Thanks to a total team effort, the Detroit Pistons (30-36) rolled past the Chicago Bulls (22-43) on Friday night 99-83. Blake Griffin led all scorers with 25 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Five Pistons finished in double figures.
With just over one second remaining in the first half, a Blake Griffin free throw gave the Detroit Pistons their first lead of the night.
They would never look back.
Griffin led all scorers with 25 points, and the Pistons defeated the Chicago Bulls 99-83 at Little Caesars Arena on Friday night. Detroit snapped a four-game losing streak with the victory.
Andre Drummond (five points, 17 rebounds) also became the first player this season to grab 1,000 rebounds. He is also the first Piston to tally 1,000 boards in five consecutive seasons.
Chicago jumped out to an early 8-2 lead. A Kris Dunn (13 points) layup at the 9:22 mark prompted a Stan Van Gundy timeout.
The Pistons started 1-of-5 from the floor, but Griffin’s offense kept them within striking distance. He bullied his way into the paint, drawing fouls on Chicago’s young – but inexperienced – forwards. The 28-year-old finished with 11 points in the opening period.
Yet the Bulls responded quickly. Noah Vonleh (eight points) and Cameron Payne (17 points) answered with back-to-back 3-pointers to give Chicago a 32-23 lead just two minutes into the second quarter.
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They would lead by as many as 10, before Ish Smith (12 points, three assists) took control of the game.
He sparked a 7-0 Pistons’ run that pulled Detroit to within three, 39-36, with 4:30 to play in the half. Chicago simply couldn’t handle Smith’s speed in transition.
Detroit began to settle in offensively. There was much more movement, giving shooters like Reggie Bullock (21 points) and Luke Kennard (10 points) ample time to break free off of screens.
The Pistons entered the break with a 49-47 lead.
Detroit would blow the game open midway through the third quarter. Everybody seemed to get in on the scoring, including Eric Moreland, who finished with eight points, seven rebounds and three solid blocks.
In all, five Pistons scored in double figures. Detroit shot 47 percent from the floor, while holding Chicago to just 35 percent.
The Pistons will now hit the road for the next six games, where they’ve struggled all season. Away from LCA, Detroit has a 9-22 record. They’ll return to action on Tuesday when they visit the Utah Jazz. Tipoff is slated for 9:00 pm on Fox Sports Detroit.