L FEBRUARY 5
PISTONS COME UP CLUTCH In Detroit, Andre Drummond had 23 points and 20 rebounds and Ish Smith tallied a season-high 25, including a clutch triple in the final minute, as the Detroit Pistons beat the Miami Heat 111-107. Blake Griffin helped offset a poor shooting night by making a key three pointer with 44 seconds remaining in the fourth. The 28-year-old Griffin, who spent all eight NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers before being traded to the Pistons on Monday, missed his first five shots from beyond the arc before making one in the final minute. He finished six-of-19 from the field with 16 total points.
The Pistons won their third straight game since the trade and are 2-0 with Griffin in uniform as they pulled within a game of .500 with a 2526 record on the season.
Goran Dragic scored 33 points for the Heat, who have lost three in a row. Miami was missing centre Hassan Whiteside, who was sidelined with an illness.
With the Pistons ahead by four and 44 seconds to play, Griffin hit a triple to give Detroit a 108-101 lead.
Dragic responded with a four-point play, making a three-pointer while being fouled with 32 seconds left.
Detroit ran the clock down and on the next possession Griffin found a wide-open Smith who sank his only three-point attempt of the game with 14 seconds left to restore the lead to six points.
Elsewhere, Tobias Harris scored 24 points in his Clippers’ debut, leading Los Angeles to a 113-103 victory over the Chicago Bulls. LA Clippers bt Chicago 113-103 Detroit bt Miami 111-107 Indiana bt Philadelphia 100-92 Washington bt Orlando 115-98 Houston bt Cleveland 120-88 Minnesota bt New Orleans 118-107 Utah bt San Antonio 120-111 Denver bt Golden State 115-108 Dallas bt Sacramento 106-99