Pistons win 4th game in row as Griffin gets plenty of help
Stan Van Gundy worried over the weekend that the Detroit Pistons were becoming too reliant on Blake Griffin.
That wasn’t a problem Monday night.
Andre Drummond had 17 points and 17 rebounds, and the host Pistons beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-91 for their fourth straight victory. Detroit had 36 assists on 44 field goals and had six players with at least 12 points.
“I didn’t really think we moved the ball that much at the start of the game, but then we really got it going,” said Van Gundy, Detroit’s head coach. “The best part is that you look how many guys got involved — it wasn’t just one or two guys with a bunch. Once you start moving the ball, it gets contagious.”
Detroit has won three in a row with Griffin in the lineup after acquiring him in a trade last week. Following a win over Miami on Saturday, Van Gundy said the Pistons might be playing through Griffin too much. He still led Detroit in scoring Monday, but the Pistons had plenty of threats.
“They had one action — dribble handoff out of the corner — and they kept getting down to the center of our defense,” Portland’s Damian Lillard said. “Once guys get confident and get to making shots, it’s hard to stop.”
The victory pulled the Pistons back to .500 and even with Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Griffin had 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Wizards 111, Pacers 102: All-Star guard Bradley Beal scored 21 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 15 to help visiting Washington hold on to beat Indiana. The Wizards have won five straight overall, all without John Wall, and four in a row over the Pacers. Jazz 133, Pelicans 109: Rodney Hood scored 30 points in his second game back from a lower leg bruise and surging Utah extended its winning streak to six with a victory over host New Orleans. Ricky Rubio had 20 points and 11 assists for the Jazz. Magic 111, Heat 109: Mario Hezonja scored 20 points, Jonathan Simmons made the tie-breaking dunk with 1:31 remaining, and visiting Orlando beat Miami. The Heat appeared to tie the game after Tyler Johnson was credited with a basket when Orlando’s Bismack Biyombo was called for goaltending with 2.8 seconds remaining. A video review overturned the call. Nuggets 121, Hornets 104: Gary Harris scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic had 15 points and 16 rebounds, and host Denver beat Charlotte. Will Barton and Jamal Murray scored 18 apiece for Denver. Murray attempted a gamehigh 15 shots while playing with a bruised right thigh sustained Saturday against the Warriors. Kings 104, made Bulls a tie-breaking 98: Bogdan threepointer Bogdanovic with 52 seconds left and Sacramento overcame a dismal start with a strong finish to beat visiting Chicago. The Kings scored just nine points in the first quarter, trailed by as many as 21 and were down by seven with 10 minutes left before rallying. Clippers 104, Mavericks 101: Danilo Gallinari had 28 points, including the go-ahead free throw with 24 seconds left, and host Los Angeles scored the last 13 points of the game to rally past Dallas.