Tag: Detroit Pistons

Pistons’ Ausar Thompson reveals offseason area of improvement

Ausar Thompson had a productive first year with the Pistons and is already looking ahead to how he can improve this summer.

Ausar Thompson had a productive first year with the Detroit Pistons, and the fifth pick will likely earn a place on an NBA All-Rookie team at the conclusion of the season, as a result.

Thompson averaged 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals on 48.3% shooting from the field in 63 games with the Pistons. He finished 12th in scoring among all first-year players, third in steals and fifth in rebounding in 25.1 minutes per game.

The 21-year-old missed the last 19 games of the season due to a blood clot. He is expected to begin non-contact activities now that the season is completed and gradually ramp up his activity over the summer in preparation for a full return next season.

He explained what led to the diagnosis.

“I was just not feeling like myself fully,” Thompson said this week. “The doctors brought me over and we found it out. Now, I’m on a mental and physical journey to get back.”

The conclusion of the season was an example of the inconsistency Thompson experienced. He had some highs and lows, as is typical with any rookie, but proved himself as a top-five pick, given his ability to affect games in a variety of ways.

He was ranked in the top 10 among all players in rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocks at the start of the season. He even became one of 15 players in history with at least 550 points, 400 rebounds, 120 assists, 65 steals and 55 blocks through the first 63 games of their career.

“I was pleased with my ability to touch the paint, pass the ball, finish at the rim, play defense and just be able to stop the best player (on the opposing team),” Thompson said.

Thompson played several roles throughout the season and started 38 times for coach Monty Williams, including the last 14 games before his injury. He had a productive year with the Pistons and is already looking ahead to the areas of his game he wants to improve this summer.

“I think the main thing is shooting,” Thompson said. “(I’m) going into the offseason very focused on that and being able to be a three-level-scoring threat because I feel like if someone is forced to guard me a little higher, I don’t think it’s going to be easy.”

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Sooners legend Blake Griffin officially announces retirement

Blake Griffin, a generational athlete and former Oklahoma Sooner announced his retirement after a 14-year NBA career.

An Oklahoma basketball legend called it a career on Tuesday. Sooners basketball legend Blake Griffin announced his retirement in a post he shared via social media on Tuesday morning.

Griffin ended his NBA career after 14 years. The bulk of his career came as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers after he was drafted in 2009 as the first overall pick. He also spent time with the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics.

Griffin retired as a six-time NBA All-Star, three-time All-NBA Second Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, and the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2009.

 

As a high schooler from Oklahoma City, Griffin won multiple state championships. He signed with the Sooners and went on to earn selections on the Big 12 All-Rookie Team and to the first-team All-Big 12 after posting 14.7 points and 9.1 rebounds and ranking ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding, and third in field goal percentage in the Big 12 Conference.

Instead of bolting for the impending NBA Draft, he stayed for one more year. He cemented his status as an Oklahoma basketball legend. During his sophomore season, he became the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. He dropped 40 points and 23 rebounds against Texas Tech, becoming the only player in Big 12 history and the third player in the history of the University of Oklahoma men’s basketball program to record at least 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game, joining [autotag]Wayman Tisdale[/autotag] and [autotag]Alvan Adams[/autotag].

He led Oklahoma to a regional final that saw them lose to eventual national champion UNC. That year, Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American first team honors. He also swept every major player of the year award. He’s the only Sooner to win the Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Adolph Rupp Trophy, John Wooden Award, and the Associated Press Player of the Year in the same season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Nets’ Noah Clowney reacts to big game vs. Pistons

After Saturday’s 113-103 win over the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets rookie Noah Clowney reacted to his second huge outing this week.

NEW YORK — Brooklyn Nets rookie Noah Clowney has been playing some good basketball recently now that he is getting more consistent minutes within the rotation. Now that Brooklyn is out of contention for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, the team seems to be more willing to give some of the younger players their time to shine.

“Before I went in, coach said protect the rim,” Clowney said after Saturday’s 113-103 win over the Detroit Pistons. Clowney referred to what he was told by interim head coach Kevin Ollie prior to going into the game in the third quarter when he had one of the best spurts that the fanbase has seen this season.

“It’s great to see that he trusts me to the extent to play in those late games,” Clowney said. The Nets trailed the Pistons by as many as 19 points in the contest, but Brooklyn spent most of the game chipping away at the deficit until they took the game over in the fourth quarter.

While Clowney did not start, he played 14 minutes in the second half and given the kind of run the Nets were having in the fourth quarter, Ollie finished the game instead of Dorian Finney-Smith. That is a great sign for Clowney as he approaches the end of his rookie season. “It’s just a good feeling to know that I’m trusted to play,” Clowney said.

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Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith plays in front of his father for the first time

Brooklyn Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith played in front of his father for the first time in his life in Saturday’s win over the Pistons.

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have just four games left this season before all of the players will be going home for the summer. While Brooklyn has been eliminated from any kind of postseason contention, every player on the team has something to play for or someone to play for.

“I try not to make it more than what it is,” Nets forward Dorian Finney-Smith said to the media about playing in front of his father for the first time in his life prior to Saturday’s 113-103 win over the Detroit Pistons. In what initially to be a disappointing beginning to their last back-to-back of the season, the Nets came back from a 19-point deficit to beat a severely short-handed Pistons squad.

“It’s definitely important,” Finney-Smith continued. “I’m human so I can’t say it like I’m not going to think about it, but it’s gonna be fun.”

