Happy holidays Pistons fans, and welcome back to the Weekly Drive. It was a wild week for Detroit, including some heart-stopping wins against Western Conference playoff hopefuls. Plus Isaiah Stewart is back and healthy, Bobi Klintman could make his NBA debut, and nobody was happy with a recent head coach firing. Here we go.
Weekly Game Recaps
Game 30: Detroit 117, Los Angeles 114
Rapid Detail: The Pistons picked up their first road win against the Lakers since 2017 and swept the season series. Detroit was on the edge of blowing an 11-point lead late, but LeBron James (who also had a triple-double) missed a 30-footer at the buzzer. A great follow-up win for the Pistons fresh off beating the Phoenix Suns on the road.
Game 31: Detroit 114, Sacramento 113
Rapid Detail: Quite the impressive winning streak. After looking dead in the water for most of the night, the Pistons erased a 19-point deficit and beat the Kings with a Jaden Ivey four-point play. The loss for Sacramento was the nail in the coffin for head coach Mike Brown, who was fired the next day.
Game 32: Detroit 121, Denver 134
Rapid Detail: The magic ran out for the Pistons, who were beaten down by the angry Nuggets (who were beaten down the night before by Cleveland). J.B. Bickerstaff pulled his starters fairly early in the fourth quarter, but Cade Cunningham and Ivey each had 17 points each.
Overall, the Pistons wrapped up a tough road trip with a sparkling 3-1 record and tied their win total from last season before the New Year. That is an impressive level of growth, no matter how you slice it.
News and Notes
Isaiah Stewart returned to the rotation against the Nuggets after missing four games with a hyperextended knee.
Like Nuggets head coach Mike Malone, Bickerstaff called the Mike Brown firing “classless”.
Pistons legend Isiah Thomas announced on the “Come and Talk 2 Me” podcast that he was recently diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a neurological disorder that causes paralysis on one side of the face.
Bobi Klintman, the rookie who has not appeared in a game all season, was removed from the team’s injury report on Friday - meaning he can now make his NBA debut.
It’s another light week for the Weekly Drive as we all traverse the holiday season. And whatever holiday you celebrate (or don’t) have a happy and healthy New Year. See you in 2025, same time and same place.
Mike
LETS GOOOO