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Greg Monroe scores 24, Pistons beat Raptors 108-98

Greg Monroe

Greg Monroe scored 24 points, Jose Calderon had 19 points and nine assists against his former team, and the Detroit Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 108-98 on Monday night.

Rodney Stuckey scored 18 points, Jonas Jerebko had 10 of his 15 in the fourth quarter and rookie Khris Middleton added 11 as the Pistons won for just the third time in 19 games.

Rudy Gay scored 34 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 17 and DeMar DeRozan 15 as the Raptors lost for the seventh time in eight games. Toronto was outscored 33-19 in the final quarter…

Before the game, the Pistons announced that forward Jason Maxiell will miss the remainder of the season after surgery to repair a detached retina. Maxiell began complaining of blurry vision last week and didn’t travel with the team for Sunday’s loss at Chicago. He stayed in Detroit to visit a specialist, who diagnosed the injury.

Detroit was also without guard Will Bynum, who sat out with a strained right hand.

Raptors swingman Landry Fields was unavailable because of pain in his right elbow. Fields had surgery on the elbow last November, forcing him to miss 22 games. He skipped Monday’s game to travel to Los Angeles for follow-up testing.

— Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

As usual, Chicago Bulls beat Detroit Pistons

Even short-handed, the Chicago Bulls’ dominance of the Detroit Pistons continues.

The Bulls continued a five-year winning streak over the Pistons with a 95-94 victory Sunday at United Center, despite playing without three key contributors, including notorious Piston-killer Joakim Noah.

The Pistons (24-50) led most of the game and dominated many of the key statistical categories but untimely turnovers and the Bulls’ big advantage on free throws doomed them.

Charlie Villanueva had a shot in the final seconds to tie, with the score 94-91, but it sailed off line.  A Daequan Cook free throw was followed by Rodney Stuckey’s meaningless 3-pointer before the buzzer.

The Bulls have won 18 consecutive games against the Pistons, with their last loss coming on Dec. 23, 2008.  They also have won the last 14 meetings at United Center since Feb. 24, 2006.

— Reported by David Mayo of Michigan Live

Raptors beat Pistons to end 5-game losing streak

Rudy Gay and the Toronto Raptors are out of the playoff picture and have just 10 games left before their season ends. That doesn’t mean they’re going to go quietly.

Gay scored 19 of his 21 points during a dominant third quarter and the Raptors ended a five-game skid with a 99-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night.

Toronto led 46-45 at the break and took control by outscoring the Pistons 23-5 in the first eight minutes of the third period.

DeMar DeRozan also had 21 to help Toronto win a second straight meeting with the Pistons.

”Whatever he drank at halftime, he needs to keep drinking it,” coach Dwane Casey said of Gay, who was 7 for 11 from the floor in the third.

”Something clicked at halftime to get him going.” …

Amir Johnson added 20 points, including 10 during the second period that helped the Raptors take the lead for good.

Jonas Valanciunas had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Kyle Lowry added 11 assists…

Jonas Jerebko scored 20 points to lead the Pistons, who also got 17 from rookie Andre Drummond in their eighth straight home loss. Detroit made just six field goals in the third and often couldn’t seem to stop Gay once he got hot.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Should Pistons arena be in downtown Detroit?

Auburn Hills City Manager Pete Auger balked at the idea that the Palace of Auburn Hills or the Detroit Pistons’ home floor should be in downtown Detroit — an idea that has been repeated by one major downtown Detroit investor.

“It doesn’t make any business sense to do that,” Auger said. “We have a private business entity that’s paying taxes up here.”

The Palace and the Detroit Pistons are majority owned by Tom Gores, the billionaire founder of Platinum Equity.

Gores appears to have no intentions of relocating the Pistons’ arena, but one of his NBA team owner peers has mentioned the idea on at least two different occasions.

— Reported by David Muller of Michigan Live

Brandon Knight does not regret trying to defend DeAndre Jordan

Brandon Knight

If given the benefit of hindsight and knowing the reaction that would come from the outside world, most would take a step back as DeAndre Jordan launched his 7-foot frame near the rim for a thunderous dunk, especially if you’re eight inches shorter.

