Pistons – Mavericks: Killian Hayes is more determined than Luka Doncic!
It’s glory day for Killian Hayes! The French, who have been on the rise since Cade Cunningham was injured, had the best performance of their career with a 131-125 overtime victory. He answered Luka Doncic by scoring 8 of his team’s 14 points!
Dallas looked to have done the hard part by tying the score thanks to Christian Wood (125-125), but Killian Hayes hit two 3-pointers to seal the victory.
To read: Killian Hayes, MVP of the night
It took courage and mentality among the young Pistons, who led by nine points (115-106) with less than three minutes left in the 4th quarter. Luka Doncic’s defense was stellar then, but the Slovenian will play with others and Dallas will finish the quarter on an 11-2 run to win the stretch. It was Reggie Bullock who scored the tying basket before Isaiah Stewart missed the game-winning basket.
The rest we know with Hayes, a boss even on defense, to give the Pistons one of their best wins of the season.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Jaden Ivey 6th man. Returning from injury, Ivey came off the bench 4 minutes into the first quarter and would be involved in the next eight points. Facing the Mavericks court, he’s the one who breaks the lines with his aggressiveness, and we’ll remember his big 3-pointer in overtime.
– 4th quarter yo-yo. Adroit (57%, 12-of-24 from 3-point range) through three quarters, the Pistons went 0-6 from 3 early in the third quarter. As a result, their 12-point lead melted away in Texas, and Dallas went on a 17-4 run over five minutes to take control of the game. But the Pistons would eventually respond to regain a nine-point lead before cashing in on an 11-2 run at the clock.
– Free throws. It’s a rarity, but the Mavericks were more efficient from free throws: 48% to 54%! It had been nearly 25 years since the Mavericks had such a free throw deficit, shooting 15 below 50% from the finish line!
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Killian Hayes. This is the best game of his career, and not just offensively. Defended very well on Luka Doncic and behaved like a leader. 22 points, 8 assists on 10-for-13 shooting with game-winning baskets. Another?
✅ Bojan Bogdanovic. How valuable he is in this team with his distance address and accuracy! He is a quiet force and transmits his calmness to his teammates. We wouldn’t be surprised if Killian Hayes got a lot out of his presence.
✅ Marvin Bagley III. Christian Wood played against the double! Like Hayes, the former Kings interior is having one of his best games against the Pistons: 19 points, 13 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting.
✅ ⛔Luka Doncic. It’s hard not to mention him, especially since he played fair late in the 4th quarter. He didn’t do much, but on the other hand, his 2-of-6 free-throw shooting and defensive lapses proved costly.
⛔ Spencer Dinwiddie. He has the confidence of Jason Kidd, who left him on the court at “money time,” but Dinwiddie is a terrible 0-6 in shooting. The comparison with Hayes tonight is clearly not in his favor …
NEXT
Detroit (6-18): hosting the Grizzlies on Sunday
Dallas (10-11) : Saturday, 6 p.m., at Madison Square Garden
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