Finney-Smith’s father, Elbert, spent more than 28 years in Virginia’s Greensboro Correctional Center before being released thanks in large part because of the Dallas Mavericks, the franchise that Finney-Smith played the first 6.5 seasons of his career for. Finney-Smith played 24 minutes and put up two points and seven rebounds in one of Brooklyn’s biggest comebacks of the season.

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Malachi Flynn was the least dominant scorer to ever hit 50 points in an NBA game, which rocks

Here is some fun trivia about the Malachi Flynn Game.

Detroit Pistons guard Malachi Flynn had 50 points against the Hawks.

That is not a typo or some weird prank just to confuse people. Flynn, a 25-year-old guard who was included as part of a deadline deal from the Knicks to the Pistons, actually recorded a 50-point performance on Wednesday.

This was likely a surprise for everyone involved, including Flynn, who did not even appear in the starting lineup for the contest. In fact, he now ranks behind only Jamal Crawford for the most points scored off the bench ever in a single NBA game.

Even crazier, though, is that Flynn entered the game with the lowest scoring average from someone with a 50-point game.

Flynn averaged just 5.2 points per game before this random scoring outburst.

While the Pistons are having a dreadful season, it was amazing that the guard was given a chance to prove that this is something that he is capable of on the court.

No matter what happens during the rest of his basketball career, Flynn will always have the 50-point game associated with his name. It just goes to show that anyone can get hot on any given night if they get the right opportunity.

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Boston’s Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard lead Celtics to victory in Detroit

Boston had little trouble blowing out the Pistons on their own home court this past Friday night.

Even without multiple starters available in star swingman Jayson Tatum and veteran forward Al Horford, the Boston Celtics had little trouble blowing out the Detroit Pistons on their own home court this past Friday night.

And in the absence of those players, All-Star forward Jaylen Brown and reserve floor general Payton Pritchard stepped up in a major way, their offensive output powering the Celtics to a win in the game’s second half. Boston’s 56th win of the NBA’s 2023-24 season might not have been the sexiest of tilts, but it was yet another solid victory for the Celtics nonetheless.

After the win, the hosts of the NBC Sports Boston “Celtics Talk” podcast took a closer look at the game.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say about the game.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics win 8th-straight game with dominant victory against Detroit Pistons

A tight first half quickly became a blowout in the second half.

The Boston Celtics were without Jayson Tatum and Al Horford vs. the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesar’s Arena on Friday night. The Pistons played without Jalen Duren, Stanley Umude, Simone Fontecchio, Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson, but the show went on, and ended in a 129-102 win despite the tilt being tied at 43 points each as late as the game’s second frame.

Good games from Jaylen Brown (33 points, 4 steals), Payton Pritchard (20 points, 9 assists), Derrick White (19 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists), Kristaps Porzingis (19 points, 3 steals), and Sam Hauser (14 points off the bench) won the game for Boston.

NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Giles, Chris Forsberg, Eddie House, Brian Scalabrine and Drew Carter linked up to talk over the win on the latest episode of “Celtics Postgame Live”.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston Celtics make easy work of the Detroit Pistons, win 127-102

The game was actually tied as late as in the game’s second period.

The Boston Celtics played the Detroit Pistons for the final time this season, despite being without a number of players available. Not that this should surprise anyone, given the two Eastern Conference ball club’s records to this point in the 2023-24 NBA season.

The game was actually tied as late as in the game’s second period, when the contest was at an even 43 points for both teams. But the Celtics pulled away to get their 56th victory of their current campaign, further cementing their hold on the league’s best record.

On a recent episode, the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast took a closer look at the win for Boston. Check it out in the clip embedded below.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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PHOTOS: Boston at Detroit – Celtics thump Pistons 129-102

Check out the best photos from a 129-102 Celtics road win against the Pistons in the Motor City.

The Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons 129-102 Friday night on the road, overwhelming a young Pistons team with athleticism and shooting. With the victory, the Celtics moved to 56-14 on the season and extend their win streak to eight games.

Five players in Celtics green scored in double figures in this one, but it was All-Star Jaylen Brown who lead the way for road team. Brown ended the game with 33 points to go with 4 rebounds and 4 steals and just 32 minutes of action. Boston also got big contributions from Payton Pritchard who had 20 points and 9 assists after earning another start. Defense, however, was the main story for Boston, who put the clamps on Detroit in a big way.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos and images in the Celtics’ 69th game of the 2023-24 NBA season, a road win over the Pistons.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson to miss rest of season for a blood clot

Pistons rookie Ausar Thompson will miss the remainder of the season while being treated for a blood clot.

Detroit Pistons rookie forward Ausar Thompson will miss the final 14 games of the season while being treated for a blood clot, the team announced on Wednesday.

Thompson, under the guidance of team physician Dr. Ramsey Shehab of Henry Ford Health, has been cleared to resume conditioning. He will begin non-contact basketball activities after the season with a gradual ramp up of activity over the summer in preparation for a full return next season.

The fifth pick has missed the past five games due to what the team classified as an illness. He last played on March 9 in a loss to the Dallas Mavericks, recording four points and five rebounds in 11 minutes.

Thompson finishes the season averaging 8.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals on 48.3% shooting from the field in 63 games. He is 13th in scoring among all first-year players and fourth in rebounding and steals.

The 21-year-old was ranked in the top 10 among all players in rebounds, offensive rebounds and blocks at the start of the season. He is one of 15 players in history with at least 550 points, 400 rebounds, 120 assists, 65 steals and 55 blocks through the first 63 games of their career.

Thompson played several roles throughout the season and started 38 times for coach Monty Williams, including the 14 games before his injury. He had a productive year with the Pistons and could be rewarded with a spot on an NBA All-Rookie team.

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