Detroit Pistons Blog – Page 54 – NBA Blog

Balanced Pistons play results in win over Bucks

Tayshaun Prince made two free throws with 10.9 seconds left to give Detroit a 96-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night after the Pistons blew a 14-point lead.

Prince scored 20 points, and Greg Monroe added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Detroit, which had five players in double figures. Charlie Villanueva and Brandon Knight added 11 points apiece, and Jason Maxiell scored 10 for the Pistons.

Monta Ellis had 30 points and nine assists, and Erson Ilyasova scored 24 points for the Bucks.

Both teams were coming off wins over the defending NBA champion Miami Heat. Detroit beat Miami 109-99 in Auburn Hills on Friday night and the Bucks beat the Heat 104-85 in Milwaukee one night later…

Detroit G Rodney Stuckey didn’t play because of a left ankle sprain. … Sheila E. performed at halftime. … Mbah a Moute left early in the first quarter with a cut on his lip. He received three stitches and returned late in the quarter.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Pistons recall Khris Middleton and Kim English from D-League

The Detroit Pistons announced today that they have recalled rookies Khris Middleton and Kim English from their NBA Development League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Middleton averaged 11.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 26.3 minutes in three games (all starts). He scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds against the Maine Red Claws on 12/14 – both highs for his D-League stint. Middleton was drafted 39th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Pistons. The Texas A&M product has appeared in three Pistons’ games this season averaging 1.3 points, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals. He scored a season-high four points and recorded two steals at Houston (11/10).

English averaged 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 36.7 minutes in three games (all starts). He scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds against the Maine Red Claws on 12/14 – both highs for his stint in the D-League. English was the 44th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft from the University of Missouri and has seen action in 10 games with the Pistons this season. He scored a season-high eight points twice [vs. Houston (10/31) and at L.A. Lakers (11/4)] and is averaging 3.2 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists while shooting 50% (8-16) from three-point range.

Clippers beat Pistons for 10th straight win

The Los Angeles Clippers are learning to adapt.

Playing their fourth road game in seven nights, they could have easily been overrun by the often overlooked Detroit Pistons.

Not this club.

Jamal Crawford scored 15 points and Chris Paul added 14 to lead the weary Clippers to their 10th straight win, 88-76 over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night…

No Clippers player scored more than 15 points, but they had five players score in double figures…

Blake Griffin also had 15 points for Los Angeles and Paul had seven assists. Griffin had two breakaway dunks in the last 30 seconds, one on a pass banked off the backboard by Matt Barnes…

Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 16 and Tayshaun Prince added 15. Detroit, which committed 17 turnovers, lost its fifth straight…

Both teams struggled in the first half, with the Clippers taking a 42-40 lead into the intermission despite shooting just 39 percent. Detroit hit 42.5 percent of its shots, but managed only one free throw and two offensive rebounds. The Clippers tried for the last shot of the half, but Prince stole the ball and two quick passes gave Greg Monroe a wide-open layup at the buzzer.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Detroit Pistons assign Khris Middleton and Kim English to D-League

The Detroit Pistons announced today that they have assigned rookies Khris Middleton and Kim English to their NBA Development League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Middleton was drafted 39th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft by the Pistons. The Texas A&M product has appeared in three games this season averaging 1.3 points, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals. He scored a season-high four points and recorded two steals at Houston (11/10).

English, the 44th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft from the University of Missouri, has seen action in 10 games with the Pistons this season. He scored a season-high eight points twice [vs. Houston (10/31) and at L.A. Lakers (11/4)]. English is averaging 3.2 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists while shooting 50% (8-16) from three-point range.

Ty Lawson steps up in Nuggets win over Pistons

The Denver Nuggets have watched this scenario play out a few times already this season – just from the opposite viewpoint.

Ty Lawson had 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds to lead Denver to a 101-94 win over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night.

Corey Brewer added 15 points and Andre Iguodala had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Nuggets, who rallied from a slow start in which they trailed by as many as 17 in the first quarter. JaVale McGee also had 12 points for Denver.

”We’ve had about four or five close games and didn’t win,” Lawson said. ”We’ve lost a bunch of times when teams came back on us when we were up 17 or 18 points.” …

Brandon Knight had 20 points and five assists for the Pistons. Jason Maxiell added 18 points, six blocks and six rebounds, and Rodney Stuckey scored 17 points.

”We got off to a great start. You’re not going to win a game 150-14,” Detroit coach Lawrence Frank said. ”I think the key is, when they made their run, even the last four minutes of the first quarter, the key is this: a team’s going to make a run. It’s the mistakes we made and how they got them. With that, the mistakes, they multiplied, they came in succession so they become a little bit deflating.”

