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Detroit Pistons hold on to beat Chicago Bulls

By Matthew Way

Apr 8, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) celebrates with center Aron Baynes (12) during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 112-99. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Reggie Jackson (1) celebrates with center Aron Baynes (12) during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 112-99. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Detroit Pistons salvaged a split in their 2 game home stand Tuesday night, beating the Chicago Bulls 102-91. The Pistons moved to 12-11 in a game where their bench sparked them to a win in the 4th quarter.

The Pistons came out firing on all cylinders in the first 16 minutes of the game, dominating the Bulls on their way to a 16 point lead with 4 minutes left in the second half. From there, things fell a part a bit for the Pistons. The Pistons lacked energy in the final 4 minutes of the second quarter and the entire third quarter, and the Bulls took a one point lead into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Pistons’ bench took over. Aron Baynes extended multiple possessions with offensive rebounds and played good defense which led to several transition opportunities.

In the end, the Pistons dominated the fourth quarter and were just too much for a Bulls team playing their fourth game in 5 nights.

B. Reggie Jackson couldn’t find his shooting touch tonight, but he made things happen for the offense with his passing in the pick-and-roll.  Jackson made the Bulls pay whenever they over-committed and found open shooters routinely in the first half.  He also had a highlight reel assist to Andre Drummond after a great defensive play.. PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON

B. Though he struggled from behind the arc (1-for-5 on threes), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope found his way into the paint on numerous occasions tonight and ended the night shooting 5-for-10 from the field.  He added 3 rebounds and 3 assists and played solid defense all night on whichever Bulls player he found himself guarding.. SG. Detroit Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE

MARCUS MORRIS. B-. Marcus Morris shot the ball well tonight once again, scoring 13 points on 9 shots.  He didn’t do much else, though.  Morris grabbed just one rebound and struggled to defend Jimmy Butler most of the second half.. SF. Detroit Pistons

TOBIAS HARRIS. A-. Tobias Harris took advantage of the Bulls switching a large percentage of pick-and-roll possessions.  Harris often found himself being defended by a smaller Bulls guard, and he punished them in the post, scoring a team-high 22 points and adding 7 rebounds.. PF. Detroit Pistons

C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. B. Andre Drummond was terrific in the first half, playing with a lot of energy and creating all kinds of issues for the Bulls’ defense.  Unfortunately, that energy was short-lived and Drummond disappeared for large stretches in the second half.  Drummond finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but he only had 1 point and 4 rebounds in the second half and was one of the reasons the Bulls were able to get back into the game.

STANLEY JOHNSON. D. Stanley Johnson got an opportunity to play tonight, but did not do much with it.  He mostly just got in the way offensively and he struggled to stay on the floor as a result, playing only 6 minutes.  On a night where the Pistons struggled to defend Jimmy Butler at times, Johnson should have been a factor.  But his lackluster play is preventing him from getting any extended minutes.. SF. Detroit Pistons

C. Detroit Pistons. AARON BAYNES. A. Aron Baynes was everywhere tonight, sparking the Pistons’ fourth quarter run with his great play on both ends.  Baynes scored 8 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and added an assist, 2 steals, and a block to stuff the stat sheet.  Baynes extended several important fourth quarter possessions with offensive rebounds and his good defense led to several transition opportunities that allowed the Pistons to close the game out.

PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH. B. Ish Smith struggled from the field, shooting 2-for-11, but he found other ways to make an impact on the game.  Smith consistently pushed the floor and exploited transition opportunities when the Pistons’ offense was struggling in the second half.  His 10 assists were an important part of the Pistons’ comeback win tonight.

B+. Jon Leuer was again a stabilizing force coming off the Pistons’ bench. Leuer scored 9 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and played good defense in a very solid performance. He even found himself in position for a highlight dunk in transition.. PF. Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER

SG. Detroit Pistons. DARRUN HILLIARD. B-. Darrun Hilliard continued his stretch of solid play tonight, scoring 9 points on 7 shots, adding 2 steals, and keeping the Bulls’ defense honest with his spacing.  With Stanley Johnson again unable to stay on the floor, Hilliard took advantage and made the most of his 17 minutes on the floor.

Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY. A. Tonight was possibly Stan Van Gundy’s best game of the year in terms of his game plan.  The Pistons were very well prepared for the Bulls and exploited their weaknesses on both ends of the floor in the first half.  They conceded open shots to poor Bulls shooters to great success, and the ball handlers were ready to pass the ball in the pick-and-roll when the Bulls’ defense over-committed.  Then, when the bench was playing well in the fourth quarter, Van Gundy stuck with them and they rewarded him with a strong win.. Head Coach

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