Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart’s 31-point game highlights team-first ability

Deapite dealing with another shorthanded roster, the Detroit Pistons have not lost their momentum. They are now on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Chicago Bulls 108-93 on Wednesday night.

The Pistons approached the game with numerous injuries once again. While missing Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, and Tobias Harris, Detroit embraced the next man up mentality on the way to its 28th win this regular season. The anchor of the Pistons’ victory came from a career-high scoring performance from center Isaiah Stewart.

Stewart was unstoppable against the Bulls, totaling 31 points on 14-of-17 shooting from the field. That scoring prowess weathered the concern of the Pistons’ injuries. Detroit got off to a rough scoring start in the first half as a team. Outside of Stewart, the Pistons made 13-of-37 field goals from the field and 4-of-18 from 3-point range in the first two periods.

Detroit managed to rebound courtesy of its defense, a dominant fourth quarter, and Stewart’s efficient dominance on offense. Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was impressed by the breakout play from his starting center against Chicago.

“It’s him, right? It’s not new. It’s not different. It’s his ability and want to just do what’s best for this team in any way, shape that he can. He knew we were down scoring [options], obviously,” Bickerstaff explained after the game. “He got the ball in his spots and was extremely aggressive to help us put points on the board at times where we were really struggling to score the basketball.

“So again, it’s a credit to him, his willingness to just do what’s right by this team and accept any role. He’s done everything for us on both ends of the floor.”

Stewart shared some honest reflection in the locker room after the win with the media. He even admitted shades of shock in himself with how well he played offensively.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, I didn’t think I would touch 31 or 30 at this level just because of my role and the way I play,” Stewart stated to the media. “But when you have guys that’s down, and you need another urge on offense, my mind tonight was just to be ultra aggressive, try to take the right shots, try to propel us forward.”

Guard Duncan Robinson added 12 points in 23 minutes for the Pistons. Detroit also received 11 points each from Ausar Thompson, Ron Holland, and JaVonte Green.

Point guard Daniss Jenkins came off the bench for the Pistons and filled in with a career-high performance of his own. He put together the most impressive passing night of his NBA career by dishing out 15 assists.

Defense was Detroit’s calling card for the Wednesday night victory aside from Stewart’s impressive night. The Pistons limited the Bulls to 16 points in the fourth quarter and doubled their total with 32. They also forced the Bulls into 17 turnovers offensively.

“I mean, that’s the spark for us all the time. Tonight, it was kind of ugly and uncomfortable. Offensively, we couldn’t really catch a rhythm. But we knew if we could get stops, we could get out in transition, we could figure out a way,” Bickerstaff said. “For us, it’ll always come down to the defensive end of the floor. That’s our catalyst. It triggers our offense. It triggers the energy, the spirit of the guys. So again, I think we did a great job figuring out how to get stops and then let the offense come from that.”

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