The Golden State Warriors get a chance to vent some frustration on the NBA’s losingest team when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night in San Francisco.
Both teams are coming off heartbreaking defeats, the biggest difference being the Pistons have had a day off since their 154-148 overtime disappointment in Salt Lake City on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz.
The Warriors must endure the second night of a back-to-back after blowing an 18-point fourth-quarter lead, capped by Nikola Jokic’s 39-foot buzzer-beater in their 130-127 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
Afterward, Golden State coach Steve Kerr found a silver lining.
“I feel for our guys,” he said. “These games all come down to the wire it feels like to us this year. We’ve probably lost four or five we should have won. And maybe we’ve won one or two we shouldn’t have.”
The Warriors rallied to beat the Pistons 120-109 in Detroit in November. Golden State trailed by four with 8:44 remaining in the fourth period before finishing on a 27-12 run that pulled out the win.
Stephen Curry paved the way with 34 points.
The Pistons were 2-6 at the time, with the defeat having been the fourth of what would turn into a 28-game skid that ended last Saturday with a 129-127 home win over the Toronto Raptors.
Detroit has dropped two more since, including the loss to the Jazz, who sent the game to overtime thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Alec Burks.
But Utah got the better of the extra five minutes, spoiling big nights by Bojan Bogdanovic (36 points), Cade Cunningham (31) and Burks (27).
James Wiseman had eight points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench in the loss, setting the stage for his first return to Golden State after the former No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft by the Warriors was dealt last February.
Pistons coach Monty Williams is most impressed by the 22-year-old’s improved defense this season.
“Wise has been a guy that’s grown, because he shows his wingspan, he tries to cover the ball,” Williams said. “You’re talking about a kid who hasn’t played 100 games yet and is still learning.”
Wiseman played 60 games, making 27 starts, for the Warriors, averaging 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds.
He has come off the bench exclusively for the Pistons this season after having started 22 of his 24 appearances for them last season after the trade. In 47 games for Detroit overall, he’s averaged 9.7 points and 6.3 rebounds.
–Field Level Media
