Detroit Pistons freeze up in preseason loss to Golden State despite blazing Jaden Ivey

The Golden State Warriors didn’t need their stars to bury the Detroit Pistons under a barrage of 3-pointers on Sunday. 

The Pistons were blown out on the road by the Warriors, 111-93, even though the 2022 NBA champs were without Steph Curry and Draymond Green. They overcame their absence by knocking down 18 3-pointers on 39 attempts. A 17-2 run at the end of the first quarter created an insurmountable deficit for the Pistons, who knocked down just seven of their 29 shots beyond the arc (and only one of nine in the opening period). 

Jaden Ivey led the Pistons with another strong night — 19 points (7-for-10 shooting, 3-for-5 from 3) and four assists, though he also committed four turnovers. Cade Cunningham (18 points, seven assists) and Jalen Duren (14 points, nine rebounds, three blocks) also scored in double figures. 

OFFENSIVE WORK: Tobias Harris shines in debut, Cade Cunningham does a lot in blowout for Detroit Pistons

Six players reached double figures for the Warriors, with Moses Moody (14 points) leading the way. The Pistons (2-2) will finish the preseason on Wednesday at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers (7 p.m., Bally Sports Detroit). 

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff replaced Tim Hardaway Jr. with Malik Beasley in the starting lineup, which was rounded out by Cunningham, Ivey, Duren and Tobias Harris (six points, four assists, three blocks, two steals).

Ivey continues to show consistency as shooter

The third-year guard has been the Pistons’ best offensive player, in part thanks to the leap he appears to be undertaking as a 3-point shooter. He entered Sunday’s game having knocked down six of 12 attempts through three games, and he was nearly the only Piston who could hit one against the Warriors, responsible for three of their seven makes.

It’s not just Ivey’s shooting, though — his speed is a weapon and he has looked more confident in an offense in which he has consistently found ways to get moving downhill. Ivey has attacked open space on cuts, lost defenders on screens and beat entire defenses in transition. So far in preseason, he’s second in field goal percentage (26-for-43, 60.5%) and only trails Cunningham in shot attempts. 

Pistons still seeking balance in first and second units

It was a competitive game for all of eight minutes. When Cunningham checked out for the first time, with 4:34 to play in the first quarter, the Pistons trailed 16-15. They didn’t score a field goal the rest of the quarter to trail by 14 points at the end of the period. 

The second unit, with Ivey as the sole ball-handler playing with Hardaway Jr., Ron Holland, Simone Fontecchio and Isaiah Stewart, struggled to find its flow as Golden State fired 3-pointers, making six of their seven attempts in the quarter. Cunningham and Harris are two of the Pistons’ best passers, and the offense faltered with both of them on the bench. 

Bickerstaff has staggered Cunningham and Ivey so far, but Ivey may need more support if he’s to play long stretches of the game without Cunningham.

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