It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
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).
But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
Dan Gilbert paid for an army of Cleveland Cavaliers fans to take over Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena for Game 2 of the NBA playoffs against the rival Detroit Pistons.
Gilbert, the longtime Cavs owner who has founded several Detroit-based companies and owns much of the real estate in downtown Detroit, sent seven bus loads of Cavs season ticket holders up I-75 North on Thursday, May 7, to wear maroon and gold shirts that read “BEAT DETROIT!”
Coworkers Rick Amador, 46, of Lorain, Ohio, and Eric Karr, 24, of Strongsville, Ohio, said they were thankful their trip to the playoffs in Detroit was fully paid for.
“Dan Gilbert fully paid for all of our tickets, paid for the shirts that you see here today,” Amador said. “He paid for the swag and he brought us here, fed us. We had a party at The Beacon [in Detroit, owned by Gilbert]. DJ, food, it was phenomenal.”
[ Pistons vs Cavaliers score updates, Game 2 highlights, commentary ]
Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State and a law degree from Wayne State in downtown Detroit.
“I’m just ready to bring a dub home to Cleveland,” Karr said. “It’s been a long time coming. We got lucky with LeBron [James] always coming here and now it’s time for us to build our own future and win our own championship. All of them. Yes, Donovan [Mitchell] has to have his legacy game.”
The Pistons on Tuesday night won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, 111-101, in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Games 3-4 will be in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and Monday night.
As for a prediction for the rest of the series?
“Five games, Cavs win it,” Karr said without hesitation.
-
Georgia5 minutes agoWhy Georgia’s NIL strategy better suits its roster in 2026 than it did in 2025
-
Hawaii11 minutes agoVolcano Watch: Think Hawaii has many volcanoes? Think again, says El Salvador – West Hawaii Today
-
Idaho17 minutes agoPolice Urge Public to Check Bank Statements for Boise-Area Fraud
-
Illinois23 minutes agoIllinois High School Football Coach Arrested Months After Investigation Opened
-
Indiana29 minutes agoThief takes game store’s valuable Pokémon cards
-
Iowa35 minutes ago
Iowa Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Midday results for May 8, 2026
-
Kansas41 minutes agoKansas court sides with Stormont Vail in Medicaid payment dispute
-
Kentucky47 minutes agoTwo ‘dangerous’ inmates escape Kentucky detention center, sparking multi-agency manhunt across region