What a slate of NBA action we had last night. Joel Embiid went for 40 and 19 in an overtime win over the Jazz, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert cried a whole bunch, and Draymond Green ended a thriller between the Warriors and Blazers with a losing charge. But that's all stuff to interest the casuals. Us real fans know that the biggest news of the night came out of Tampa, Fla., where the Pistons beat the Raptors, 129-105.
What was so special about this game? How about this: Pistons center Mason Plumlee finished the game with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Oh, and how about this: Plumlee's teammate, Dennis Smith Jr., finished the game with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.
As we've previously discussed on Defector, Plumlee has been a certified fiend for triple-doubles since his long-ago days in Portland, so it's not exactly a shock to see him notching the second triple-double of the season and his career in a game against the Raptors. That's just Mason Plumlee doing what he was built to do. It was more surprising to see Smith Jr. achieving the feat, as he only had two triple-doubles to his name coming into last night's game. Crazier still is the fact that, together, Smith Jr. and Plumlee made big-time NBA history:
🔥 @masonplumlee & @Dennis1SmithJr become the 12th pair of teammates to tally triple-doubles in the same game! #DetroitUp
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2021
Plumlee: 14 PTS, 11 REB, 10 AST
Smith Jr.: 10 PTS, 12 REB, 11 AST pic.twitter.com/rOYex3RtmO
The rest of the NBA better be ready, because it looks like there is a new dynamic duo on the scene, and their bond is as strong off the court as it is on it:
#Pistons Dennis Smith Jr.: "I love being out there with Mason (Plumlee). He's actually my neighbor, so we have a pretty good relationship."
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) March 4, 2021
Smith Jr. would be wise to stay close to Plumlee. There's no one better from which to learn the art of stuffing the stat sheet.
