Drummond powers Pistons past Cavs

Andre Drummond had 23 points,16 rebounds and three blocks to boost the Detroit Pistons past the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 113-102 on Monday night.

Blake Griffin had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and Reggie Bullock contributed 21 points and four assists for the Pistons, who led by as much as 30. Reggie Jackson added 13 points and Ish Smith tossed in 11 off the bench.

Both teams were coming off long layoffs. Neither had played since Wednesday and the time off refreshed Detroit, which led by 20 at halftime.

The Cavaliers had six players in double figures, led by rookie Collin Sexton's 18 points and four assists. Jordan Clarkson had 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. Ante Zizic and Rodney Hood chipped in 12 points apiece.

The Pistons had three players in double figures by halftime as they rolled to 66-46 lead. Drummond led the way with 13 points, while Griffin had 12 and Bullock tossed in 10.

Detroit had a 24-10 run in the first quarter while establishing a 38-27 lead.

Cleveland went scoreless for the first five minutes of the second quarter as the Pistons increased their lead to 49-27. Reserve forward Stanley Johnson had seven points and an assist during that stretch.

A Sexton 3-pointer pulled the Cavs within 14 points at 56-42, but that's as close as Cleveland came for the remainder of the half. Bullock hit a three in the final second to push the lead to 20.

Glenn Robinson III and Jackson made 3-pointers to start the second half and extend the Detroit advantage to 72-46.

Bullock's 3-pointer with 5:44 remaining in the quarter maintained the 26-point advantage at 87-61. Less than two minutes later, Griffin made two free throws to stretch Detroit's advantage to 30.

Detroit started to lose focus later in the quarter and the Cavs climbed back with an 18-2 run. Clarkson converted a four-point play with 8:09 remaining to cut their deficit to 14, 95-81. Cleveland never got closer than 11.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Pistons ride big first half past Hawks

Andre Drummond had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way as the Detroit Pistons jumped to a 24-point lead late in the first quarter and coasted to a 124-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

The Pistons made a season-high 20 of 47 attempts from behind the 3-point arc and rolled to their second straight win after a five-game losing streak, despite just six points from Blake Griffin, their leading scorer at 27.3 per game coming in.

Griffin missed eight of his 10 shots, but had nine rebounds and nine assists as Detroit placed seven players in double figures.

Stanley Johnson had 22 points for the Pistons and Langston Galloway scored 16 while combining to hit nine 3-pointers off the bench. 

Rookie Trae Young scored 16 points and had five assists for the Hawks, who lost for the eighth time in their past nine games.

The Pistons hit 11 of their first 15 shots in taking a 26-8 lead six minutes into the game and turned a 40-20 lead at the end of the first quarter into a 74-51 advantage at halftime.

Detroit was 11 of 23 on 3-point attempts in the first half and took a commanding lead despite just one point from Griffin. He missed his only two first-half shots, but had seven assists and six rebounds at intermission.

The Pistons, who led 103-77 after three quarters, got 13 points from Reggie Bullock, 10 coming in the first half, and 12 from Glenn Robinson III.

Taurean Prince returned to the Atlanta lineup after missing two games with a sprained ankle, but had just six points.

Jeremy Lin scored 19 points off the bench for the Hawks, and rookie Omari Spellman had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Pistons, who won on the road for the first time Wednesday in Orlando, are home Sunday against Charlotte. The Hawks begin a four-game road trip Sunday at the Los Angeles Lakers.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Drummond, Pistons outmuscle Magic

The Detroit Pistons overcame two double-digit deficits to earn a 103-96 victory over the host Orlando Magic on Wednesday night.

The result snapped a five-game losing streak for the Pistons, who had started the season 4-0 before the skid.

Andre Drummond finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, including 19 points and 12 rebounds before halftime, to lead Detroit. Blake Griffin scored 20 points, and Reggie Jackson added 15.

Detroit trailed 78-67 with 3:22 left in the third quarter, but the Pistons held Orlando to just one field goal over the next 10 minutes of the game and took a 92-84 lead. Orlando made a run, cutting the deficit to 94-93 with 2:52 remaining, but Detroit put the game away with seven consecutive points.

The Magic were unable to build on back-to-back wins against San Antonio and Cleveland. Evan Fournier, who hit a game-winning shot Monday night against the Cavaliers, scored 27 points Wednesday. 

D.J. Augustin added 16 points, and Aaron Gordon and Terrence Ross had 15 points apiece.

Detroit erased a 15-point deficit early in the game with a 24-4 run over first and second quarters and wound up with a 58-51 lead by halftime. However, a 14-1 run by the Magic in the third quarter gave Orlando its second double-digit lead of the game.

