Detroit Pistons waste 4Q turnovers in loss to Utah Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — A poor defensive game cost the Detroit Pistons dearly in Utah.

The Pistons lost 131-129 to the Utah Jazz when Cade Cunningham missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left. Then Jazz guard Keyonte George (31 points) hit the game-winning floater on the other end.

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The Pistons lost to the Jazz by 44 points in the third quarter, allowing them to shoot 48.9% overall, including 47.4% from three-point range (18 of 38). Cunningham scored 29 points and 17 assists, and Tobias Harris had 16 points and 7 rebounds.

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The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Pistons (24-7), who need two games to reach the Western Conference at the end of the 2025 calendar year. Next up, the Pistons travel to Los Angeles for a pair of games; they’ll take on the 8-21 Clippers on Sunday (9 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit Extra) before wrapping up the road trip against LeBron James and the Lakers in a nationally televised Tuesday game (FSND, NBC, Peacock).

Pistons’ second-half woes continue

Before halftime, the situation in the desert was not favorable for the Pistons. The Jazz ended the second quarter with a 24-14 surge, reducing the 11-point lead to 1 point at 68-67. The first half was below the Pistons’ usual defensive level, allowing the Utah Jazz to make 11 of 24 three-point attempts (45.8%) and forcing just five turnovers.

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In the third quarter, the Pistons couldn’t get any stops on defense and couldn’t benefit from the referee’s whistle. They gave up 44 points, in part because they were called for 14 personal fouls after committing just six in the first half. Utah made 17 of 18 free throws, while the Pistons made just three of six free throw attempts.

With 2 minutes and 34 seconds left in the game, Kevin Love hit three free throws after Denniss Jenkins fouled, giving the Jazz their largest lead of the game, 104-89. They defeated the Pistons 37-21, with three-pointers from Jenkins and Javonte Green bringing the score to single digits, 111-103, entering the fourth quarter.

The second half of the week hasn’t been kind to the Pistons. The Portland Trail Blazers erased the Pistons’ 21-point third-quarter lead on Monday before Detroit rallied with an 11-2 run. A day later, the Sacramento Kings extended their lead to 21 points with less than two minutes left in the final quarter before the Pistons sealed the victory with free throws.

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Jaden Ivey plays well, minutes restriction continues

The Pistons got off to a tepid start, allowing the Jazz to build an early 9-point lead. Osar Thompson played less than 16 minutes on Friday and committed three turnovers midway through the first quarter, replacing Ivey. As soon as Ivey came on the court, the Pistons’ offense began.

After Ivey came on the court, the Pistons went on a 22-5 run, and he was the key. Ivey assisted Tobias Harris to narrow the gap to 23-21, and with 3 minutes and 51 seconds left in the game, Ivey’s three-pointer extended the score to 12-2 and led 26-25. Ivey made a layup at the last minute and assisted Ron Holland for a layup, extending the lead to 8 points at the end of the first quarter.

In the 14 minutes of the first three quarters, Ivey scored 11 points, had 4 assists, and made 3 of 3 three-pointers. He did not play in the fourth quarter, continuing a trend over the past two weeks as the Pistons recover from a fractured fibula and knee surgery.

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Please contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X @omarisankofa.

This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Pistons waste fourth-quarter turnovers in 131-129 loss to Utah Jazz