Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants his team to gain a reputation for being physical on defense. Early foul trouble prevented the Pistons from playing that way in Atlanta on Sunday but that didn’t hinder them from keeping their winning streak alive.
They’ll try to add to their win streak when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
The Pistons emerged with a wild 148-143 victory over the Hawks to increase their winning streak to six games. Their last string of six-plus wins came in 2014-15, when they won seven in a row.
“I’m most pleased with our guys’ willingness to figure it out and tonight was going to be a night where we had to outscore people,” Bickerstaff said. “We did everything the right way to go out and do that.”
Detroit’s previous five victories were decided by double-digit margins, and it didn’t give up more than 112 points. The Pistons put on an offensive show in Atlanta, shooting 59.1 percent from the field.
As usual, All-Star guard Cade Cunningham was the leader of the pack. He poured in 38 points and dished out 12 assists. All of the other starters also reached double figures while Malik Beasley, a prime candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award, pumped in 24 points.
The X factor was veteran guard Dennis Schroder, who was acquired at the trade deadline earlier this month. Schroder contributed 16 points and seven assists in 22 minutes.
“To be able to have another ballhandler out there, who can make plays, who has no fear, takes a lot of pressure off of Cade and everybody else out there,” Bickerstaff said. “But you need a guy who has courage and this is what we envisioned when we made the trade for him, to get him in the (closing) lineup where he can help us finish and he rose to the occasion.”
The Clippers have lost both of their games since the All-Star break, including a 129-111 thumping at Indiana on Sunday. Los Angeles didn’t have two of its starters, as leading scorer Norman Powell (left knee soreness) and star forward Kawhi Leonard (left foot soreness) sat out.
The Pacers shot 54.8 percent from the field and never trailed, leading by as much as 22 points.
“Just our one-on-one defense, getting cracked off the dribble, really hurt us,” coach Tyronn Lue said. “They play fast, they have shooting bigs, they can go small. They were really able to use their speed and pace against us to create open looks and get to the paint and get 3s. We just didn’t do a good job containing those guys in transition.”
If Powell and Leonard have to miss Monday’s game, the Clippers will lean heavily on James Harden once again to generate offense. Harden had 31 points and 11 assists on Sunday.
“Practices are going great, understanding what we’re trying to accomplish but missing two of your best players, it makes it that much more difficult to win games,” Harden said. “We’ve just got to gut it out and find a way to win.”
This is the first meeting between the Clippers and Pistons. The rematch will be held in Los Angeles on March 5.
