The Detroit Pistons beat the Dallas Mavericks 131-125 in overtime (OT) in the only NBA game on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan to end their three-game losing streak.

Neither side was playing back-to-back, but the Mavericks players were in a very strange state. They didn't move much on the defensive end and were lackluster in protecting rebounds. Since the team comprises mostly average players, slow defensive rotations can be catastrophic.

As a result, the Pistons, which had the league's seventh-worst offense rating (109.9) and the fifth-worst points per game (109.1), managed to score 131 points at a field goal (FG) rate of 54.3 percent (51-for-94). Their 42.9-percent of 3-point rate (15-for-35) was surprising and might have caught the Mavericks off guard, but the Pistons worked solidly in the paint to get 54 points there.

The home team maximized their advantage in athleticism and power to dominate the rebounds in both total (52-30) and on the offensive glass (13-4). More rebounds meant more FG attempts for the Pistons. They took eight more shots than the Mavericks and made five of them.

Bojan Bogdanovic was the best-performing Piston on Thursday night. He destroyed every defender who tried to guard him alone. Having gone 10-for-14 from the field, he had the team-high of 30 points.

Killian Hayes was the biggest happy surprise for the team in the game. Almost considered a bust in his third NBA season since being drafted by the Pistons with the seventh pick in 2020, Hayes shot 9-for-11 in jumpers to get 22 points. He also made two triples in OT for the team.

Compared with the Pistons, which made up for their offensive shortcomings with energy, the Mavericks seemed to have almost abandoned their best advantage: discipline. They allowed their opponents to get too many open shots via only one or two extra passes. The Mavericks shot well from downtown (19-for-46), but their poor defense cost them the little good work they did in Thursday's game.

Luka Doncic was as sharp as he has been so far this season. He went 13-for-25 in FGs and 7-for-14 in 3-pointers to score a court-high of 35 points and 10 assists. Though Spencer Dinwiddie was struggling offensively, Tim Hardaway Jr. was there to support Doncic with six triples. Christian Wood contributed 25 points off the bench as well.

If the Mavericks had been defending like they did in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter from the start, they would have had a good chance to secure their second win in a row. Instead, the team failed to rotate the right way, even in guarding the fundamental players of the Pistons. Such disappointing defensive performance and attitude had cost the Mavericks games against the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets. These two teams, plus the Pistons, are the latest in the bottom three of the NBA this season.

Last season, one of the most important reasons behind the Mavericks' victorious series against the Phoenix Suns, they contained most of the Suns' players from making even fundamental contributions in attacking and made Devin Booker work hard for every point. That success came from firm implementations of coach Jason Kidd's well-designed tactics.

By contrast, in most games the Mavericks have played this season, most of the rest of the team just went to the court, watched Doncic drop crazy numbers by himself and then accepted a loss every two games. 

Their record after Thursday is 10-11. If the team continues to play like this, it is anyone's guess when Doncic's patience with the franchise will run. Remember, this is not 2010 when LeBron James had to wait for seven seasons to make "The Decision."