Neither the Detroit Pistons nor the Memphis Grizzlies had the season they hoped for last year. But both teams have shown improvement and given their fans hope ahead of their game on Wednesday in Detroit.
The Pistons had a rough year with a franchise-worst 14-68 record, including a single-season NBA record of 28 straight losses. Under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit has already won eight games this season, a total they didn’t reach until February 8th last year.
The Grizzlies, who made the playoffs three years in a row, lost 55 games last year, mostly because superstar Ja Morant played only nine games due to a suspension and a season-ending shoulder injury. This season, Memphis has bounced back and currently holds the fifth-best record in the Western Conference.
The Pistons come into this game after a 102-100 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday, thanks to a buzzer-beating mid-range shot from Jaden Ivey. Ivey led Detroit with 25 points and eight assists, and the Pistons outscored the Raptors 30-20 in the fourth quarter.
“When (Jaden) has the ball in his hands in space, there aren’t too many guys who can stay in front of him in the league. I don’t care who it is, or how good you are defensively,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought he did a great job, obviously, getting to that spot. Those are shots that he works on.”
Ivey is averaging 18.4 points per game, which is second on the team behind Cade Cunningham’s 23.5 points per game.
Memphis, which has won three straight games, is aiming for its longest win streak of the season. On Monday, the Grizzlies won 123-98 against the Portland Trail Blazers, never trailing in the game. Morant, who had missed eight games due to a hip injury, returned with a strong performance, scoring 22 points and adding 11 assists in just 23 minutes of play.
“(Ja) worked his tail off throughout the return to play process,” said Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins. “He missed being out there, but even his engagement when he’s out is great. You all don’t get to see the work that he’s putting in, but this past week was some of the best work I’d seen from him. … He loves the game. He put in the work and this is no shock to see the impact he made in his first game back.”
Morant is averaging 20.8 points per game in nine games this season. Jaren Jackson Jr. leads the team with 22.8 points per game, and he added 21 points, six rebounds, and three blocks in the win over Portland.
The Grizzlies also got a big contribution from Santi Aldama, who scored 13 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds off the bench. Aldama is averaging career-highs of 12.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
“With Santi, I just love the effort,” Jenkins said. “That’s something that we’re challenging him with every single day. He had seven offensive rebounds (against Portland), and that’s huge. That’s an instinctual part of his game that aids us when we can create second-chance opportunities.”
