The Detroit Pistons are rolling in the New Year as the reigning NBA champions Bucks and early pacesetters Golden State stutter through.
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NBA basketball has been more unpredictable than it’s ever been in this 2021-22 season. There’s a ton of drama – both on the court, as well as off it.
There is really no clear-cut favorite for any of the major awards right now. The MVP race has at least 5 viable contenders at the moment in Giannis, Embiid, KD, Steph and Jokic. DPOY winners Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green have been unavailable for long stretches.
The Phoenix Suns have maintained their run at the top of the league on the back of excellent two-way play. But even they have been unable to separate themselves from the field. Their losses to the Warriors reveal a clear chink in their armour.
In the middle of all of this, the Detroit Pistons have suddenly emerged as one of the league’s hotter teams. Jerami Grant, who was having a down season anyway, has been a notable absentee as they’ve gone on a 5-3 run through the first fortnight.
✅ 4 consecutive wins in the 313
✅ 5 consecutive wins vs. the 6ix pic.twitter.com/lilk4Spvqf— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) January 15, 2022
Cade Cunningham has improved his play as expected. But the bulk of their scoring and field goal attempts are spread almost evenly across the team. Saddiq Bey has had something of a resurgence after a torrid couple of months.
Bey has improved his shooting from a dastardly 27.2% to a respectable 37% from 3 this January.
NBA Twitter reacts to the putrid performances by Steph’s Warriors and Giannis’ Bucks
With their 5-3 record, the Pistons stand ahead of the Warriors (3-5) and the Bucks (3-4) this month. While Golden State have been profoundly hit by Steph’s slump, Giannis and the Bucks have suffered some defensive lapses in their losses.
NBA Twitter, as expected, made a note of these proceedings.
In the month of January the Detroit Pistons have more wins (5) than Chicago, Golden State, Milwaukee, Utah, Brooklyn, Miami, and Philadelphia.
— Nick (@NicolasHenkel) January 15, 2022
The Bucks when they’re on National TV against a good team pic.twitter.com/JRalVD3g7A
— Henny (@Gintama_stan) January 14, 2022
Also Read – I am not Kobe Bryant”: Devin Booker respectfully dismisses comparisons between the Lakers legend and him.
Tonight was the Pistons first wire-to-wire win since January 25, 2021 — a span of 95 games.
— Austin Drake (@austin_drake) January 15, 2022
Steph Curry broke his 3 point record and turned into Simmons. pic.twitter.com/FRDsbJaR46
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) January 14, 2022