Pistons vs. Grizzles final score: Pistons win slow second half grind, 101-94

The phrase “a win is a win,” has never been more true for a team than the Pistons right now. As their collapse continues, they needed a win over a good, but not great Memphis team. They got exactly that on the strength of their three point shooting and a 13-0 fourth quarter run.

The Pistons got off to another hot start just like last night in Milwaukee. They were moving the ball well and hitting their open shots. However, just like in the Milwaukee game it all stopped after the first quarter. Luckily for the Pistons, and unlucky for us, Memphis didn’t go off like the Bucks did so the Pistons were able to grind out an ugly win.

The Pistons went into halftime down 55-51. They had an opportunity to seize control of the game after Memphis went scoreless for the first 5:15 of the second half, but the Pistons anemic offense only managed 7 points during that stretch. The game went back-and-forth for the rest of the half until the Pistons finally seized control with a 13-0 fourth quarter run. However, Memphis managed to make the game close because the Pistons didn’t want to take smart shots down the stretch or make their free throws.

Luke Kennard was a huge part of the run as he scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but struggled to hit his free throws down the stretch. Blake Griffin did his usual Blake Griffin thing with 26 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Reggie Jackson was also solid with 16 points, including 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Jaren Jackson is going to be a very good player in this league for a long time. He scored 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting and dominated the Pistons bigs offensively all night. Dillon Brooks was big off the bench down the stretch for Memphis. The Pistons were able to hold Mike Conley scoreless, he came into this game averaging 20.5 points per game.

The Pistons will face the Utah Jazz on Saturday and it is going to be another tough game that the Pistons will likely have to grind out. It is nice to get a win no matter how ugly it was, but the Pistons desperately need to string together a couple of victories during the West Coast trip.

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