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Oct 13

Preseason Game #3 Posted by pistonsnation
10/13/07 2:27 PM

[box score] The Pistons dropped their second straight preseason game in as many nights. Like to the prior night’s loss to the Cavs, The Pistons were in control for the first half of the game. Like that game Rasheed Wallace drew the ire of the refs whistles. Rasheed picked up his second technical (3rd of the preseason) with 1:50 left in the third for barking at the refs with of course means automatic ejection.

This game was called tight from the start, and even more so after the half. The Pistons were short two big men from the outset Amir Johnson (ankle) and Nazr Mohammed (calf), and the ones who were suited up all got into foul trouble resulting in extended minutes for Cheik Samb (18) and Ronald Dupree playing power forward. The foul trouble was half the trouble the other half, the more troubling half, was the rebounding disparity. Too many second chance points for Utah who is known for being physical and working the boards. The Jazz outrebounded the Pistons 55/38, with 19 coming on the offensive boards. I beginning to think we never beat Utah again…

GAME NOTES:

Samb collected 5 boards, scored 6 points, blovked a shot and fouled out in his 18 minutes of play
Stuckey had 11 pts, 7 assists
Sheed 12 pts, 3 blks
McDyess with 10 points, 8 boards
Jarvis Hayes led the Pistons’ scoring with 16, shooting 54%, to go along with a team high 31 minutes
Sammy Mejia saw 12 miuntes, but didn’t have much stat wise to show for it
The Pistons led by 12 at the half, but Utah used a 35 pt 3rd qtr & a 31 pt 4th to pull ahead
59 total fouls were called, Utah (25) Det (34)
71 free throws were shot Utah (41) Det (30)
Lindsey Hunter and Gerald Fitch both had DNP’s
Carlos Boozer didn’t play for Utah (personal reasons), Matt Harpring either (rehab injury)

QUOTES:

Chauncey on 2nd chance points:

“That’s something we are going to have to keep our fingers on all season long,” Pistons guard Chauncey Billups said. “We can’t keep letting teams have two and three shots in a possession.”

Saunder’s on Maxiell’s lack of defensive rebounding:

“The concern I have right now is with Maxey,” Saunders said. “I tell him every day and Joe (Dumars) tells him every day, he’s got to defensive rebound. If he can’t defensive rebound, then he really hurts himself.”

Maxiell on his lack of defensive rebounding:

“I know I am undersized, but I have to use my quickness,” he said. “I have to put my body on him and get to the ball before he does.”

Billups on whistle-fest ‘07

“No flow,” Billups said. “Preseason, refs are always working on something, so they’ve got to blow whistles somewhere. It’s tough, especially when you’ve got two physical teams like us and the Jazz, two really good defensive and physical teams. You can’t really get anything going in a game like this.”

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