Brandon Jennings’ huge night helps Pistons light up Magic

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Jennings put up numbers – 24 points and 21 assists – nobody has since Steve Nash when he was winning MVPs. They weren’t cheap assists, either. Jennings repeatedly set up his teammates for easy baskets, turning the ball over just twice in the process.. PG. Pistons. BRANDON JENNINGS. A+

Monroe (24 points and 10 rebounds) was the primary benefactor of Jennings’ passing, scoring seven times on Jennings’ assists. With five assists of his own, Monroe kept the ball moving. The Pistons had 35 assists, their most in two seasons. Monroe became a little undone as the Magic mounted a late comeback, but his contributions were very positive on the whole.. PF. Pistons. GREG MONROE. A

C. Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. A. Jennings didn’t forget about Drummond, assisting the center six times. The Pistons shot 64 percent with him on the floor (and 52 percent overall), so Drummond didn’t have many opportunities to impact the game through his customary offensive rebound. But he still posted a monster line of 26 points, 17 rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Drummond got a confidence boost by making 6-of-8 free throws one game after <a href=

A. Singler scored 14 points, making 4-of-5 3-pointers, <a href=. SF. Pistons. KYLE SINGLER

Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE. B. Caldwell-Pope converted a four-point play after the Magic cut Detroit’s 21-point lead to two in the fourth quarter. That helped the Pistons pull away and salvaged the offensive night of Caldwell-Pope, who scored 10 points on eight shots. He had two steals and played adequate defense, too.. SG

Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. B. Tolliver showed tremendous hustle, even hurting himself in the process. But he returned to finish with nine points and seven rebounds.. PF

D. Augustin (five points on 2-of-9 shooting with five assists and two turnovers) participated in the Pistons’ good ball-movement, but not enough to justify his poor shooting and defense.. PG. Pistons. D.J. AUGUSTIN

D+. Meeks (seven points on 2-of-6 shooting, including 1-of-3 on 3-pointers) failed to boost the Pistons’ offense as we’ve been accustomed to seeing. Thankfully, they didn’t need him to.. SG. Pistons. JODIE MEEKS

CARON BUTLER. D+. Butler (five points on 2-of-5 shooting with meh defense) was just a tad below mediocre, which made him look pretty putrid on a night several of his teammates dominated.. SF. Pistons

D+. Anthony, who took all Jonas Jerebko’s minutes, showed why he usually remains on the bench.. C. Pistons. JOEL ANTHONY

STAN VAN GUNDY. B+. Van Gundy didn’t panic when the Magic stormed back. He just stuck with his rotation, allowing Jennings and Drummond to excel. He’s showing tremendous trust in his players, and they’re rewarding him. Van Gundy has clearly become looser since his days in Orlando, and I mean that in a good way (I think).. Head Coach. Pistons