Detroit Pistons Dynasty: If the Wings can do it, why can't we?

[Comduklakis]

Rodney Stuckey hit a jumper at the buzzer in Overtime to cap a furious Detroit Piston comeback to beat the Golden State Warriors 125-124. The Pistons trailed by as many as 19 in the third quarter but tied the game on two Jonas Jerebko free throws with 3.2 seconds left in the 4th to send the game to overtime. In overtime Stuckey nailed a 17 footer as the clocks hit zeros. The Warriors led at halftime 67-55 behind 28 by Monta Ellis and 13 by Stephen Curry. However in the 2nd half and overtime Ellis was limited to just eight points on one of eight shooting from the field to finish with 36. Curry only had 2 points in a 2nd half, plagued by foul trouble, and finished with 15.

Rodney Stuckey led the Pistons with 33 points, including hitting 17-22 free throws. Jonas Jerebko had a career high 25, while Brandon Knight had 21 and Greg Monroe added 18 points and 10 boards. For the Warriors, Chris Kaman had 23 points and 13 rebounds. The Pistons overcame 21 turnovers and not grabbing a single offensive rebound in the first half to make the comeback. The Pistons switched to a zone for the 2nd half to limit the penetration of Ellis. The 2-3 seemed to befuddle the Warriors as they committed 12 2nd half turnovers. The Pistons shot 53 free throws, making 44, while the Warriors shot 33 of 43 in a foul-plagued game.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "I'm proud of this team. We could have laid down in this one. When we fell behind 19 early in the third I actually was concerned about some body language I was seeing, but I called a timeout and in the huddle Rodney and Greg both spoke up and told their teammates it was time to see what the team was made of, although not in that gentle of terms. I'm starting to see some real leadership there." Monroe responded, "Sometimes it's up to us rather than the coach to call each other out. I just said what needed to be said and Rodney backed me up." Warriors coach Marc Jackson expressed disappointment, "We couldn't close it out. Guys got sloppy with the ball and we showed a distinct lack of patience. Against a zone you have to move the ball, show patience, attack the boards. A zone leaves the defending team somewhat out of position on the boards. We failed to take advantage of that and we also forced some shots early in the clock instead of probing the zone. It's something to work on and I take some responsiblity on that for not preparing the guys for this."

The Pistons move to 9-14, while the Warriors continue a disappointing season and fell to 10-16. The Pistons have a day off and then play in Cleveland on Sunday.

Golden State Warriors at Detroit Pistons
Dec 21, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Golden State (10-16)	32	35	22	25	10	124
Detroit (9-14)	25	30	27	32	11	125

Golden State Warriors
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Stephen Curry	26	5-11	2-4	3-3	2	4	1	0	4	15
Monta Ellis	45	11-23	2-6	12-14	3	4	3	1	3	36
Michael Beasley	42	6-17	0-2	1-2	8	3	5	1	1	13
David Lee	38	5-11	0-0	5-6	5	2	0	0	3	15
Chris Kaman	38	8-16	0-0	7-8	13	1	0	0	3	23
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Epke Udoh	20	0-1	0-0	1-2	8	0	2	0	1	1
Andre Biedrins	19	1-2	0-0	0-4	5	2	3	0	0	2
Klay Thompson	19	4-8	1-4	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	9
Charles Jenkins	13	0-1	0-0	2-2	1	4	3	0	2	2
Brandon Rush	7	1-3	1-3	2-2	0	0	0	0	0	5
Evan Fournier	3	1-1	1-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Jeremy Tyler	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		42-94	7-20	33-43	46	21	17	2	17	124

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	41	6-10	3-5	6-6	6	7	1	0	2	21
Rodney Stuckey	32	8-18	0-1	17-22	3	3	0	0	5	33
Tayshaun Prince	32	3-9	0-2	2-2	7	2	0	0	3	8
Jason Maxiell	31	1-4	0-0	0-0	10	2	0	1	1	2
Greg Monroe	40	5-7	0-1	8-10	10	3	3	0	4	18
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ben Gordon	35	4-6	2-3	4-5	4	1	1	0	1	14
Jonas Jerebko	35	9-16	0-0	7-8	5	5	3	1	3	25
Deshawn Stevenson	18	2-7	0-0	0-0	4	2	1	0	1	4
Festus Ezeli	6	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	1	0	1	0
Elias Harris	DNP
Vernon Macklin	DNP
Will Bynum	DNP
Roger Mason	DNP
Andre Drummond	INJ
TEAM TOTALS		38-78	5-12	44-53	50	26	10	2	21	125

