The Pistons improved to 2-0 with a 105-99 win over Washington on Saturday night. Rod Beard, The Detroit News Las Vegas — The outcome of the game wasn’t as important as the status report for first-round pick Jaden Ivey. It’s always scary when a player lands awkwardly in a game. When it’s a top draft pick, it steps up. Jaden Ivey, the No. 5 overall pick, suffered an ankle injury after attempting a 3-pointer in the first quarter of Saturday’s Summer League game against the Washington Wizards. He went to the locker room and did not return to play, although he returned to the bench in the second half. Pistons Summer League coach Jordan Brink said there has been no update on Ivey’s condition, but the level of concern does not appear to be high for the long-term outlook. “I don’t think (we’re) too worried, but I have to talk to (the medical staff) about it,” Brink said. “I haven’t spoken to them yet.”
The Pistons cruised in the first half, but had to hold on in the fourth quarter for a 105-99 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center. The injury bug is hitting the roster hard, with Ivey (right ankle) and Saben Lee (left ankle) not returning to the game and Killian Hayes not playing. The Pistons (2-0) had enough depth to weather the injuries, with Isaiah Livers leading the way with 20 points and five rebounds. Braxton Key added 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists and Isaiah Stewart had 14 points and nine rebounds. “I thought we moved the ball really well. We had 23 assists, and that was a point of emphasis to get off the ball. I thought we dribbled it and pounded it a little too much last game,” Brink said. “We did a really good job of playing with a point-five mentality, moving the ball and creating open looks. “We made 14 3-pointers and shot almost 50 percent from 3. I thought it was just ball movement and just the mentality of good-to-great passing.” After building a 27-point lead in the first half and trying to put the game away, the Wizards lost the lead behind Jordan Schakel (24 points) and Jordan Goodwin (20 points and five rebounds). The Wizards (0-1) pulled within 91-90 with 3:44 left on a pair of first-round free throws by Johnny Davis, but Stewart answered with a 3-pointer. Shackle hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to one, but Key scored on a backdoor and intercepted a nice pass from Jalen Duren (13 points, six rebounds) and Livers added a 3-pointer to push the lead back to six with 1:50 remaining. Washington followed with a jumper by Goodwin and a pair of free throws by Schakel to make it 99-97, but Stewart had a tip-in and Livers added two free throws to give the Pistons some breathing room. However, concern for Ivey was at the forefront. “I was upset with him because he’s a competitor. If you saw it, try to stay in. I’d tell him, ‘Brother, get off the field and look at it,’” Livers said. “He’s a great player, a great kid and talented, but off the field , is already a great teammate. “He’s already looking like he’s going to be one of his best teammates already, so I’m backing him 1,000% and I hope his ankle is OK.” On the play, Ivey landed on the defender’s leg and spun around on the field for a few seconds. He got up and hit the scorer’s table in frustration after the injury. After struggling for a few more seconds, he was examined by medical personnel. The defender was called for a flagrant foul and Ivey stayed in the game and made all three free throws before heading to the locker room for further examination. Ivey had a solid first quarter, with 11 points, including a 3-pointer, a three-point play and five free throws. “I thought you saw him a little more comfortable early in the game, already from Game 1 to Game 2, just the tempo,” Brink said. “We wanted to give him a little more space to operate and use his speed. I thought you already saw the game slow down a little bit for him.” Pistons rookie Jalen Duren in his first NBA Summer League experience Jalen Duren had two impressive games as he helped the Pistons to a 2-0 start. Rod Beard, The Detroit News [email protected] Twitter.com: @detnewsRodBeard We offer great value on digital subscriptions. Click here.