The Pelicans entered this game without Zion Williamson, which didn’t really matter since the Pistons were without Isaiah Stewart and Jalen Duren once again.
Against the Timberwolves on Wednesday, Nerlens Noel’s defense was a huge part of the comeback, but that was not the case today. He didn’t have an answer for Jonas Valanciunas, a player who probably weighs close to 60 pounds more than him.
Despite not being able to stop Valanciunas, the Pistons hung tough in the 1st quarter as they only trailed 32-28 after 1. It helped that Bojan Bogdanovic couldn’t miss, literally, as he was 6-of-6 in the quarter.