Aussies in NBA: Bogut and Baynes face off
On Ben Wallace's jersey retirement night, two Aussie big men matched up as the Golden State Warriors suffered only their fourth defeat of the season, falling 113-95 to the Detroit Pistons.
Andrew Bogut had a relatively quiet night, finishing with 6 points, 6 boards, and 2 blocks in just under 20 minutes of action. As is usually the case, his biggest contribution didn't make much of a dent on his own box score, but it did impact an opponent's. Bogey played a big part in limiting Andre Drummond to a poor 6-of-20 shooting night, and this included a big block on the Pistons' young star in the first quarter.
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Bogut's first basket was also a fairly rare occurrence; instead of being set up with a lob, he drove to the rim himself after no passing options made themselves available (another example of his team-first mentality).
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As for Aron Baynes, he finished with an impressive line: 12 points (on perfect 6-of-6 shooting), 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks in just 9:28 of game time. He did all of his damage in the second quarter, scoring his first 10 points in a 3-minute barrage. For that stretch, he WAS the Detroit Pistons.
He also put them up in a variety of ways. Hook-shot? Check. Running layup? Check. Offensive putback? Check. Jumpers? Check, twice. It's a shame he didn't see more time out on the floor, but a leg injury sustained while blocking Leandro Barbosa early in the fourth quarter meant that he wouldn't check back in again.
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Check out the video below for the full highlights of both Bogey and Banger!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyJN80-DlZE
All in all, given their roles on their respective teams, Bogey and Banger had good games. Bogut's defense was solid as always, while Baynes really lit up the floor in the second quarter and played a big part in the Pistons' upset. Next up for the Pistons is a matchup with the stuttering Chicago Bulls, while the Warriors have a big Finals rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.