Pistons score season-high 148 points, but lose to Jazz in overtime – Detroit News
Salt Lake City — All hope seemed lost for the Pistons when Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen sent the fans inside Delta Center into an uproar as he nailed a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left in regulation.
That was the biggest shot of the night until Alec Burks took the ball the length of the floor and before knocking down an off-balance and contested 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
Pistons players emptied the bench to celebrate their veteran scorer, who produced his best scoring game of the season in a familiar place.
The Pistons and Jazz engaged in a high-scoring affair that required an additional five minutes, but Detroit couldn’t survive the additional period and suffered a 154-148 loss on Wednesday night.
Jordan Clarkson — who also delivered a clutch 3-pointer in regulation — nailed the triple that ended up being the final dagger, giving the Jazz a seven-point lead in overtime that the Pistons simply couldn’t overcome.
The loss dropped the Pistons to 3-31 and increased their road losing streak to 15. They also remain winless against Western Conference opponents with a record of 0-11. The Jazz improved to 16-19. Detroit led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but the Jazz cut the deficit to two by halftime.
The first stat Pistons coach Monty Williams pointed to during his postgame press conference was the free-throw discrepancy. Utah connected on 32-of-35 attempts, while Detroit converted on 17-of-22 from the stripe.
“A lot is going through my mind,” Williams said. “Our guys played their tails off and we were attacking the paint just like everybody else was attacking the paint. We had 62 points in the paint. (Utah) had 68 and they ended up with 32 free throws and we ended up with 20. That’s number one. You have to be able to play defense in this league without allowing people to just run into you and be rewarded for it just because the play breaks down. That’s on my mind.”
BOX SCORE: Jazz 154, Pistons 148 (OT)
The overtime thriller spoiled Bojan Bogdanovic’s best shooting night of the season, which occurred in a familiar place. The 10-year veteran, who played in front of Jazz fans for three seasons, knocked down a season-high eight 3-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to help the Pistons avoid their second consecutive loss.
The game was tied at 132 with one minute left when Detroit had possession of the ball. Bogdanovic had a chance to give the Pistons the lead, but missed a four-foot floater inside the paint. Jalen Duren grabbed the offensive rebound and passed out to Isaiah Livers, but he couldn’t hold on to it and Collin Sexton was able to get away with a steal.
On the next Jazz possession, Clarkson sank a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key to give his team a 135-132 lead with 30.8 seconds left on the clock.
Burks joined Bogdanovic with a semi-successful homecoming. The veteran guard who was drafted by the Jazz in the 2011 NBA Draft, put on a vintage performance of 27 points, 24 of which were scored between the second half and overtime.
Cade Cunningham, who had an off shooting night in Houston on New Year’s Day, returned to form with an efficient outing of 31 points, five rebounds and 12 assists.
The Jazz was without three of its top-six scorers in a victory over the Pistons in Detroit on Dec. 21, but Markkanen, Clarkson and Keyonte George were all available this time around.
Markkanen and Clarkson combined to score 67 points for the Jazz. Clarkson scored 29 of his 36 points in the second half and overtime. Markkanen finished with 31 points and seven rebounds. Three other Jazz players scored in double-figures, including Collin Sexton (25), John Collins (17) and Simone Fontecchio (16).
Wednesday’s game marked the first time in NBA history where five teams across the league scored at least 140 points on the same day. Atlanta (141), Cleveland (140) and Indiana (142) also eclipsed the steep scoring mark.
The Pistons fell once again, but they will look to bring their explosive offensive night into the Bay Area against the Golden State Warriors on Friday for the third game of their four-game road trip.
@MikeACurtis2
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