Memphis, Tenn. — In Tuesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Pistons brought many of their same bad habits from 2018 into the new year. The defense was porous, allowing easy drives to the rim, and the offense couldn’t get the ball to fall.
Wednesday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies had some of the same elements, until the fourth quarter, when the Pistons won it with defense. They got six straight defensive stops and used a 13-0 run to put the Grizzlies away, 101-94.
In the closing minutes, they had a 14-point lead and had a scare when Memphis trimmed it to five in the final minute.