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Marcus Morris and Jon Leuer shine, Pistons beat Timberwolves 116-108

By Matthew Way

Jan 16, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) takes a shot over Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) and forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-95. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 16, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) takes a shot over Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes (40) and forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-95. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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It was a career-night kind of night at the Palace of Auburn Hills for the second consecutive game.  Perhaps feeling left out following Kentavious Caldwell-Pope‘s career-high performance against the New Orleans Pelicans, both Marcus Morris and Jon Leuer scored career-highs and the Detroit Pistons (23-27) defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves (19-31).

The Pistons were full of energy early in the game and got out to an early ten point lead as a result. The Timberwolves slowly chipped away at the lead and closed to within one point by the end of the second quarter.

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At halftime, Morris and Leuer took over. Morris scored 21 of his career-high 36 points, while Leuer added 17 of his career-high 24 points in the second half.

At the end of the day, the Pistons’ two starting forwards were just too much for the Timberwolves, who dropped their second straight game and fell further out of the Western Conference playoff race.

For the Pistons, the win leaves them tied with the Charlotte Hornets for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. And, with two straight wins, they have their eyes set on a strong finish to the season for the second consecutive year.

C-. It was another sub-par performance from <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE JACKSON

C. Coming off a career-high in points, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope struggled to make an impact offensively tonight. Caldwell-Pope scored only two points on 1-for-7 shooting, but did facilitate some offense with five assists. It wasn’t Caldwell-Pope’s finest night defensively – his counterpart, <a rel=. SG. Detroit Pistons. KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE

A+. For Marcus Morris, it was one of those nights where everything went in. Morris scored hig career-high 36 points on 19 shots and came up big possession after possession for the Pistons. That was only half of the story for Morris, who played terrific defense on <a rel=. SF. Detroit Pistons. MARCUS MORRIS

Detroit Pistons. JON LEUER. B+. Jon Leuer was feeling it offensively tonight, scoring his career-high 24 points on the strength of a 4-for-7 shooting night from behind the arc. Leuer’s spot up game was crucial for the Pistons’ offense, but he loses some points for getting torched by <a rel=. PF

Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND. B. <a rel=. C

Detroit Pistons. TOBIAS HARRIS. C+. <a rel=. PF

SF. Detroit Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON. C. <a rel=

The defensive rotations just weren’t quite the same with <a rel=. C. Detroit Pistons. AARON BAYNES. C-

B. <a rel=. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH

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STAN VAN GUNDY. B. Stan Van Gundy had his team prepared, and it showed in a strong first quarter performance. Van Gundy’s decision to let Drummond roam a bit more defensively and provide help defense on Towns and Wiggins was a key in the Pistons’ victory tonight.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons

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