Detroit, MI

Detroit Pistons doomed by poor third quarter in blowout loss in Houston, 136-113

Published

2 years ago

January 1, 2024

Press Room

Detroit Pistons doomed by poor third quarter in blowout loss in Houston, 136-113

HOUSTON — The Detroit Pistons trailed by four points at halftime.

Twelve minutes later, they somehow were down by 26.

A disastrous third quarter spelled doom for the Pistons on New Year’s night. They were outscored by 22 in the period, pushing them to a 136-113 loss to the Houston Rockets to start their four-game road trip.

The Rockets opened the third with a dominant 40-15 run, and shot a blistering 15-for-22 (68.2%) in the quarter as the Pistons went cold, hitting just seven of their 18 attempts (38.9%). Alperen Sengun came alive in the third, scoring 20 of his 26 points in the period while plowing through Jalen Duren and James Wiseman, who finished it with four and five fouls, respectively. Sengun also dished nine assists.

SO NOW WHAT? Pistons eager to begin new chapter after ending historic losing streak

Detroit was also hurt by an off night for Cade Cunningham, who shot just 3-for-16 for six points. He did finish with 10 assists, though, his second-straight game with a double-digit assist total. But his assists were offset by 17 team turnovers, off of which the Rockets scored a whopping 33 points.

Alec Burks led the Pistons with 21 points, Jaden Ivey added 19 and Duren tallied a 12 point, 13 rebound double-double.

Detroit was unable to build off of Saturday’s win over the Toronto Raptors, which broke their historic 28-game losing streak.

More: A nightmarish 2023 is ending for Detroit Pistons. Here’s what they need in 2024

Thompson twins face off

The fourth and fifth overall picks of the 2023 draft had Monday’s date circled. It was the first time Amen and Ausar Thompson faced each other as NBA players.

“It’s going to hit me different after the game, but during the game it’ll be like he’s just another player,” Ausar said during Detroit’s shootaround. “But after it’ll be like, we really played each other. It’s crazy.”

The Thompson twins parents’ weren’t present on Monday, but their big brother — Troy Thompson Jr. — was. He joined Detroit’s Bally Sports broadcast during the first half. Their parents will attend Amen and Ausar’s rematch when the Rockets visit Little Caesars Arena on Jan. 12.

“That shows where their loyalty is at,” Ausar deadpanned.

Ausar finished with five points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. Amen tallied 12 points, six assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals.

Burks bouncing back after long slump

In the second quarter, Burks carried a bench unit that struggled to hit shots as the Rockets threatened to turn a double-digit lead into a blowout. He scored seven straight, hitting a pair of layups, and then a 3-pointer to cut it to eight after they trailed by 12.

A pair of free throws, and then a second triple with four minutes until halftime helped Detroit trim the margin to four, 59-55. The veteran sharpshooter hasn’t been his usual self this season, entering the game 33.7% overall — the lowest of his career by a wide margin — and 34.4% from 3.

His hot stretch showed why Monty Williams stuck with Burks through his struggles. Few players on the roster can do what he can when he’s feeling it. The player who was one of the best scoring backups in the league a year ago is feeling like himself again.

“We didn’t have much choice,” Williams said. “We’ve been limited with healthy bodies. He’s a guy that has a body of work, and I see the work every day. I see his ability to stay in there and be the same guy every day. I know he’s not going to waver. That, for me, gives me confidence to continue to play a guy.

“There were times where the minutes came down a little bit, but you’re not going to go away from somebody like Alec Burks just because he has a body of work that says this is who he is. If he has a slump, it’s going to come back because of the work and who he is.”

It was his second straight strong game after scoring 16 points against the Raptors on Saturday.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him @omarisankofa.

Check out “The Pistons Pulse”, your go-to weekly Detroit Pistons podcast, co-hosted by Omari available anywhere you listen (Apple, Spotify).

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Detroit, MI

Family of girl whose throat was slashed in Detroit park files $50M lawsuit

Published

1 hour ago

October 23, 2025

Press Room

Family of girl whose throat was slashed in Detroit park files M lawsuit

Saida Mashrah said her sleep is still filled with nightmares and she’s fearful when strangers walk past her house more than a year after police said a strange man slashed her throat while she played in a Detroit park.

“Sometimes (at school) I get scared and have to take a break with a teacher,” the soft-spoken 8-year-old said Wednesday.

Saida joined attorneys for her family during a press conference where they announced the recent filing of a $50 million civil suit against the suspect, 74-year-old Gary Lansky.

“We don’t know what types of assets … (Lansky) may have but I can assure you for every dollar that he has we want to take that away from him,” said Nabih Ayad, counsel for Saida’s family. “This person deserves to rot in hell and rot in jail.”

Authorities said that Saida and four other children were playing in Ryan Park, near the Dearborn border in east Detroit, on Oct. 8, 2024. Lansky, of Detroit, allegedly approached Saida, grabbed her head, tilted it back and slashed her throat. Saida kicked him and escaped.

While she has fully recovered from the physical injuries, Ayad said the young girl will likely always carry with her the trauma she endured that day.

“Forever she will be haunted by this, traumatized by this and is currently seeking therapy and probably will for the rest of her life,” he said.

