 |
| Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs to a huge comeback. |
Then the rally happened, 10-2, led by Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills--both showing a pure stroke from long range and sensational court vision--as the home team's defense finally woke up, stifling the Pistons as they tried to hold on to the lead, now 82-78. A huge 3PTer by Mills gave the Spurs the lead and Kawhi Leonard kept firing through the net. Blake Griffin's windmill jam and impressive perimeter ball later brought the lead back up to eight points, before Leonard stole the ball and knocked home a transition 3PTer.
A slick pass by Mills gave Kawhi another good look after a missed shot down low by Detroit, cutting the lead to just two; Leonard would steal the ball again and make the game-tying layup, capping another 8-0 run by San Antonio.
Andre Drummond would pull up from mid range, an air-ball caught by Gasol leading to a quick dribble-away by Mills on the left wing into a step-back 3PTer, holding his follow-through to make it an 11-0 run, 92-89: San Antonio with two minutes left to play in regulation. Mills would bang home another 3PTer and the Spurs would hold onto the lead, winning 93-100 in a mountainous turnaround.
The Pistons played three strong quarters of basketball, but missed some tough shots when it mattered. They shot 50% compared to 40% by San Antonio and also shot better from long range, winning 24-16 in the second quarter and 32-26 in the third quarter. Yet the Spurs crushed them in the final period, 17-35.
Most notably, Jeremy Lamb whiffed on defense and couldn't make a shot early. Patty Mills also had a rough start, 2-10 from the floor, missing shots within the 3PT line as well. Kawhi's strong finish was not a sure thing, given also his struggle early to be effective. Rudy Gay also got denied time and time again down low, going up against Blake Griffin. Luckily, Pau Gasol was able to compensate with his skill set and 7'0" stature. Bismack Biyombo swatted some shots for good measure, also nabbing some impressive put-back dunks and lay-ins.
Kawhi Leonard finished with 27 points, 7 assists and a career-high 9 steals (previously 7) with 2 blocks. Patty Mills had 25 points, followed by 13 points and 12 rebounds by Pau Gasol. Biyombo had 10 & 10. For Detroit, Drummond had 18 points with 12 rebounds. Luke Kennard, the former Blue Devil, had 15 points. Blake Griffin had just 12 points and 9 rebounds. Reggie Jackson also had a poor game with just 9 points, managing 7 assists in the loss. Ish Smith had 13 points.