— Reported by Paul Harris of the Associated Press

Brandon Knight shines in Pistons win over Cavs

Brandon Knight steps up in Pistons win over Cavs

Brandon Knight made sure the Detroit Pistons got a needed road win.

Knight scored a career-high 30 points and the Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in six days with a 104-97 win on Saturday night.

The Pistons, who won for just the second time in 12 road games this season, took control with a run that began late in the third quarter and carried into the fourth period…

Tayshaun Prince scored 14 points while Jason Maxiell added 11 for the Pistons, who defeated the Cavaliers 89-79 on Monday in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Jeremy Pargo scored 24 points for Cleveland, which has lost five straight, nine of 10 and 15 of 17…

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao, who scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds, went to the locker room late in the second quarter with a bruised left elbow. X-rays were negative and he returned to begin the third quarter with the elbow wrapped.

Cleveland again played without leading scorers Kyrie Irving (broken left index finger) and Dion Waiters (sprained left ankle).

— Reported by the Associated Press

Joakim Noah unleashes monster game in Bulls win over Pistons

Joakim Noah was standing near the scorer’s table during the first half, visibly upset with his team’s performance while he was waiting to check back in.

The Detroit Pistons were outworking his Chicago Bulls – but Noah’s big night was only beginning.

”I just felt like our energy was just low, from the start of the game,” Noah said. ”It’s just human reaction, when there’s not a lot of people in the stands, to kind of put your guard down. I think we regrouped pretty well.”

Noah had 30 points and 23 rebounds [plus six assists, two steals and two blocks], setting career highs in both categories and helping the Bulls beat Detroit for the 16th straight time, 108-104 on Friday night.

”It’s crazy to have numbers like that,” Noah said. ”I knew I was missing a lot of tips in the beginning of the game. In some arenas, they count as rebounds, and some other arenas, they don’t. I’m happy they counted.”

Chicago trailed by as many as 17 points in the second quarter, but the Bulls rallied toward the end of the half and took control in the fourth.

All five Chicago starters finished in double figures, including Carlos Boozer with 24 points. Luol Deng and Marco Belinelli scored 16 apiece.

— Reported by Noah Trister of the Associated Press

Center Greg Monroe shining for Pistons

Through 16 games, Greg Monroe is on pace to put his name among the elite centers in the NBA.

Monroe is averaging 16.5 points and 9.4 rebounds.

But it’s his playmaking skill that makes him different from other bigs. His 3.6 assists per game put him third among NBA centers behind the Grizzlies’ Marc Gasol (4.8 entering Wednesday) and the Bulls’ Joakim Noah (4.0).

Coach Lawrence Frank said before Wednesday’s game that the assist total is part of the plan, and Monroe, 22, only has scratched the surface of his potential.

— Reported by Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press

Jonas Jerebko demoted in Detroit

Jonas Jerebko tried his best not to say much, and verbally, he succeeded.

The Detroit Pistons power forward’s fiery eyes showed how he really felt about discussing his demotion this week.

“You never want to sit on the bench,” Jerebko said before tonight’s game against the Phoenix Suns. “So I’m just going to keep working on my game and keep doing what I do. Just be ready when my number’s called.”

Jerebko was the primary backup to Jason Maxiell and often the first big man off the Pistons’ bench until Charlie Villanueva took over that role before Sunday’s loss to the New York Knicks.

— Reported by David Mayo of Michigan Live

Knicks go wild from outside, beat Pistons

With the Linsanity disaster behind them, the Knicks came back home and took it out on the Pistons today. They cruised to a 121-100 victory behind Carmelo Anthony’s 29 points in 31 minutes and they got back to playing ramped-up defense in a Garden matinee, breaking a two-game losing streak.

The Knicks moved to 9-3 and stayed unbeaten at home at 5-0. The win sets the stage for tomorrow’s historic, first-ever showdown vs. the Nets in their new locale in Brooklyn – a makeup game of the postponed season opener.

Today’s victory temporarily erased the stench of their 131-103 disgrace at the hands of Jeremy Lin’s Rockets in Houston. During their two-game losing streak that included a defeat in Dallas, the Knicks had allowed 245 points. All their losses have come on the road – the third one being in Memphis.

Melo shot 10 of 18, made all five of his free throws and had 3 assists. He also mostly refrained from arguing with the officials and sizzled with his jumper, making 4 of 5 3-pointers. He didn’t play the fourth quarter.

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post