Griffin’s 25 points, Drummond’s 27 boards lead Pistons over Nets 115-106
By Andrew Hejka
Blake Griffin scored 25 points and added 7 assists, while Andre Drummond had 17 points and 27 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons ran their win streak to five games.
The Detroit Pistons took care of business Wednesday night 115-106 over the Brooklyn Nets. Stan Van Gundy went with just an eight-man rotation, but he received contributions from many different places.
Blake Griffin scored 25 points, and much of the offense ran through him. Specifically late in the game, he was able to showcase his playmaking ability from the elbow to close things out.
Andre Drummond had 17 points and 27 rebounds, including tying a career-best with 20 defensive boards. He also contributed 3 steals and 3 blocks, and is now averaging 2.8 steals and 2.6 blocks per game over his last 5 games.
Stanley Johnson chipped in with 19 points. He was aggressive early and often, and used his strength in the post and on the drive to get good looks.
Fast start
In the first quarter, Brooklyn came out firing, with four of their starters knocking down a three-pointer. Stanley Johnson also jumped out to a good start, showing physicality on the offensive end with a tough layup in transition followed by a fadeaway jumper over Isaiah Whitehead. Also, Langston Galloway provided a spark with a quick seven points. The Pistons won the turnover battle 7-1 in the quarter, helping them to a 26-21 advantage.
Keeping the lead
In the second quarter, led by Timofey Mozgov, Brooklyn went on a 9-0 run to lead 32-31, but the Pistons answered, thanks to strong play from Anthony Tolliver and Ish Smith. A Smith buzzer-beating three gave the Pistons a 53-50 lead going into halftime.
The Nets came out slow to start the third quarter, missing 10 of their first 12 shots. On the other hand, the Pistons made 7 of their first 13 to take a 67-57 lead, and took a 79-73 lead to the fourth.
Closing it out
The Pistons came out strong to start the fourth quarter, scoring back-to-back fastbreak layups off turnovers and getting a 4-point play from Anthony Tolliver.
However, Brooklyn’s ball movement and shooting kept them in the game. They ended the game with 32 assists on 39 made field goals, while attempting a remarkable 51 three-point shots. Allen Crabbe scored 19 of his 34 points in the 4th.
Unlike the two teams’ most recent game in January, the Pistons were able to hold on. The offense revolved around Blake Griffin late, as a turnaround hook shot and feed to Smith for a layup put the nail in the coffin.
Game notes
Andre Drummond’s 27 rebounds set a season-high across the NBA. He fell two short of tying his career high of 29.
The three-man Pistons bench of Langston Galloway, Luke Kennard, and Anthony Tolliver outscored Brooklyn’s bench 30-15. They combined to shoot 55% from the field.
The Pistons are now tied for the 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, but are well within striking distance of a top 4 seed.
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Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Boban Marjanovic return to town when the Pistons play the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on ESPN.