Detroit was badly shorthanded, thanks to Anthony Tolliver’s knee injury, Stanley Johnson’s strained shoulder and a failed trade with Houston that would have brought Marcus Thornton and Donatus Motiejunas to Detroit. They led Detroit by eight after the first quarter in the last meeting January 27, but Jackson scored 27 points and Drummond finished with 25 and 18 rebounds in a 110-97 win. Johnson will begin rehabilitation immediately and will be re-evaluated in a week, the team said.
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One of those guys who helped the Pistons offensively is Reggie Bullock, who came off the bench and scored 16 points.
F Tobias Harris had 22 points and eight rebounds, and the Pistons handed Philadelphia its sixth consecutive loss in a 111-91 victory on Wednesday night at The Palace.
The Pistons were coming off a huge win against the East leading Cleveland Cavaliers, and they carried their momentum from that game, showing no mercy against the league-worst Sixers. “They only got 20 points in the first quarter, and that included a banked-in 3 to beat the shot clock and a three-quarters court shot at the end.Our offense was a mess at times, but our defense was good until the last few minutes”. Harris often plays at the 3 but can be a stretch 4 and is best suited there in head coach Stan Van Gundy’s system. After a turnover by Reggie Jackson and a layup by Ish Smith pulled Philadelphia to 76-48, he angrily called a timeout to scream at his players. “I think we were trying to be unselfish, but we were really sloppy”.
Jackson scored seven points in the final 1 minute, 32 seconds to give the Pistons a comfortable 65-42 advantage at halftime.
“The energy’s not where we need it to be, ” coach Brett Brown said. The Pistons led by 21 after the first 12 minutes and won 117-95 in the first matchup December 11.
The Pistons also signed forward Justin Harper to a 10-day contract.
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“I’ve never been through a situation like this”, Van Gundy said. Rookie guard T.J. McConnell left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and didn’t return, leaving his status against the Pistons unclear. He had a point and a steal in his first National Basketball Association game in four seasons and said he was “just excited to be out there again with a great team”.
