Andre Drummond scored 22 points and added 13 rebounds and Greg Monroe had 22 points and 11 rebounds as the Detroit Pistons (11-13) held off a stingy fourth quarter comeback to beat the visiting Brooklyn Nets (8-15), 103-99 Friday at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit led by as much as 21 points in the second half, but a furious Brooklyn comeback led by reserve forward Mirza Teletovic almost stole a game for the Nets on the road. After going scoreless in the first half, Teletovic made his first five 3-pointers attempted during the second half and finished with 17 points on the night. Brooklyn narrowed the Pistons’ lead to two in the final minute, but a pair of free throws by Kyle Singler with 10 seconds left helped sealed the win for Detroit.
“We’ve just got to learn from it,” reserve Pistons guard Chauncey Billups said about nearly losing the lead. “We’ve got to just quit playing not to lose the game.”
The Nets, without starting center Brook Lopez, had no answer for Detroit’s big men. Drummond and Monroe dominated inside and Detroit scored 60 points in the paint. Rodney Stuckey added 17 points for the Pistons and Kyle Singler scored 16 off the bench.
Deron Williams led Brooklyn with 22 points, including three free throws with 51 seconds left to narrow Brooklyn’s deficit to four, 100-96. Williams also had a team-high nine assists. Reserve center Andray Blatche scored 20 for Brooklyn and added 12 rebounds.
With the win, Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak and ended Brooklyn’s two-game winning streak. The Pistons host Portland on Sunday and travel to first-place Indiana on Monday. The Nets return home against Philadelphia on Monday and face Washington on Wednesday.
