Orlando, Fla. — The Detroit Pistons left Kia Center on Monday feeling more disappointed than hopeful.
They had fought back from a 26-point deficit against the Orlando Magic and managed to cut the lead to just four points late in the fourth quarter. However, their efforts ultimately fell short, resulting in a 123-107 loss.
“When we’re at our best, we’re defending at a high level. And for whatever reason, through the first three quarters, we struggled with that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “It was great to see our guys put that together. It would have been better, obviously, to close it out, but it was great to see them continue to fight and scrap.”
In Orlando, Kevin Huerter scored 17 points, with five assists and three rebounds. Amid a dejected locker room, it seemed Huerter was one of the players who took the loss against the Magic hard.
His frustration didn’t come from the Pistons’ 22nd loss of the season; rather, it stemmed from the team’s lack of effort. Amid the final week of the regular season, it’s a crucial time for the Pistons to establish a foundation for a deep postseason run.
“(In the fourth quarter), we finally started to play our game. We played with energy. We played with physicality,” Huerter said. “We created chaos defensively. Through the first three quarters, we were flat, but in the fourth quarter, we showed who we are.”
Huerter continued, “There was a lack of attention to detail, and everyone had low energy from the start. We did not have a good start, and that cannot happen. We played a team that is fighting for their playoff lives, but they are still a good team. We are not going to get away with playing like that.”
The Pistons have entered the final week of the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have secured home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs and are projected to have their deepest postseason run since the 2007-08 campaign, when the Pistons advanced to the conference finals.
Although the Pistons fought hard against the New York Knicks in a six-game series last season, there are still some concerns about the team’s limited playoff experience. However, the midseason addition of Huerter adds to Detroit’s postseason maturity.
He is one of four players with genuine playoff experience — joining Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert and Duncan Robinson. Huerter has played in 30 career playoff games, with his best run coming during the 2020-21 campaign. He helped the Atlanta Hawks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 11.1 points on 34.7% 3-point shooting.
Huerter observed how finishing the regular season on a strong note can influence a team’s success in the playoffs. The Hawks finished the 2021 regular season by winning seven of their last eight games.
“When we get to the playoffs, it’s a totally different beast,” Huerter said. “We cannot get complacent. We cannot expect to come in and flip a switch. Given the personalities in this locker room, I don’t expect that to happen. But we cannot let our foot off the gas, take a week off, and expect to flip a switch and come out firing in Game 1. We have to finish the regular season strong and continue playing our brand of basketball.”
Huerter had a slow start to his tenure with the Pistons. After being traded from the Chicago Bulls, he played in five of his first 12 games, averaging 11.2 minutes. At the time, it appeared Huerter would not find his niche in Detroit, but the number of injuries the Pistons have sustained since March has led the veteran guard to carve out a role in Bickerstaff’s rotation.
Since March 5, Huerter has appeared in 18 of the last 19 games, averaging 23.3 minutes per game with three starts. After helping the Pistons take a 129-108 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on March 26, Huerter has averaged 13.1 points on 40.0% shooting from behind the arc.
Since his arrival in Detroit, Huerter has said his primary goal is not to showcase his individual talents, but to help the Pistons reach the playoffs and validate their status as Eastern Conference contenders.
“For me, it is all about playing my game and being unselfish for teammates — playing my game on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively, flying around making plays and being in the right spots,” Huerter said. “I’m just trying to help my team win games.”
Bucks at Pistons
Tip-off: 7 p.m. Wednesday, Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
TV/radio: FDSN, Channel 20/98.7 FM
Outlook: The Pistons will play their final regular-season home game against the Bucks on Wednesday night. They have been dominant at Little Caesars Arena, 30-9, the second-best home record in the league behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. By securing the No. 1 seed on Saturday, the Pistons will have home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pistons ‘cannot get complacent’ in final week of regular season
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
