Ausar Thompson aggression, Ron Holland awakening push Pistons past Nets

NEW YORK – The Detroit Pistons kicked off their NBA Cup slate with an authoritative win on the road.

They defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 110-94, Friday, Oct. 30, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn to improve to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in NBA Cup play. Their next Cup group play game is Nov. 20 at home against the Toronto Raptors.

A 31-7 run allowed the Pistons to take control in the third quarter, taking a game-high 96-66 lead with 11:13 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Nets (0-5) were held to 40% overall and the Pistons also forced 24 turnovers.

Cade Cunningham led the way with 20 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ron Holland set a season-high with 18 points and hit two of his five 3-point attempts, and Duncan Robinson (17 points), Paul Reed (12 points) and Ausar Thompson (11 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals) also reached double figures.

Michigan alumnus Moe Wagner led Brooklyn with 16 points.

Here are two takeaways from the Pistons' win:

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Ausar Thompson’s aggression pays off

With five seconds remaining in the first half, Thompson crossed over Nets wing Chaney Thompson, drove right and then adjusted at the rim for an up-and-under finish with his left hand. The bucket capped a strong two-way half for Thompson, whose aggression on offense helped the Pistons take control of the game during the second quarter.

Thompson entered halftime with nine points, five rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. It was a performance that highlighted how crucial he is to the Pistons’ offense, and was a much better outing compared to his first half of Tuesday’s loss to the New York Knicks, during which he tallied zero points on one shot attempt and an assist.

The 23-year-old was critical of his passive start after the Knicks loss, and he corrected with 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the second half. When he’s engaged, he knows the Pistons become more potent.

“I feel like when teams play off me, I’ve gotta do that off-rip,” Thompson said earlier this week. “Not wait until we’re down 28 to start doing that because it makes them see me as a threat.”

Thompson scored six points and dished four assists during the second quarter, which the Pistons won 35-21 to take the lead for good with 3:58 remaining on the clock. He pushed the ball in transition and located open shooters, including a nifty bounce pass to Robinson that led to a 3-point play.

Thompson even knocked down a short midrange jumper with 3:11 left in the half.

Ron Holland finally finds groove in third quarter

It hasn’t been the start Holland wanted for his third season. But once he finally got a 3-pointer to fall, the rest of the floor appeared to open up for him.

After starting the season 0-for-7 from deep, Holland finally hit his first 3 with 3:53 left in the third quarter to extend the lead to 80-61. He then found his confidence, converting two difficult finishes in the paint before knocking down another 3-pointer. He scored 12 of his season-high 18 points in the third.

Entering Friday, Holland was shooting 6-for-21 overall (28.6%). His inefficiency was coupled with a lack of defensive discipline, picking up three fouls in three consecutive games. Though he still tallied three fouls in Brooklyn, it was offset by his best offensive performance of the young season.

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