Pistons vs. Warriors final score: Sekou shines in second start, leads Detroit to victory

It’s Sekou Season in Detroit.

Sekou Doumbouya got his second consecutive start for the Pistons and led Detroit to a road win against the hapless Golden State Warriors 111-104.

Doumboya nailed four three-pointers and led the team in both points (19) and minutes (38:14) and notched his second consecutive double double with 10 rebounds. The 19-year-old became the first player since Andre Drummond to record consecutive double doubles, and considering the Drummond trade rumblings percolating throughout the media it’s almost like a torch is being passed from one young cornerstone to another.

Drummond largely struggled against the Warriors, though in typical Andre fashion he still finished the night with 14 points and 18 rebounds. But he pressed most of the night as Detroit’s injuries have led them devoid of creators and players who can find the team’s big men for easy looks.

Drummond often found himself with the ball in the middle of three defenders and he forced some shots and turned the ball over four times.

The game was also a showcase for Bruce Brown, who won’t get nearly the publicity of the shiny young rookie, but he pretty much sealed the win for the Pistons. He played solid defense all night and continues to develop as a ball handler and a point guard. He is getting better every game at deciding when to drive, when to probe and when to look for open passing lanes to find teammates.

Brown finished the game with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Derrick Rose also played a solid game, even starting the second half for Tim Frazier in the third quarter as Dwane Casey looked to avoid another third quarter collapse.

The Pistons went from down three entering halftime to up as many as 12 midway through the third quarter but coughed up most of that lead and led by only three after the third.

Then the steady hand of Rose and the hustling of Brown took over. Rose and Brown scored or assisted on every Detroit basket until there was just 1:25 left in the game and it was all but decided. Those 19 points were everything for Detroit outside of three Christian Wood free throws.

Detroit also had healthy contributions from another young player in Svi Mykhailiuk. While Svi has a lot of work on regarding his handle, vision and court vision, there is no question about his deadly three-point stroke.

He fired up shots with no hesitation both off catch-and-shoot opportunities and coming off screens. Svi hit four 3s and finished with 14 points.

One thing he didn’t do, along with Detroit as a whole, was take care of the ball. Svi had five of Detroit’s 21 turnovers that really allowed Golden State to stay in the game despite the PIstons shooting 52% overall. The Pistons have no creators outside of Rose, and Rose is perfectly capable of a few boneheaded passes a night (four turnovers tonight).

The sloppy ball handling and off target passes are making everything more difficult for everyone, and the team really needs Luke Kennard or Reggie Jackson to return soon just so that Detroit’s other players can actually function in their natural roles.

Luckily for the Pistons, the Warriors are just so depleted they couldn’t take advantage of Detroit’s miscues. They shot a hot ball from deep (11-of-21) but Golden State’s starting lineup was just straight up awful. The unit shot 9-of-25 including 1-of-11 from former Piston Glenn Robinson III.

To make matters worse, Draymond Green was ejected in the third quarter for arguing a foul call. The Warriors were led by Alec Burks and Omari Spellman off the bench with 27 and 23 points, respectively.

The Pistons don’t have much time to savor the win as they have a quick turnaround and a 10 p.m. tipoff tomorrow against the Lakers in LA.