Brice Williams shines, Ebuka Okorie inefficient in Pistons' loss to Suns
· Yahoo Sports
The Detroit Pistons erased a 17-point deficit but weren't able to complete a comeback win against the Phoenix Suns in summer league in Las Vegas, falling 100-88 on Wednesday, July 15.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
They were led by Brice Williams, who finished with 24 points (7-for-13 overall, 3-for-6 from 3), six rebounds and four assists. Isaac Jones (18 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, two steals), Ebuka Okorie (16 points, 5-for-17 overall, five assists, four turnovers) and Chaz Lanier (15 points, 4-for-9 from 3) also reached double figures.
The Pistons fell to a 1-3 record and will play their fifth and final summer league game on Friday, facing the Miami Heat at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Brice Williams finds offensive rhythm again
The former Nebraska standout had a rough outing in Monday’s loss to the New York Knicks, finishing with just five points on 2-for-11 shooting. He followed with his best performance in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Williams scored all 24 of his points through the first three periods and got hot during a 38-19 Pistons run that allowed them to take their first lead, 59-57, midway through the third quarter. He sparked the offense initially in the opening period after the Suns opened the game with a 17-2 run, following up a steal and layup from Drake Allen with two points at the line, a transition 3-point play and a midrange jumper.
The 6-foot-7 wing also knocked down the Pistons’ first 3-pointer of the night midway through the second quarter after they opened the game 0-for 12 from deep. It was Williams’ second high-scoring game of the week after scoring 18 points and knocking down 6-for-8 3-pointers on Sunday in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Okorie starts slow, finishes better
The No. 17 overall pick, like the rest of the team, got off to a poor start. But when Okorie began finding his groove during the second quarter, the Pistons followed suit. After missing his first four shots, he finally got back-to-back buckets to fall – both drives to the rim, the second an and-1 finish through contact.
Okorie's next bucket, a pump-fake to freeze his defender in the air followed by a step-back 3-pointer, was the Pistons' third triple in a row and cut the deficit to 10, 47-37. Late in the fourth, he drove inside for a layup and found Allen in transition for a layup on back-to-back possessions, cutting the deficit to 87-85 before Phoenix pulled away for good.
It was an uneven performance for the 6-foot-1 guard, who's struggled with his efficiency but displayed an ability to get downhill almost at will and find his teammates.
Jones plays bully ball
The two-way forward and reigning first-team All-G League performer has been the Pistons' best scorer through summer league. He used his strong frame to consistently bully his way into the paint and convert at the rim. His final two buckets of the first half, a layup and 3-pointer, capped a 25-11 run to whittle their 17-point deficit to three, 49-46.
Jones entered Wednesday averaging 16.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and a block through three games.
[ MUST WATCH: Make "The Pistons Pulse" your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]
Contact Omari Sankofa II at [email protected]. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Brice Williams shines, Ebuka Okorie inefficient in Pistons' loss to Suns