Friday's victorious finish came in gritty fashion again for the Detroit Pistons against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Detroit leans on its defensive identity when needed most, and the backbone of that has been center Isaiah Stewart. Stewart left his mark on the 122-116 win with four blocks, which marks his fifth game of the season with at least four blocks. Pistons' head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was not shy about expressing his admiration for Stewart's value to the team. He offered a heavy endorsement for Detroit's defensive anchor during the postgame media session.
“He's the best defensive center in the league, and it's not close. I think it's time for everybody who watches basketball to recognize it,” Bickerstaff stated. “It's not just something that we see here in Detroit, he's the best defensive big in the game.”
Detroit is currently the fourth-best team in NBA defensive ratings, and Stewart is a major reason behind that. The Pistons' backup big man is averaging a career-high 2.1 blocks in 22 minutes per game this season. Stewart's impact goes beyond numbers as his production has helped build the foundation of this team. His defensive focus and versatility have been important factors for the Pistons all season. Stewart's teammates are recognizing and appreciative of those efforts as well.
“I think he's the best defensive player in the league. I would love to see him get a Defensive Player of the Year award, because he deserves it,” Cade Cunningham said to the media. “I see opponents' best defenders all the time. I'm thankful I don't have to see Stew every night. He's just different; he does it all. He can guard a quick, shifty point guard; he can go guard a bruising big man. He can do it all, and he's going to meet everybody at the rim.”
Foul-heavy battle between Pistons, Blazers
The Pistons have embraced the physical contests against their opponents all year and it reached a new high against the Blazers. The officials called 64 personal fouls between both teams. Portland was whistled for 35 fouls and Detroit received 29 of their own.
The constant whistle changed the pace of the game constantly. The Pistons connected on 36-of-48 free throw attempts and the Blazers connected on 32-of-35 of their attempts. Bickerstaff spoke on how the guys were able to battle and persevere on the way to their 18th victory.
“That’s growth for us, right? Things were happening out of our control, and instead of reacting to it, we went out and did the job. I give our guys a ton of credit for that because it wasn’t easy,” Bickerstaff said. “[Fouls were] frustrating. Last year, I think that would have rattled us. But this year, you’ve seen the maturation of our group. They were able to help handle it well, stay calm and then go out and execute.”
The Blazers had three different players foul out in the fourth quarter. The Pistons were hampered by foul trouble early as six different players with at least two fouls in the first half.
Six different Pistons players also finished in double figures with scoring. Cunningham led the Pistons Friday night with 29 points and nine assists. Center Jalen Duren put up 18 points in 27 minutes. Bench forward Ron Holland had an impressive night with 17 points off the bench. Forward Ausar Thompson recorded 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Guard Duncan Robinson returned from an ankle injury and scored 14 points.
