Pistons forward Ron Holland was displeased with the team’s performance on defense against Utah
With the Pistons looking for their third straight win on the road and fourth consecutive victory overall, Detroit came up one bucket short against the Utah Jazz 131-129 in a game that went down to the final possession.
With the Pistons trailing by four, Cade Cunningham drove hard to the paint and elevated for a powerful two-handed slam to pull Detroit within one possession with just over a minute left in the game. Immediately after, Cunningham gambled in the backcourt on a steal and came up with the ball before forcing a foul call with the game on the line.
Cade stepped to the charity stripe and hit both of his shots to tie the game at 129 apiece. From there, Jazz guard Keyonte George rose to the occasion and hit a tough runner in the paint to give Utah the decisive two-point lead.
After the game, Pistons forward Ron Holland spoke about what ultimately ailed Detroit in a contest that was up for grabs until the very end.
“We weren't aggressive coming out of the half like we talked about at halftime,” Holland said. “I think that's, I think it’s unacceptable for us. We know what kind of team we are trying to be. I mean, having two days off of Christmas and having a conversation with this team, knowing that, like I said, we're trying to make that huge step this year. We just was being lackadaisical on defense, and we talked about it after the game and we know we got to fix.”
As Holland alluded to, the Pistons exited halftime with a one-point lead, but Detroit quickly saw that advantage dissipate as George and Lauri Markkanen continued to rain down shots from long-range. In the third quarter, the Jazz put up a whopping 44-points, and that was too much for the Pistons to make up late in the fourth quarter.
As for Holland, the second-year spark plug played an important role for the Pistons on Friday night en route to 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in a role that’s become familiar for the defensive ace. Holland knows that he’s looked upon to change the pace and kick the momentum back in Detroit’s direction, and that’s an angle that he worked on against the Jazz.
“Just keep being that pop and spurt off the bench,” Holland said. “I'm coming back from injury, but nothing’s really changed for me. I know more of my assignment and what my job is for this team, and just going out there and just trying to win us every single possession that I can.”
In terms of that injury, Holland said that his knee sprain was a bit of a “slow” process in his opinion, but the dynamic reserve forward stressed that the main goal was to come back fully healthy.
Now, Holland and the Pistons will focus on correcting a couple defensive lapses before taking on the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 9 pm.
For more information on the latest Detroit Pistons team or player news, follow @EricJRutter on X for continued basketball coverage. Also be sure to look up Roundtable - Michigan Men Media on Facebook for continued social media coverage of all the sporting teams in the Mitten.