Lansky has been charged with assault with intent to murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. Ayad said Lansky is currently in the process of being evaluated for competency to stand trial. Online records show he remains behind bars at the Wayne County Jail, held on a $2 million bond.

An attorney for Lansky did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Following the alleged attack last year, advocates called on state and federal authorities to prosecute the case as a hate crime. Ayad believes Lansky, who is White, specifically targeted Saida based on her race. She was the only Arab American girl in the park that day, he said; all other children were Black.

After Saida ran away from her attacker, Lansky then approached the girl’s grandmother, who was in the park with her, Ayad said. The older woman was wearing a hijab, making her a target for a hate-based attack, advocates said. Lansky allegedly fled the scene after Saida and other children began to scream.

“My daughter still smiles sometimes but it’s not the same smile. It’s the kind of smile that hides tears,” Saida’s mother, Amirah Sharan, said in a statement read by attorney William Savage during Wednesday’s press conference. “… As a mother, it’s the worst pain imaginable to see your child hurt and know there’s nothing you can do about it.”

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

@max_detroitnews

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Detroit, MI

NFC NORTH: Where all four teams stand heading into Week 8

Published

20 hours ago

October 22, 2025

Press Room

NFC NORTH: Where all four teams stand heading into Week 8

MINNESOTA

Week 7 result: Philadelphia 28, Minnesota 22

Offensive rank: 20th (318.7)

Scoring offense: 15th (24.2)

Defensive rank: 9th (301.7)

Scoring defense: 10th (20.8)

Star performer: Wide receiver Justin Jefferson recorded five receptions for 79 yards in Minnesota’s loss Sunday. Jefferson has 529 career receptions and surpassed DeAndre Hopkins (528 receptions) for the second-most receptions by a player in his first six seasons in NFL history. Only Jarvis Landry (564 receptions) has more. Jefferson has 34 receptions on the season for 528 receiving yards.

Quotable: “The main issue was in the red zone today, just hurting ourselves and causing us to go backwards instead of forward,” Jefferson told vikings.com of their 1-for-6 performance in the red zone vs. Philadelphia Sunday. “We’ve got to execute our plays to the fullest, take one play at a time, and when the opportunity comes, make those plays.

“One of those red zone drives is, that’s me dropping the touchdown and not pulling the ball all way the in. I’m always critical of myself and always, especially, my opportunities are very, very slim, so those opportunities, I’ve got to make the most of them.”

Twentyman: Sunday was a good test for the Vikings squaring off against the defending Super Bowl champs. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts maxed out his NFL passer rating (158.3) by completing 19 of 23 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns. Scoring in the red zone (1-for-6) and allowing big plays on defense lead to Minnesota’s downfall Sunday. The red zone has been an issue for the Vikings all season (ranked 20th). It’s something they must clean up in an ultra-competitive division like the North.

Next up: at Los Angeles Chargers (4-3), Thurs., Oct. 23, 8:15 p.m.

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Detroit, MI

Why did officials go to monitor twice in Lions vs. Bucs? Pool report offers explanation

Published

2 days ago

October 21, 2025

Press Room

Why did officials go to monitor twice in Lions vs. Bucs? Pool report offers explanation

Sometimes, all it takes is a week for the pendulum to swing.

After being on the wrong end of some controversial officiating in a loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, the Detroit Lions benefitted from a rather confusing sequence involving the referees in their 24-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.

The play in question came with 11:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield dropped back to pass on fourth-and-medium and found tight end Cade Otton over the middle of the field. Otton, covered by linebacker Alex Anzalone, extended for the line to gain. The ball came loose, and the Bucs recovered. A fumble on fourth down can’t be advanced by the offense unless it’s collected by the player who fumbled. Otton didn’t get on top of the ball, but the referees’ initial ruling was Otton had gained enough yards for a first down.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell threw the challenge flag. Confusion first arose because it was announced in the stadium that the Lions were challenging whether Otton completed the process of the catch. In the postgame pool report, however, NFL vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth said Campbell specified he was challenging the line to gain. Regardless, “all reviewable aspects of the play are under review” during a challenge, according to Butterworth, no matter what the challenge is for.

Also drawing some controversy was the replay review itself. Officials made their way to the monitor and initially upheld the call on the field, giving the Bucs, trailing by 15 points and near midfield, a first down. The referees then went back to the monitor for what appeared to be a second look at the replay. They returned with a different ruling, this time saying Otton was short of the first down. Also of note: Otton was down before he fumbled.

Butterworth explained the second review was triggered because there was access gained to a camera angle that was not available when they first went to the monitor.

“Later in the process we received an enhanced view from broadcast that showed that when the knee was down, the ball was short of the line to gain,” Butterworth said. “We were having issues with the referee’s O2O (official-to-official communication system), which is why he (the referee on the field) was brought back to the monitor. We did not show him anything on the screen at that point, it was simply to communicate to clean up the ruling on the field.”

Mayfield said after the game he was “still pretty damn confused about the double review.”

“A lot of things in that game that were a little questionable, but a lot of frustration at the end of that (game),” Mayfield said. “It might be displaced onto (NFL official) John Hussey in the moment, but it’s — I work my ass off and I put a lot into this game, so when things that I don’t see are deemed fair, I’m going to let somebody know.”

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

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