Bynum, Stuckey and Gordon lead Pistons over Magic 85-80

November 3, 11:01 PMDetroit Pistons ExaminerDave Ryan

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Detroit Pistons Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)

With a face that looked like he just lost a street fight, point guard Will Bynum came out and stole the show in the fourth quarter tonight to help the Pistons knock off the Orlando Magic. Bynum's evening looked to be over prematurely after he was badly poked in the eye and actually had to be led to the locker room, but he ended up returning to the bench anyway and soon found himself back on the court. Then, with one eye at roughly 57% health, Bynum drove directly at Orlando's Dwight Howard and knocked the All-Star big man out of the game with his sixth foul. That proved to be the turning point in the game, as Detroit managed to hold on for their second win of the season. There's no doubt about it, Bynum's courageous drive was the play of the night.

The one-eyed man and his brief comeback story are sure to grab the headlines, but it was really a three person show tonight for the Pistons. The trio of Bynum, Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon combined for 63 points, which translates into nearly 75% of our offense. I'm not sure we even come close to winning this game if these three guys don't play as well as they did. Stuckey's shot wasn't really falling like it should be (when will it?), but he added nine rebounds and played 41 tough minutes. If he is going to continue to put up bricks like this then the least thing he can do is contribute in other areas, so nine boards is nice touch. Gordon, on the other hand, was a model of efficiency. He shot 60% from the floor in 42 minutes, led all scorers with 23 points and made all 11 of his shots from the charity stripe. That means he's now scored 22, 25, 26 and 23 points respectively in four games, along with going 20-20 from the free throw line over the past two. It's pretty obvious he's the anchor of the offense right now. Without him we could be 0-4.

Although he went scoreless in 26 minutes of action, rookie Jonas Jerebko's first career start (in place of an injured Tayshaun Prince) gave fans a nice look the young rookie. It's interesting that Jerebko got the call for ahead of first round pick Austin Daye, who is a more dangerous offensive player. I guess that inconsistent minutes are to be expected with head coach John Kuester still feeling his players out and getting a sense for their roles. Regardless, the over/under for the number of games until DaJuan Summers gets on the floor is officially set at 16. Any takers?

Box Score