Orlando was on top 31-16 with 1:25 left in the first quarter, but the Pistons closed out the final minute with 10 consecutive points, capped off by Drummond's second 3-pointer of the season that banked in off the backboard at the buzzer.

Detroit continued the run, which ended with a Langston Galloway 3-pointer that give the Pistons a 40-35 lead.

The matchup was between two of the league's worst shooting teams. Detroit and Orlando came into the night 28th and 29th in field-goal percentage, though the Magic have improved on that category recently. 

Orlando is shooting 47.2 percent from the floor in its past three games including Wednesday night -- up from a 41.4 percent average through the first eight games.

Despite their similar shooting struggles, the Pistons were averaging 8.3 points per game more than the Magic.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Drummond drops 20 and 20 as Pistons top Wizards

Andre Drummond recorded the 20th 20-20 game of the career and the Detroit Pistons won for the fifth time in six games by downing the Washington Wizards 103-92 victory on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena.

Drummond powered for 24 points and 23 rebounds as the Detroit averted a four-game sweep in the season series. 

Anthony Tolliver and Reggie Bullock had 14 points apiece and Reggie Jackson contributed 13 points and eight assists.

Pistons power forward Blake Griffin was a late scratch due to a right ankle contusion. Griffin missed his first game since joining the team in late January after a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Second-year forward Henry Ellenson picked up some of Griffin's minutes and chipped in nine points and five rebounds off the bench.

Bradley Beal led Washington, which has lost four of five, with 15 points but also committed six turnovers. 

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 14 points, Markieff Morris supplied 11 points, six rebounds, five assists and four blocks, and Tomas Satoransky added 11 points and six assists for the Wizards. 

Marcin Gortat chipped in a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Wizards forward Otto Porter suffered a sprained right ankle early in the third quarter and did not return.

All-Star point guard John Wall was active and in uniform for the first time since undergoing left knee surgery in late January but, as expected, did not play. He missed his 27th consecutive game.

The score was tied at 49-all at halftime. The Pistons scored the first five points of the second half and steadily built their lead throughout the quarter. 

Detroit outscored Washington 32-17 to carry an 81-66 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Drummond led a 12-2 run during the final three minutes of the third. He had a dunk, two layups and three rebounds during that stretch while Ish Smith contributed two baskets and an assist.

The Wizards chipped away and trailed by just six when Oubre made a layup with 6:10 left. A Satoransky layup less than a minute later made it a four-point spread.

Layups by Bullock and Jackson, sandwiching a Washington turnover, gave Detroit a 95-87 lead. Jackson hit a jumper on the Pistons' next possession for a double-digit advantage. 

Washington never got closer than seven the rest of the way.

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NBA: Drummond dominates in Pistons' rout of Nets

Andre Drummond recorded the 16th 20-20 game of his career with 22 points and 20 rebounds, as the Detroit Pistons cruised to a 114-80 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.

Drummond also contributed five assists and two blocked shots. Tobias Harris scored 22 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field.

"Definitely a milestone night for me to have those type of numbers," Drummond told a broadcast crew during his postgame interview. "Just went out there and played hard. That was really it."

Dwight Buycks scored a career-high 17 points and rookie Luke Kennard and Avery Bradley added 13 points apiece for the Pistons (22-18), who snapped a five-game road losing streak.

"In the previous games we played on the road, we allowed them to get us first, come out early and set a tone," Drummond said. "I think we did a good job of really setting the tone early in that first quarter, really establishing ourselves, and kind of just rolling the rest of the way through."


Allen Crabbe paced the Nets (15-26) with 20 points. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tossed in 15 points and Caris LeVert added 12 off the bench for Brooklyn.

The Pistons shot 51.6 percent from the field (48 of 93), while the Nets were held to 36.5 percent shooting (27 of 74).

Harris got Detroit off to a good start with 14 first-quarter points. The Pistons took control for good late in that frame, once Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy went to his bench. A Kennard basket started a 29-7 run to put the Pistons on top 53-31 with 5:19 left in the half. Buycks supplied eight points during the outburst.

From there, the game was never in doubt. Detroit led, 63-41, at halftime with Drummond already piling up 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Bradley's bucket with three minutes remaining in the third quarter pushed the lead to 30, 85-55. It moved to a 40-point spread at 104-64 with 8:20 left on a Kennard steal and dunk.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pistons snap Thunder streak

Marcus Morris scored 24 points and the Detroit Pistons snapped Oklahoma City's eight-game winning streak with an 88-82 victory Tuesday at The Palace.

The Thunder rested All-Star small forward Kevin Durant and power forward Serge Ibaka after defeating the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Oklahoma City scored at least 110 points throughout the streak, but it shot 37.8 percent against Detroit without the two starters.

