Friday before a three-game road trip to Cleveland, Orlando and San Antonio.
“We’ve got a week full of smoke — it’s great,” Cunningham said. “We get to see where we’re at, see where the league is at. (We’ll) learn a lot in these three games, five games. Even the last few games we played have all been good challenges for us. So it’s a lot to learn from all these games, and I think we’ll come out of all this better and more prepared for the playoffs. It’s healthy for us.”