Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, full of heart, helps Pistons snap 13-game losing streak

Detroit Pistons 105, Phoenix Suns 103

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – A-

Caldwell-Pope broke a tie and put the Pistons up for good with 1:13 left on a 3-pointer right in front of Phoenix’s bench. After sinking the shot that propelled the Pistons to snapping a 13-game losing streak, Caldwell-Pope turned around to face the sitting Suns and “let them know I do have heart.”

In his first matchup with Phoenix since Markieff Morris said he knew Caldwell-Pope would miss a shot because the Pistons guard had no heart, Caldwell-Pope overcame a sluggish start to lead the Pistons to victory.

He missed both his shots, including an air ball, threw a pass away and committed a foul in the game’s first 15 minutes. From there, he scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and collected three steals. In the fourth quarter, not only did he make the decisive shot, he also hit a big 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and drove for a dunk.

Morris, meanwhile, sat for most of the final period. When he entered late, his only contribution was a turnover on Phoenix’s final possession.

When he got the ball, I knew he was going to going to make a bad pass, because he doesn’t have any heart.

Andre Drummond – A

Drummond dominated, relentlessly attacking the rim and the glass to get his 23 points and 14 rebounds.

Jodie Meeks – C

Meeks, because the Pistons are 1-0 with him and 3-19 without him, will probably get too much credit for this game. He scored 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting (every shot inside the arc), a little better than can be expected in his first game back from a lengthy absence.

But if you’re not grading on a curve and judging Meeks only by what he did within this game, the results were spotty. He was sloppy, whether it was getting out of position defensively or taking a jumper with his foot on the 3-point arc, and a bit sluggish as he gets back into shape.

Again, though the shortcomings were expected, they were present. Still, I’m hopeful Meeks will be making major contributions before Stan Van Gundy’s 2015 projection.

Josh Smith – D+

12 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and 1-of-4 shooting from the free-throw line, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, two blocks, four turnovers, two fouls, –5. In many ways, this was a typical Smith game. There was a lot there, good and bad, but a little more bad than good.

His backcourt steal and immediate 3-pointer in the final moments of the first quarter was pretty awesome, though.

Greg Monroe – D+

Monroe was more active than effective. He scored 12 points on 3-of-9 shooting, going 6-of-7 from the line, with eight rebounds in 25 minutes.

Brandon Jennings – D

Jennings was all over the place, and I don’t mean that in a good way. He made multiple risky passes on the perimeter that wouldn’t have generated anything even if they had been on target. He scored 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting, assisted on four baskets and committed three turnovers.

D.J. Augustin – A-

The dribble penetration of Augustin (11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with six assists in 24 minutes) really opened the Pistons’ offense. They scored 117.6 points per 100 possessions when he played and 91.6 when he sat.

Jonas Jerebko – B

Jerebko made both his shots. He didn’t get a lot of burn, but he was on the court when the Pistons made a run in the first half and when they took the lead in the second half.

Caron Butler – D+

In the third quarter, Butler didn’t get back quickly enough on defense and had to foul. On the ensuing Detroit possession, he set a moving screen and didn’t play again. He wasn’t dramatically bad, but he seemed just a little out of it.

Kyle Singler – B-

Singler didn’t enter the game until late in the third quarter, when Butler picked up his fourth foul, which was a little strange. Was Van Gundy worried about Butler fouling out? Singler played just 12 minutes, his second-fewest of the season. It seems Meeks took both Singler’s and Cartier Martin’s spots in the rotation.

Upon entering, though, Singler made the most of his time, including hitting a key 3-pointer down the stretch.

Stan Van Gundy – A-

Van Gundy inserted Monroe into the starting lineup for Singler, going back to that big frontline we all love so much, because that unit performed well against the Suns earlier in the season. It didn’t have the same success Friday, getting outscored by four points in seven minutes, but Van Gundy wasn’t stubborn.

He started Butler over Monroe to begin the second half. He used Jennings and Augustin together in the fourth quarter. He played Caldwell-Pope and Meeks together down the stretch.

No matter who was on the floor, the Pistons kept throwing things at the Suns to keep them off balance.

After the game, Van Gundy admitted he should have had Smith – who’s shooting 48 percent from the line this season and 64 percent for his career – throwing the inbound when Phoenix intentionally fouled him late. Maybe Van Gundy is just trying to protect Smith, who missed both attempts and kept the Suns in the game, but this wouldn’t be the first time the coach publicly admitted a mistake. I don’t know whether the players hear that or even care, but I sort of like Van Gundy’s willingness to do that. I think it builds credibility and trust when he points out players’ mistakes. By pointing the finger at himself when deserved, it shows he’s more interested in assessing the problem than just tossing around blame.