Tobias Harris had 17 points, and Andre Drummond supplied 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Pistons, who won for the sixth time in seven games. Detroit (40-35) moved into seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, a half-game ahead of the Indiana pacers, who lost to the Chicago Bulls.

Russell Westbrook, who recorded his eighth triple-double of the month against the Raptors, shot 8-for-28 from the field while scoring 24 points against the Pistons. He added four rebounds and six assists. Enes Kanter finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds for Oklahoma City (52-23).

The teams combined for 35 turnovers, 19 by the Thunder.

Oklahoma City scored just nine third-quarter points -- its lowest scoring quarter of the season -- as Detroit grabbed a double-digit lead. The Thunder shot 3-for-20 and committed seven turnovers during the quarter.

The game took a sudden turn with the Thunder leading 51-48 early in the third period. Morris made a layup to set off a 20-2 Pistons run. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who missed his first eight field-goal attempts, put the Pistons on top with a steal and layup.

Morris also hit three consecutive jumpers during that outburst, and Caldwell-Pope finished it off with two free throws. That made it 68-53, and Detroit carried a 71-57 advantage into the fourth quarter.

The Thunder's previous low for a quarter was 11 points against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 15.

Detroit failed to score for the first 3:51 of the fourth, allowing the Oklahoma City to pull within eight.

A Kanter 3-pointer made it a one-point game, but Oklahoma City couldn't finish off the comeback. Reggie Jackson's dunk with 1:29 left extended Detroit's lead to 82-77.

Jackson (13 points) sealed the victory with four free throws.

Westbrook overcame a slow start to ring up 16 points by halftime as the Thunder led 48-46 at the break.

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Pistons find range to douse Heat in Miami

The Detroit Pistons have had their best long distance shooting performances against the Miami Heat so far this season.

The Pistons made 15 3-pointers Tuesday night and erased an early 18-point deficit in a 93-92 victory over the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The outcome ironically came down to a pair of jumpers that the Heat missed.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade had a chance to give the Heat (16-11) the lead in the closing seconds, but missed a pull-up jumper that was rebounded by Pistons forward Andre Drummond with 1.9 seconds left.


 Drummond left the door open for Miami, however, when he missed two subsequent free throws.

But Heat forward Chris Bosh missed on an open look with a foot on the 3-point line at the buzzer as the shot bounced off the rim. A replay later showed that the shot would not have counted as time expired with the ball still on Bosh's hand.

Detroit (17-12) made a season-high 16 3-pointers in its first game against the Heat on Nov. 25 which resulted in a 104-81 victory.

On Tuesday, the Pistons won their fifth game in their past six, largely by making seven triples in the second quarter as they outscored the Heat 36-18 following a 34-18 first quarter in favor of the Heat.

After suffering its worst defeat of the season the last time it faced the Pistons, the Heat put an emphasis on starting strong.

The Pistons entered the game shooting only 32.7 percent from 3-point range, but shot 15 of 29 (51.7 percent) after shooting 16 of 31 (51.6 percent) in their first meeting.

Detroit made 10 3-pointers in the first half as guards Stanley Johnson and Miami-native Steve Blake each hit four.

Guard Reggie Jackson led the Pistons with 18 points. Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hit a 3 with 2:01 left in fourth to give the Pistons the lead and finished with 14 points. Johnson also finished with 14 points and Blake had 12. Drummond scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Bosh finished with 20 points and Wade had 19.

Heat center Hassan Whiteside finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

But contrary to the Pistons' red-hot long-range shooting, Miami shot only four of 18 from 3-point range (22.2 percent). (Editing by Nick Mulvenney)

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Augustin powers Pistons over Wade-less Heat

DETROIT -- D.J. Augustin scored 25 points and added a season-high 13 assists Tuesday, sparking the Detroit Pistons over Miami 108-91 as Heat star Dwyane Wade missed his third consecutive game.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 18 points and Andre Drummond scored 14 and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Pistons, who have won back-to-back games after a four-game losing streak.

Kyle Singler had 13 points, Greg Monroe added 12 and reserve Jodie Meeks had 10 for Detroit, which improved to 19-30, 2 1/2 games behind Miami (21-27) for the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Despite a 34-point performance from Chris Bosh, the Heat never led after an 11-8 edge. Bosh went 9-for-9 in the third quarter, when he poured in 21 points.

Wade remains sidelined by a strained hamstring and could be sidelined for several weeks.

Britain's Luol Deng scored 10 points for the Heat while Hassan Whiteside, the 7-foot center who led Miami in scoring the past two games, contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com