The Detroit Pistons, amid what is expected to be a lengthy rebuild, will take every win they can get as they try to build winning habits as a young team. And on Monday night, they were in a golden position to claim a rare victory, against a contending team in the Los Angeles Clippers, no less. With just over two minutes left in regulation, the Pistons were still leading by 12. But the Clippers, ever the comeback kings, stormed all the way back to claim a 142-131 victory in overtime. And Isaiah Stewart was none too pleased by this unfortunate turn of events.
Speaking with reporters after the game, Stewart was hard on himself and his team, saying that the Pistons need to learn not to play with their food, especially amid a five-game winning streak.
“We needed that win right there to get our spirit back. We didn't finish the game out. That's not on coaches. That's on us,” Stewart said, per James L. Edwards III. “We took the lead for granted. They took their starters out.”
Isaiah Stewart is right in that the Clippers appeared to throw in the towel, as they yanked Paul George from the game in the final minutes. However, the Clippers proceeded to go on a 13-1 run capped by a Terance Mann jumper to push the game to extra period. Over that span, Paul George only scored one point, and he even left the door wide open for a Pistons victory with a missed free-throw in crunch time.
Nonetheless, Detroit was unable to capitalize. They went ice cold during overtime, outscored 14-3 during the extra period. And head coach Dwane Casey knows that this Pistons loss is the result of a collective failure.
“It's on all of us,” Casey said.
Still, these are the games that toughen up a team. Dwane Casey and his Pistons need to learn from their mistakes, and fast, as they take on the Orlando Magic, winners of eight of their past nine games, on Wednesday night.
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