The Detroit Pistons took a huge hit during the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night
Before the Detroit Pistons could fully establish their rhythm against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, third-year forward Ausar Thompson jammed his ankle two minutes into the game and quickly ended his night before it even began.
Gaining speed in transition, Thompson went to change direction off his right leg when his ankle buckled with Spurs guard Stephon Castle in tight pursuit, and the Pistons’ swingman hopped over to a conveniently-placed court-side seat to assess his injury. Thompson hobbled to the locker room under his own power but with a noticeable limp, and AT never returned to the 121-106 Pistons’ loss.
After the game, Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart explained how Thompson’s unfortunate ankle injury shifted the direction of their road matchup with the Spurs.
“It changed it a lot,” Stewart said. “Obviously, AT brings a lot to the game. He’s able to do so many things defensive and offensively with his athleticism. He’s just such a great defender, so obviously losing him hurt us some.”
With Thompson out of the game, the Pistons fell into an even worse predicament when Jalen Duren picked up his fifth personal foul early in the third quarter. JD had already missed much of the first half when Victor Wembanyama coaxed him into four fouls, so the All-Star’s foul trouble limited his impact to just 12 minutes on the night.
As a result, the Spurs were able to thoroughly dominate the paint offensively with a 52-36 edge, which is an area the Pistons have excelled in for most of the regular season. However, Duren’s foul trouble combined with Thompson’s untimely injury was too much for the Pistons to overcome on the road last night.
“Ausar obviously means a lot to us,” Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “So, what we’re able to do defensively, what he does defensively, the impact that he has, obviously you miss, so we just had to figure out a way collectively to pick it up. I thought we did it in spurts, but you allow them to score 38 points to start the game, you’re climbing uphill, it’s not going to be an easy comeback for you.”
On top of those absences, Ron Holland was called for a foul on a play where Wembanyama hit the Pistons second-year forward in the face in the second half. Holland was forced to leave the game after the collision, and he was ruled out shortly thereafter.
Without Thompson or Holland available on the wing, the Pistons used that chance to dole out some additional playing time to both Kevin Huerter and Marcus Sasser. With seven points (3-for-4 shooting), five rebounds and two assists against San Antonio, Huerter had perhaps his most impactful performance since his trade to the Pistons, and the opportunistic shooter earned praise from Bickerstaff after his 17-minute outing.
“He’s a good basketball player, and he’s well rounded,” Bickerstaff said. “He can impact the game in so many different ways: his ability to shoot the ball, his ability to make plays, attack the basket, in the right spots defensively, came up with the steal. So, great opportunity for him to get some minutes and work his way into fitting in with the group.”
Given the Pistons’ approach as a defense-first squad that uses turnovers to produce easy buckets in transition, losing both Thompson and Holland significantly handicapped Detroit’s perimeter defense against the Spurs.
The Pistons will have one day to rest up before facing the Brooklyn Nets at home on Saturday, March 7 at 6 pm.
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