Detroit Pistons surge to 125-114 win over Cleveland Cavaliers
By David Topham
The Detroit Pistons ended their skid with an impressive 125-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night behind great games from Stanley Johnson, Andre Drummond, Reggie Bullock, Anthony Tolliver, and Ish Smith.
In a night where the focus was off the court due to the Blake Griffin trade, a short-handed Detroit Pistons (23-26) squad fought and scraped their way to a 125-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers (29-20), ending an eight-game losing streak in the process.
The deck was stacked against them.
Detroit was without newly-acquired Griffin, Willie Reed, and Brice Johnson who were still in transit following last night’s trade, Reggie Jackson and Jon Leuer due to injury, and Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Boban Marjanovic who were traded away.
The Pistons were in their worst swoon of the season, losers of their last eight games and nine of their past 10. Plus, they were a lowly 3-12 since Jackson went down the day after Christmas, and it was the Cavaliers in town.
None of it mattered.
Bolstered by career nights from Stanley Johnson (career-high 26 points) and Reggie Bullock (tied a career high with 22 points) and a 20-20 performance from their newly-minted All-Star Andre Drummond, the Pistons rode a big second half to victory. Anthony Tolliver chipped in 20 of his own, while Ish Smith added 19, making it an impressive night for all five Piston starters.
This game may be more of an indictment on the Cavs, who allowed the short-handed and reeling Pistons to score a season-high 68 points in the paint and 27 fast break points. Cavs All-Star Kevin Love also broke his hand in the first quarter to make matters worse.
To the grades:
Ish Smith pushed the pace all game long en route to 19 points and seven assists. As he’s wont to do, he set a high energy level for his teammates to match, and they delivered.. PG. Detroit Pistons. ISH SMITH. B+
A. Reggie Bullock tied a career high with 22 points, 16 of which came in the first half. He was aggressive out of the gate, getting to the rim with some of his patented back cuts, and also provided strong defense.. SG. Detroit Pistons. REGGIE BULLOCK
A+. Stanley Johnson turned in perhaps the best professional basketball game of his career. He scored a career-high 26 points as he aggressively pushed the ball up the court and attacked the rim all night long. He also tied a career high with 10 rebounds, and added four assists, two steals, and a block for good measure. Considering Harris and Bradley were traded just over 24 hours ago, this couldn’t have come at a better time.. SF. Detroit Pistons. STANLEY JOHNSON
PF. Detroit Pistons. ANTHONY TOLLIVER. A-. Anthony Tolliver scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half. He poured in three triples, and even had two and-ones as well. With his stout defense and willingness to shoot, Tolliver is going to keep playing a role even when Griffin enters the lineup.
A+. Andre Drummond found out he’s going to be an All-Star before the game, and proved why he should’ve been one all along during it. The big man went for 21 points, 22 rebounds, seven assists, three blocks, and three steals in a monstrous effort on both ends of the court.. C. Detroit Pistons. ANDRE DRUMMOND
D. Luke Kennard didn’t have it tonight. He played the role of sixth man and logged 22 minutes off the bench, but made consistently bad decisions. They’ll be plenty of time for him to make good the rest of the season in the absence of Bradley.. SG. Detroit Pistons. LUKE KENNARD
Dwight Buycks still can’t get a foul call to save his life, but that isn’t stopping him from having good games. In 15 minutes of backup point guard duty, Buycks pitched in 11 points, two assists, and two steals.. PG. Detroit Pistons. DWIGHT BUYCKS. B+
D-. Henry Ellenson looked, for the most part, lost in his 11 minutes of action – his first since January 10. Slow-footed with a slow wind-up on his jump shot, Ellenson finished 0-3 from the field with two assists and one rebound.. PF. Detroit Pistons. HENRY ELLENSON
SG. Detroit Pistons. LANGSTON GALLOWAY. F. Langston Galloway logged a first-half DNP-CD (on tonight of all nights), but got nine minutes of run in the second half. He missed two three pointers in succession, then got his layup rejected as he tried to force it in traffic.
Detroit Pistons. ERIC MORELAND. F. Eric Moreland backed up Drummond in the first half, but played so poorly he didn’t make a second-half appearance.. C
B+. Head coach Stan Van Gundy rode his starters, all of whom logged over 30 minutes of playing time, to victory. His team came out with energy, pushed the pace, and attacked the paint, which proved to be a winning formula.. Head Coach. Detroit Pistons. STAN VAN GUNDY
Next: Things I like and don’t like about Pistons deal for Blake Griffin
This game kicked off a six-game homestand, so there’s hope left for the 2017-2018 Detroit Pistons. All eyes will be on Griffin’s availability for the next game on Thursday against Memphis.