Ebuka Okorie Stamps Detroit Pistons’ 129-125 Preseason Win Over Toronto Raptors

After four preseason games, Detroit Pistons rookie point guard Ebuka Okorie already looks like he has a flair for the dramatics. 

On Friday night, Okorie was responsible for 14 key points in the fourth quarter and helped the Pistons fight their way back into the lead down the stretch when the Toronto Raptors made a valiant late-game charge. But despite that surge, Okorie steered the ship back into the harbor for a smooth 129-125 victory to cap off Detroit’s preseason affair at 3-1.

After the narrow win, Pistons assistant coach Jarrett Jack met with the media as a “reinforcement” since head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was struggling in the vocal department, and he provided a first-hand assessment of what stood out from Detroit’s third exhibition victory. 

”Our young group, that last group coming in and playing Pistons Basketball after sitting around for quite some time was really impressive,” Jack said. 

In just nine minutes, Okorie went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field while knocking down five of his six free throw attempts in the clutch to make sure that the Pistons finished strong against another difficult Eastern Conference opponent. 

Early on, the Pistons received an initial boost from Jalen Duren, who was responsible for Detroit’s first two points in two consecutive games. JD continued to look spry, skillful and most of all powerful in his somewhat quieter 14-point performance against the Raptors, though he left the game late in the third quarter and returned to the locker room. 

But when the All-Star center was in the game, Duren looked every bit the All-NBA player that he was honored as last season. JD was on the business end of several emphatic slam dunks and lobs on Friday, which showcased the athleticism from one of the game’s premier big men. 

Cade Cunningham was the trusty quarterback for several of those Duren dunks against the Raptors, and that’s a two-man connection that will fuel Detroit all throughout the regular season. Cunningham was exceedingly effective on the night with 18 points on an 8-for-12 shooting performance overall, and the Oklahoma State product drilled a pair of triples to contribute to the Pistons’ 41% mark from long-range in the preseason finale. 

Elsewhere in the starting lineup, Ausar Thompson had one of his better all-around offensive efforts of the preseason. Thompson looked both assertive when handling the rock and confident when rising up for mid-range jumpers, and any improvement in those two areas would open up a lot of doors for the Pistons this season. In all, AT put up 12 points for Detroit with a peerless 5-for-5 shooting display that could foreshadow a big offensive leap from the fourth-year wing. 

On the other side, the Raptors actually opted to rest all of their starters ahead of the Eastern Conference battle, but the Pistons stuck to a fairly standard rotation. Paul Reed was the first substitute off the bench to give Duren a brief rest early in the first quarter, but the second-string included contributions from Isaiah Joe, Kevin Huerter, Ron Holland II and Daniss Jenkins as well. That group went back and forth with the Pistons’ starters for the lion’s part of three quarters, but Bickerstaff flexed to his bench for the final 15 minutes or so of Friday night’s contest. 

For three quarters, Detroit was a tad bit sluggish by Jack’s estimation, but the assistant coach reaffirmed that the Pistons were able to close out the preseason on a positive note ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s regular season opener against the Boston Celtics.