By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After 12 lead changes, the Detroit Pistons controlled the fourth quarter to beat the New Orleans Pelicans, 136-130, in Little Caesars Arena.
Replacing injured Cade Cunningham, German floor general Dennis Schroder made his first start as a Piston, chipping in 16 points with 4/12 field goals over 34 minutes. His tally expanded to five assists, two steals, and one rebound.
Off the bench in the opener of the NBA Sundays schedule, Italian forward Simone Fontecchio finished with eight points, two rebounds, and one assist in 18 minutes.
A third European option for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Swedish Bobi Klintman remained on a G League assignment with the Motor City Cruise.
Ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference standings, the Pistons went up to 40-32 in the 2024-25 Regular Season, six games safe in the race for a direct ticket to the 2025 Playoffs presented by Google.
For the visitors, Croatian Karlo Matkovic was the starting center but fouled out after 16 minutes on the court. He combined eight points with 11 rebounds.
Snapping a four-game losing streak, the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Utah Jazz, 120-91, in Delta Center. Jumping to 57-14, they created a distance of 5.5 games from the second-seeded Boston Celtics in the East.
Despite Finnish Lauri Markkanen being ruled out with an illness, Ukrainian Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk stayed on the bench for the hosts. Sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference table, the Pelicans and the Jazz have been officially eliminated from the Playoffs.