But Brandon Knight? Nah. He’d go after Jordan again because in his mind and heart it was the right play.

He took things personally. Not the reaction from the public, which used Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to make fun of Knight becoming a poster, but of the Los Angeles Clippers clowning the Pistons on Sunday night without much resistance.

“When I step on the court, I don’t take people dunking six, seven or eight times and not attempting to stop it. It’s personal to me,” said Knight with crutches under his arms after sustaining a “severe” ankle injury in the first quarter of Monday’s 103-90 loss to the Utah Jazz.

— Reported by Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News

Greg Monroe angry after Pistons loss to Clippers

greg monroe

How’s this for a defensive effort? The Pistons allowed 14 triples and 14 dunks as the Clippers shot 62.5% from the field.

The “effort” angered Pistons center Greg Monroe as he blasted the team.

“Maybe guys don’t care,” Monroe said. “Something has to change, though. This can’t continue. If you don’t want to play, just say it. This has got to stop. It’s unacceptable.

“If you don’t want to play, you should say it. This is unacceptable. It’s gone on too long. If you don’t want to be on the court, if you aren’t going to give 100% on the court, then just don’t play.”

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Clippers hand Pistons 5th straight defeat, 129-97

DeAndre Jordan

The Clippers had been talking in practice the last couple days about turning up their intensity.

DeAndre Jordan clearly got the message, slamming home a monster dunk in the second quarter of a 129-97 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night that had jaws dropping.

”That was the best dunk of the year and the best I’ve seen in person,” said no less an expert than Blake Griffin, who led seven players in double figures with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting in 21 minutes after early foul trouble.

The Clippers led by 26 points in the first half, building it with a 28-12 run that included two noteworthy dunks from the 6-foot-11 Jordan. The first one off Chris Paul’s alley-oop left Brandon Knight – who is 8 inches shorter – flat on his back with a foul…

Butler added 15 points before leaving in the third quarter with a left elbow contusion. Coach Vinny Del Negro said an X-ray was negative, and Butler will have a MRI on Monday. Matt Barnes added 16 points, Jordan finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, Willie Green had 11 points and Chauncey Billups 10 points.

The Clippers set season highs for points scored and shooting percentage (62) while leading the entire game. Their old high of 125 points came in a win over the Lakers last month…

Jose Calderon was one of five Pistons in double figures with 18 points as they lost their fifth in a row overall, fourth straight to the Clippers, and fell to 0-11 on the road against Western Conference opponents…

Clippers G Jamal Crawford missed his second straight game with a sore left ankle. He was shooting 60 percent and averaging 23.0 points in a four-game stretch before getting hurt. … The Clippers were without G Eric Bledsoe (sore left calf).

— Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Agent says Greg Monroe will wait to do deal

greg monroe

How the Pistons act this summer, with more than $20 million in cap space, will be a great factor in whether their curve for contending speeds up or regresses. Falk, having represented a who’s who of the biggest names (Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning), isn’t sure about the perception about Detroit not being an attractive destination for free agents.

“In my career, when Juwan Howard was a free agent (in 1996), we had serious talks with Detroit. Same with (Dikembe) Mutombo (in 1996),” Falk said. “You go to play, it’s your job. You have a finite amount of time to win. When Detroit was good, it was a very attractive place to play, guys wanted to go there.

“I can’t speak for every player, if they want to be actors and have commercials. Don’t you want to win? Who cares about that other stuff?”

As for Monroe’s future, contract talks with the Pistons could begin after his third year, which would be this summer, but Falk said the sides will put things off until July 2014, when Monroe will become a restricted free agent.

— Reported by Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News

Pistons guard Will Bynum suspended for striking Tyler Hansbrough

Will Bynum of the Detroit Pistons has been suspended one game without pay for striking Tyler Hansbrough of the Indiana Pacers in the stomach, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

The incident occurred with 8:39 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Pistons’ 90-72 loss to the Pacers on Feb. 23 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Bynum will serve his suspension on Monday, Feb. 25 when the Pistons host the Atlanta Hawks.