New-Look Pistons Win in Debut
With Ben Wallace back on the sidelines, and free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva joining the Pistons this year, head coach John Kuester is willing to take the preseason one step at a time, considering the team’s had 10 practices together at this point. The Pistons turned Kuester into a debut winner on Monday night, as they beat the Miami Heat 87-83 in both teams’ preseason opener.
“This is a work in progress, and we’ve only had 10 practices,” Kuester said. “Still, no matter what the situation is, you want to win games.”
Rookie Austin Daye made the biggest splash of the night, running down what looked like an uncontested layup for Dwayne Wade to lay down a monster block on the All Star.
“He told me ‘nice hustle’ after I blocked it,” Daye said. “I had just turned the ball over, so I was trying to make up for it by getting back on defense. I guess Detroit is the perfect environment for the fans to appreciate a play like that.”
Gordon scored 11 points as did PF Chris Wilcox, who left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Pistons in the offseason. The Pistons led by as much as 17 in the second half, with Miami closing the gap in the final minutes.
