Sidi Sissoko shines in the Blazers’ botched heist against Detroit

To end the year, the Pistons have a five-game road trip to the West with the first stop in Portland to challenge a Blazers team on a three-game winning streak before this meeting. Detroit opens the scoring with Jalen Duren (26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks) while on the other side of the court, Ausar Thompson (18 points, 12 rebounds) picks up three fouls in four minutes and is quickly picked off by JB Bickerstaff. However, Portland couldn’t get back in front because of a Cade Cunningham skillful at the start of the match, as well as his 4/4 shot in the first minutes.

Thus, the Pistons dominate during the first act and after twelve minutes lead by four points (30-26). The second quarter is marked by the return to the floor of Auzar Thompson, who directly receives a poster on Duo Reath by also causing failure of the shaft part. The Blazers attack stalled and the visitors took the opportunity to take a ten-point lead Tobias Harris (40-30).

I Sidi Cissoko (16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists) finally allows the Blazers to return the ball to the circle, it is not enough to start a “surge” in favor of the home team. On the other hand, Detroit went on a 10-0 run a few minutes before halftime and took a 16-point lead, but Portland was only ten lengths behind when they got to the locker room (61-51).

After the break, Jalen Duren puts together two 2+1s as Ausar Thompson takes the lead Robert Williams in the racket to allow the Pistons to widen the gap a little more (84-63). Immediately after, Sidi Sissoko had a good spell where he scored six points in a row, but it was not enough to get the Blazers back into the match who were still 17 lengths behind going into the final act (95-78).

The Blazers are on fire

While the Oregon franchise worries Detroit from the start of the game, teammates from Shaedon Sharpe (25 points, 5 steals) wakes up in the fourth quarter. For starters, they went on an 11-2 run capped off by a Sidi Sissoko dunk. In the next possession, The French causes an offensive foul, which annoys Cade Cunningham and the leader is penalized with a technical foul. The problem is, this is the Pistons star’s sixth foul and that’s why he’s out.

The Blazers don’t stop there and Sidi Cissoko finds Donovan Clingan for his second long shot of the evening. in the process Danny Avdia (18 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) makes a basket in the paint and brings the Oregon franchise back to within two points.

JB Bickerstaff is then forced to take a timeout, but that doesn’t stop the Blazers. Toumani Camara hits a long shot that gives Portland the lead for the first time of the night (100-99). However, this shot is the last basket of the game for the Blazers. Thiago Splitter’s men failed to make a shot in the final four minutes of the game, and Detroit took advantage of the opportunity to regain the lead thanks to two successful free throws by Tobias Harris.

On the next throw-in, Ausar Thompson steals the ball from his hands Shaedon Sharpe and with 50 seconds to go, thrives in the steppe on a missed shot by Tobias Harris and the Pistons had a seven-point lead. This time, Portland didn’t come back and ended up losing 102-110 to end its three-game winning streak.

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Blazers on the verge of a robbery. While trailing by 21 points a minute into the third quarter, Tiago Splitter’s team found the resources to get back into the match. Portland caught fire in the final act on a 22-4 run to regain the lead with four minutes remaining. However, immediately after that, the rooms go dark. Until the end of the match, they do not make more shots and do not manage to keep the night.

– Turnovers, still a problem for the Blazers. Portland is the team that loses the most balls in the NBA this season an average of 17.2 “traffic” in the evening. An observation that was reaffirmed during this meeting against Detroit. In the first half, the Blazers continued to lose the ball, which allowed the Pistons to make easy baskets on the counterattack and increase the lead. At the end of the game, while Portland managed to get back into the score, Shaddon Sharpe lost two balls in quick succession on the last possession of the game, with 20 seconds left. Javonte Green steals the ball out of Sidi Sissoko’s hands and seals the win for Detroit.

– Good performance by Sidi Cissoko. This final loss of the ball by the Frenchman should not spoil his successful night in which he was decisive in improving his team’s results. In the third quarter, it was he who stopped the Pistons’ 11-2 lead. Thanks to his aggressiveness, he caused 13 free throws and made ten. In the last act, he provokes an offensive foul at the beginning of Cade Cunningham’s technical error and thus the exclusion of the leader. In 27 minutes, the winger scored 16 points, with 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.