No Cade Cunningham. No Isaiah Stewart. No Saddiq Bey. No problem.
The Detroit Pistons, battered by injuries, pulled off their second road upset in as many nights by defeating the Utah Jazz at Vivent Arena, 125-116, on Wednesday. After starting the season 0-10 on the road, the Pistons have now won consecutive road games against the second and fifth-best teams in the Western Conference.
It was another balanced effort for Detroit, as Bojan Bogdanovic (23 points, five rebounds), Kevin Knox (season-high 21 points, 6-for-8 from 3), Marvin Bagley III (19 points, 9-for-10 shooting, six rebounds), Alec Burks (18 points) and Jaden Ivey (16 points, six rebounds, five assists) all reached double figures in scoring.
Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic drives to the basket against Jazz forward Kelly Olynyk in the first half on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022, in Salt Lake City.
It was a homecoming game for Bogdanovic, who returned to Utah for the first time since being traded in September. He played for the Jazz from 2022-22.
After shooting better than 50% on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday and against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, the Pistons shot 49.4% on Wednesday and are in the midst of their best offensive stretch of the season despite missing three of their top five players. They’ve also scored at least 120 points in three of their last four games, after crossing the threshold just once in their previous 16 games.
KNOCKING AT THE DOOR:Detroit Pistons’ Kevin Knox capitalizing on big opportunity after being buried on bench
Detroit led by as many as 14 points, but Utah cut the deficit to three with 3:49 to play with a driving layup from Jordan Clarkson. Burks responded on the other end with a clutch 3-pointer, and the Pistons iced the game by going 9-for-10 at the free-throw line in the final two minutes. The Pistons got 58 points from their bench and shot 50% — 12-for-24 — from 3.
Killian Hayes missed the second half with a left calf injury.
Knox stays hot
Early in the fourth quarter, Knox closed out too hard on a 3-point attempt by Jazz wing Simone Fontecchio. The Italian sharpshooter made all three free throws,…
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