Detroit earned another ‘identity win’ against the Celtics in Game 1

Sunday presented another case Detroit Pistons “control the chaos” beating the Boston Celtics 119-113. The franchise talked about embracing and fighting adversity as its identity. Their match against Boston required the same sharp mentality. After being down by as many as 17 points in the first half, the Pistons had to come back in their season opener at home. Detroit forward Ausar Thompson marked the victory of an “victory of identity” during the postgame media session.

“I would definitely call it an identity win. Just the way the other group came in there and they showed us our identity for a second when we were down and down (17),” Thompson explained. “When they did that, we came back and we kept that identity for the rest of the game. So I would definitely say that.”

Boston jumped out to a hot start against the Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. The competition started with equal execution of the home team on both sides of the floor. As the starters struggled to keep the game under control, the second unit provided a a much needed burst of energy to turn the tide.

“I think Ron Holland, Isaiah Stewart and Javonte Green came in and changed the energy for us,” center Jalen Duren he said during an interview after the game. “They set us up a few times, got the crowd into it and changed the game. The rest of the team bought into what they brought.”

Detroit’s bench scored 23 points, but their impact was much greater than scoring in the box. Their rush for extra possessions and defensive effort kept their fight against the Celtics alive.

Playmaker Cade Cunningham he led the Pistons with 25 points and eight assists. Thompson had another impressive game, scoring 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Veteran Tobias Harris had one of his best games of the season, scoring 18 points and pulling down eight rebounds.

Breakthrough performance by Jalen Duren

Duren was a standout player for the Pistons with an impressive double-double. The starting center recorded 24 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks in 28 minutes. Detroit pounded Boston on the glass, creating key second-chance opportunities on offense. Duren pulled down eight of those 18 rebounds on the offensive glass to help the Pistons.

Duren’s dirty work also paid off for the young center at the free throw line. The 21-year-old big man went to the free throw line 13 times and knocked down 12 of those attempts.

The first two games in Detroit were limited availability for Duren. He fouled out against the Chicago Bulls and was ejected against the Houston Rockets for elbow forward Amen Thompson. Duren played just under 20 minutes in both contests.

Extra defensive attention against Cade Cunningham

Point guard Cade Cunningham was the obvious focal point of his opponents’ defensive game plan. Cunningham was over-hit to get the ball out of his hands and try to force a turnover. That pressure was felt when he turned the ball over six times against Boston.

A lot of physical defense is packed in with the extra pressure applied to Detroit’s All-Star linebacker. Head coach JB Bickerstaff commented on the pressure Cunningham is feeling how he managed to play it.

“It’s frustrating to be him. The things that people are allowed to do to him from a physical standpoint because he’s a bigger guard can be frustrating,” Bickerstaff told the media after the win. “His face is swollen, his hip is bruised, his knee is bruised because he has to play through so much contact. It’s important for him to understand how important he is to us. How he has to keep his composure and where he is mentally because we need him. Even through those frustrations he may have, he bounces back quickly because he understands how to be led by his team.”