The Dwane Casey era promised to bring ball movement and a barrage of 3-pointers for the Detroit Pistons.
That didn’t occur Wednesday night in their home opener against the Brooklyn Nets.
But they did have the inside tandem of Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond.
Griffin scored 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds and added six assists in the Pistons’ tight 103-100 victory.
And Drummond added 24 points, 20 rebounds and a 3-pointer as the Pistons avoided an embarrassing start to the 2018-19 season.
Drummond also contributed several putbacks off offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter — the last giving the Pistons a 99-94 lead with two minutes left.
The Nets (0-1) had a chance to take the lead late, but the Pistons forced a turnover with 7.8 seconds remaining while clinging to a 101-100 lead.
Reggie Jackson hit two free throws to give the Pistons a three-point lead with 6.2 seconds remaining.
The Pistons’ Glenn Robinson III forced a tough 3-point attempt from Joe Harris, who missed badly.
Griffin picked up the loose ball and the Casey era was off to a 1-0 start.
The Nets had an easy path to the rim all night long, scoring 66 points in the paint.
The Pistons were missing their two best perimeter defenders in Stanley Johnson and Reggie Bullock, who were ruled out in the pregame.
And the Nets wing players took advantage.
The Pistons could not keep Spencer Dinwiddie (a former Piston) and Caris LeVert (a former Michigan Wolverine) out of the paint on straight-line drives.
Dinwiddie finished with 23 points and LeVert scored a game-high 27.
Youth movement
No one predicted the Pistons opening night active roster.
But when both starting wing players — Johnson (sore foot) and Bullock (illness) — were ruled out, Casey was forced to improvise.
He started second-year shooting guard Luke Kennard and rookie combo guard Bruce Brown.
Kennard, the 2017 first-round pick, wasn’t a surprise.
But Brown, a second-round pick, was.
He has quickly earned Casey’s trust with a defense-first mentality.
He was solid guarding Nets guards Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell.
He is a non-threat offensively and it’s doubtful he will be a rotation regular.
He was 0-for-3 in 19 minutes.
There was another mild surprise on the active list.
Zach Lofton, an undrafted rookie, was on the active list and second-round choice Khyri Thomas was not.
Lofton, who signed a two-way contract Monday, received four minutes in the first and missed his only shot.
But he has impressed.
The Pistons' front office appears to have unearthed two potential rotation pieces, which is important considering the franchise’s spending limitations over the next two seasons.
Helpful schedule
The Pistons have an advantageous schedule to start the season.
Four of the first five games are at LCA.
There are only four back-to-backs before the calendar turns to 2019.
The team doesn’t travel west of the Mississippi River until the day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 21 at Houston).
The potential is there for a strong start, which added a touch of importance to Opening Night.
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