Detroit Pistons loses Jerami Grant due to frightening fall in the 109-99 loss to the Spurs

Detroit Pistons loses Jerami Grant due to frightening fall in the 109-99 loss to the Spurs

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A hot second quarter helped the San Antonio Spurs to leave Little Caesars Arena with a win on Monday.

Spurs led by up to 23 points in the second half and delivered the Detroit Pistons his fourth consecutive defeat, 109-99. San Antonio hit 69.6% in the second quarter and took a 10 point lead in the interval. It became a 20-point lead at the end of the third quarter, while the Pistons struggled to prevent their penetration to the rim.

Josh Jackson led the Pistons with 15 points from the bench and Jerami Grant scored 14. Dejounte Murray led the Spurs with 19 points.

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The Pistons – who at 10-29 are now just one game from Minnesota for the NBA’s worst record – hit just 7 out of 25 out of 3 (28%) and were unusually inaccurate on the line, making 14 out of 25 free throws.

The Pistons will host Toronto on Wednesday and will have up to 750 fans in attendance.

Grant leaves the game after a violent fall

Grant had a frightening moment at the end of the third quarter, when he was slow to get up after a forced hip fall. He was caught between two defenders during a move to the edge and lost his balance in the air. The Pistons took a break and the medical team took care of him.

He did not enter the game after the 3:12 mark of the third quarter. It is unclear whether he suffered an injury as he was later seen on an exercise bike on the side of the field. But its absence was felt. The Pistons fell by 14 when Grant fell, and lost 23 minutes in the fourth half by 23.

After the game, the team said Grant would have returned to action if the game hadn’t already been a blow.

McGruder starts for the first time

Rodney McGruder’s rise in rotation has become a positive storyline for the Pistons this season, as he has emerged as one of Detroit’s most stable wings. He only appeared in four games before February and did not break the rotation until injuries in the backcourt made way for him. His 20-point play and five assists against the Raptors on March 4 seemed to be a breakthrough, and Monday marked his sixth consecutive appearance.

He started his first game of the season against the Spurs, with Wayne Ellington and Hamidou Diallo both with groin injuries. And he was once again one of Detroit’s most effective players. McGruder opened the game with a lob for Mason Plumlee for a dunk, and added 3 points and a transition layup during the first six minutes of the first quarter. He finished with 13 points out of 5 out of 10 shots in 25 minutes.

McGruder can record more starts, depending on how long Ellington and Diallo have been away. He came into play with 42.1% of shots in 3, and made two of his four attempts on Monday. He is also a good ace – something for which coach Dwane Casey praised him. McGruder filled in as a reserve guard and runs a point during practice, said Casey.

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The shooting drop outside Jackson continues

Jackson threw a consistent scoring punch off the bench for the Pistons, and that continued on Monday. His outside shot was a force at the start of this season, but he has been on a slump for the past month.

Since February 11, Jackson has made eight of his 43 attempts at 3 points, or 18.6%. He missed all three 3s on Monday. Although Casey expressed confidence on Sunday that Jackson will make them fall, it was inopportune for a light Pistons team to shoot. After Svi Mykhailiuk’s departure, they have three consistent threats from outside goals in the rotation – Grant, Saddiq Bey and Ellington.

Please contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Read more about Detroit Pistons and subscribe to our Pistons newsletter.

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