In their last loss, the Pistons gave up a 25-point lead in the second half. Against the Memphis Grizzlies, they got the opening basket and never led after that, falling into an early deficit.
They had a hard time getting out.
The Pistons closed within one point midway through the fourth quarter, but the Grizzlies rallied and held on for a 109-95 win on Friday night at FedEx Forum.
It’s the second straight loss for the Pistons on their five-game road trip, which continues in Orlando for two games on Sunday and Tuesday.
Jerami Grant and Delon Wright had 16 points each, Josh Jackson added 15 points and Saddiq Bey 14 points for the Pistons (8-21).
The Pistons had trouble handling the ball, with 21 turnovers, which led to 24 points for the Grizzlies. When the Pistons got close, their defense seemed to fail them.
“We have to take better care of the ball,” said Bey, who had four 3-pointers. “We had some costly turnovers and we can’t let our offense affect our defense.”
Sekou Doumbouya, who had missed the last three games because of concussion protocol, returned in the fourth quarter and provided a spark, with five points in the first four minutes. Those came in a quick 8-0 run that got the Grizzlies’ lead down to 88-85 at the 8:22 mark.
They got the lead down to 90-89 with 6:28 left after a lay-in by Mason Plumlee (10 points, 15 rebounds and six assists). A couple of turnovers led to two baskets by Desmond Bane, which pushed the lead back to six. That started a 16-1 run that put the game out of reach.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 29 points.
