Pistons High / Low: Marcus Morris, Ish Smith too much for Trail Blazers

Marcus Morris’ career high 37 points led the Pistons to a 120-113 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He surely wasn’t alone, though, as Ish Smith’s 12 points, seven assists and seven steals paced the Pistons’ offense.

To the tape!

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High

Marcus Morris

What makes the Pistons tough to beat is you never know whose night it’s going to be. Tobias Harris, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Andre Drummond have all shown the ability to carry the team on any given night. And against Portland, it was Marcus Morris who shined.

Morris connected on 13 of 23 shots and scored the first seven points in overtime:

Mook also collected eight rebounds and six assists:

I love this pass (below) for two reasons:

1. Morris read the defense and thought one pass ahead. With any hesitation, the window would’ve closed.
2. It’s a nice, soft pass that Aron Baynes and his lobster claws can collect. Way to know the receiver.

Ish Smith

Once again, Ish Smith finished the game for the Pistons and once again, the Pistons win with Smith at the lead guard.

Smith made a couple big buckets down the stretch but the playmaking is still his calling card:

Ish Smith blocks are becoming a staple of High / Low:

And like all good shot blockers, he keeps it in-bounds.

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Couldn’t be happier with Stanley Johnson’s play of late. Confidence is a helluva drug.

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19 points and 15 rebounds won’t be taken for granted, but below was my favorite Andre Drummond play:

Dre failed to finish two dunks early in the first quarter and that’s fine by me. Go up strong and if you get blocked, big deal, move on. Much better than any variation of an up and under.

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Low

Detroit knew going in that Portland depends on Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum to ignite their offense, and the backcourt didn’t disappoint.

Dame finished with 34 points, none easier than:

All five Blazers above the arc; where is the opening? The paint.

McCollum scored 25, including this dunk:

Blazers love their flair screens and it sure looked like McCollum was on his way to set the screen.

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It’s easy to pick apart film from atop my keyboard. Almost as easy as this Portland back screen:

McCollum can score in bunches and Ish Smith is glued to him. Unfortunately, a little TOO glued. With the ball on the opposite side of the screen, Smith must offer help so Morris can recover.

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Quick turnaround, see you in New Orleans.