Detroit Pistons (54-20) beat Minnesota Timberwolves (45-29) 109-87 on the road on Saturday, March 28. The final margin was 22 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Pistons struck first, taking the opening quarter 33-24 and a 9-point lead after one. The Timberwolves cut into the deficit with a 20-16 second quarter, though the Pistons still led by 5 at halftime.
The Pistons won the third 25-16 to create some separation, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth. The Pistons took the fourth 35-27; the Pistons finished the job for a 109-87 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Pistons got more from their shots, finishing at 58.5% effective field-goal shooting compared with 37.1% for the Timberwolves. The Pistons grabbed 28.6% of their own misses, while the Timberwolves recovered 23.6%. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Timberwolves did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 28.2 against 15.9. The Pistons made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Pistons produced 109.5 points per 100 possessions to 87.4 for the Timberwolves.
The Pistons' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 52-26.
Who stood out
Tobias Harris was the game's biggest individual force for DET: 18 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk on 7-10 shooting. His Game Score of 18.1 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Donte DiVincenzo led the Timberwolves with 22 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast on 7-18 shooting, good for a 14.5 Game Score.
Rudy Gobert (14 pts, 12 reb, 0 ast) and Jalen Duren (10 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 49% for the Pistons.
Across the last 2 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Pistons are now 54-20, and the Timberwolves are 45-29. The Pistons last five before this game: W-W-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.