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Memphis was playing without Mike Conley, surely this one would be a win, right? It looked like the Pistons would pull away after back to back threes by Brandon Jennings and Stanley Johnson early in the second quarter to put the Pistons up 30-24. After that, they forgot that you aren't supposed to give the ball to the other team a bunch in order to win.
The Pistons went on to turn the ball over 10 times in the second quarter. This would lead to a 48-43 Memphis halftime lead. It would have probably been more if it wasn't for Memphis turning it over five times themselves.
The third quarter continued with some sloppy basketball for the Pistons, despite somehow staying in the game. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a three that bounced a few times off the rim a few times before going; a perfect example of how the quarter went for the Pistons. The Grizzlies would take a 79-71 lead into the fourth.
The fourth quarter is where the fun began, as Stanley Johnson and a dose of #Swag almost willed the Pistons to victory. Stanley Johnson would score 14 points in the fourth, while Brandon Jennings added seven. Those two keyed a 23-2 Pistons run that would somehow put them out in front late.
After a Matt Barnes halfcourt buzzer beater broke the Pistons' heart last time these teams met, surely there wouldn't be heartbreak again. But after yet another turnover by the Pistons, the Grizzlies knifed them again, as a Mario Chalmers desperation shot with .8 seconds left somehow went in while he got fouled. Chalmers missed the free throw intentionally, but the ball rolled out of bounds after scraping the rim.
Stanley Johnson finished with 19 for the Pistons and Ersan Ilyasova had 17 and 9 rebounds. Brandon Jennings had 10 points.
Mario Chalmers had 25 for Memphis and Matt Barnes had 18 points on a perfect six-of-six from three. Memphis shot 56 percent from three as a team, which is a very difficult stat to overcome.
It was another heartbreaking loss, after a great fourth quarter effort that ultimately came up short. Stanley Johnson summed it up best on twitter:
— Stanley Johnson (@iAmSJ) January 15, 2016