The Detroit Pistons were once again led by Chaz Lanier on the scoresheet, but they could not secure a victory against the New York Knicks
In their third Summer League matchup of the tournament, the Detroit Pistons had a difficult challenge in taking the court on the second leg of a back-to-back after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers by a 103-94 margin yesterday.
Playing with little rest, the Pistons came out strong in the first half and were once again led by second-year guard Chaz Lanier. After lighting the Cavs up from long-range on Sunday, Lanier had another impressive three-point display with 24 points courtesy of eight triples against the New York Knicks. But despite that stellar perimeter performance, the Pistons suffered a 86-75 loss to the Knicks, which brought their record in Las Vegas down to 1-2.
“Pretty much same thing as yesterday,” Lanier said after the game. “Just taking my shots, taking what the defense gave me. My teammates were finding me. I felt like we could have done a better job being more physical with them. I feel like we were pretty good in the first half, but in the second half they played harder.”
After lodging 12 points in the first Summer League game, Lanier was more aggressive with the basketball and began his assault beyond the arc against the Cavs. That continued today with a 8-for-13 showing from downtown, and his 24 points were enough to lead the Pistons in scoring once again.
Apart from Lanier, Detroit did not have another scoring break the 20-point threshold. Ebuka Okorie, who was selected No. 17 overall in the first-round of the 2026 NBA Draft, posted 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting from the field, so it is clear that the rookie still has a little bit of work to do before it is safe to say that he’s adjusted to the rigors of professional hoops, especially when playing with short rest. Okorie posted seven steals against the Cavs in what was an impressive defensive performance at the point-of-attack, but he only recorded two stocks against the Knicks (one steal and one block).
As for his rookie counterpart, center Ogunna Onyenso, the second-rounder out of Virginia had a behemoth five-block game against Cleveland, but he was similarly absent in the defensive department with zero stocks in the 11-point loss. Onyenso was held off the scoresheet to make matters worse, so it is rather evident that the Pistons will not be happy with their performance against the Knicks from today.
And for as hot as Brice Williams was from three-point range yesterday, the G-League was equally cold from the perimeter against New York with a 1-for-8 mark from three-point range. Williams totaled just five points on 2-for-11 shooting overall, so this loss can hopefully stand as a learning experience for the youngsters.
Moving forward, the Pistons have one more Summer League contest on the docket, which will be a matchup against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, July 15. If Detroit can secure a win in that battle, then they will finish their Summer League slate with a .500 record with a few positive aspects to build on before training camp begins.
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