Motor City Blues [7-9] - Frontcourt rebounds, Singler scores

[Leftos]

November 28, 2012
Game 16: It took an overtime, but they got it done.
Suns @ Pistons (92-100)

Jared Dudley hit only one three-pointer throughout this whole game. And once it went down, there would only be 0.3 seconds left in the 4th quarter, and the score would be 88-88. After a well-fought 4th quarter that saw the Pistons go from 8 down to 4 up, the game went into overtime with that three. But the Pistons brought the 4th quarter determination to break this losing streak into overtime, and stingy defense (Suns shot .363 from the floor throughout the game) combined with good shooting would mean that they'd get the 8-point win against a Suns team that was missing Goran Dragic, Michael Beasley and Luis Scola.

Pistons Key Players
- Kyle Singler with one of those performances that show how important his scoring is to any Pistons win. His spacing was excellent as he found ways to get open and knock-down his jump shots time and time again. 31 points on .545 including 3 3-pointers, 3 assists and a block.
- Vyacheslav Kravtsov with almost the first triple-double of his career in a performance that said he deserves the starting spot. It will be interesting to see what happens when Drummond finally comes back, but until then his production is much appreciated. He got 8 points of which 6 were from the line, 9 assists and 14 rebounds, to go with a steal that led to a beautiful Jose Calderon fast-break. Although he struggled below the basket, he went to the line repeatedly and made the most of it. His assist tally is beyond impressive for his position, and quite surprising, considering the most assists he has ever gotten before this game were 3 on November 4th's win against the Lakers.
- Greg Monroe with 9 points and 17 rebounds in 36 minutes. His scoring wasn't there, but his teammates will be hoping he'll be able to continue to be dominating in grabbing rebounds beyond this game.

Suns Key Players
- Kendall Marshall with the double-double with 10 points and 11 assists, making a statement for his position as the starting Point Guard on the injury-ridden Suns. His presence on defense was felt as well as he recorded 3 blocks and 2 steals. An impressive individual performance compared to his teammates.
- Channing Frye did his best to keep the lead wide with his 3s (3-8) during the first 3 quarters, ending the game with 13 points, 2 assists a block and a steal.
- Marcin Gortat had a night fighting against Kravtsov and Monroe for the boards, but managed to get 15 in the process, along with 9 points (.500), 2 blocks and an assist.

Box Score


Next Up
Pistons visit Memphis to go up against Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol for their last November game. Memphis, one of the top rebounding teams in the league, will be looking to contain Kyle Singler and then grabbing the boards necessary to get enough fast-breaks and second-chance opportunities to add one to the win column. Will Monroe and Kravtsov continue their excellent rebounding shown in this game to counter Memphis' strength, or will it be business as usual for the Pistons front-court?