[Comduklakis]

The Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 91-85. Both teams struggled from the field with Detroit shooting just 38% and Cleveland 42%. However Cleveland committed 20 turnovers to the Pistons 10 and Detroit hit 13 more free throws while getting 17 more attempts. Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 28 points and 9 boards. Rodney Stuckey had 20 points and Brandon Knight had 13 points to go along with five assists. For Cleveland Kyrie Irving had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists while JR Smith had 18 off the bench, but only shot 7-22. Tristan Thompson had a double double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "We gutted this one out. The shots weren't falling and we struggled to get much inside, but we played good defense, we took care of the ball pretty well and Greg just carried us. What did he have tonight...28? Most of those were on shots that were farther out than he usually likes to be, but he made it work. With Varajeo and Thompson both clogging the lane ready to block shots, it made sense to extend Greg farther out. He's got the range but he usually is so effective in the post that we try to keep him there." Cavs coach Byron Scott lamented, "We let this one get away. Detroit gave us opportunities and we gave them right back. Twenty turnovers is inexcusable. We were careless with the basketball and we didn't move well without the ball, which caused us to have to take a lot of tough shots with the shot clock winding down."

The Pistons improved to 10-14 with their fourth win in five games. The Cavs fell to 9-15. Detroit next plays Boston at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday, the day after Christmas.

Notes: Andre Drummond underwent hand surgery today to have pins inserted in his broken wrist. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks recovering.

Detroit Pistons at Cleveland Cavaliers
Dec 23, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (10-14)	17	26	26	22	91
Cleveland (9-15)	23	18	25	19	85

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	35	5-14	2-6	1-2	4	5	3	1	2	13
Rodney Stuckey	34	4-11	2-3	10-12	3	3	1	0	4	20
Tayshaun Prince	38	2-8	1-4	1-2	7	2	0	1	0	6
Jason Maxiell	26	0-3	0-0	3-6	2	1	2	1	0	3
Greg Monroe	41	11-20	0-2	6-8	9	3	2	1	1	28
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ben Gordon	28	5-10	3-6	1-2	3	2	1	0	0	14
Jonas Jerebko	30	1-7	0-0	2-2	7	2	1	1	2	4
Andre Drummond	INJ
Deshawn Stevenson	11	1-2	1-2	0-0	5	0	0	0	1	3
Elias Harris	DNP
Festus Ezeli	DNP
Will Bynum	DNP
Roger Mason	DNP
Vernon Macklin	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		29-75	9-23	24-34	40	18	10	5	10	91

Cleveland Cavaliers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kyrie Irvinjg	37	8-15	3-4	0-0	6	7	0	0	5	19
Austin Rivers	23	4-11	1-4	2-2	5	1	0	1	4	11
Omri Casspi	28	3-7	1-3	0-0	6	0	0	1	2	7
Tristan Thompson	26	4-6	0-0	2-2	10	0	3	1	1	10
Anderson Varejao	38	1-3	0-0	2-4	8	2	0	3	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
J.R. Smith	33	7-22	3-13	1-2	2	4	1	0	2	18
Terrance Jones	21	2-5	0-2	0-0	6	2	1	0	2	4
Samardo Samuels	17	2-3	0-0	3-6	7	1	1	0	2	7
Ryan Hollins	8	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Alonzo Gee	6	1-3	0-0	1-1	1	0	0	0	0	3
Marquis Teague	5	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Milan Macvan	4	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	1	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		33-78	8-26	11-17	51	17	8	6	20	85

[Comduklakis]

There are four quarters in a basketball game. It's something every basketball player knows from almost the first time he or she picks up a basketball. However the Detroit Pistons continue to lose games based on one bad quarter, and more often than not it's the 3rd or 4th quarter. Tonight the Boston Celtics defeated the Pistons 105-90, outscoring the Pistons 35-22 in the 4th quarter of what was a two point game after three. Strangely enough it was shooting rather than turnovers that did the Pistons in at the end of the game. Although they turned the ball over 18 times, only one of those turnovers came in the 4th quarter. Instead the Pistons shot 8-23 in the 4th quarter. Take away 5 Brandon Knight drives to the basket and it was 3-23 from everyone else. The Celtics on the other hand shot 55% from the field in the final quarter, and hit 12 of 14 free throws, including 7 of 10 from subpar free throw shooter Rajon Rondo. Rondo finished the game with 17 points and 7 assists. Paul Pierce was high man for the Celtics, scoring 29, 21 of them in the first half. A total of seven different Celtics scored in double figures. For the Pistons they were led by Knight with 25, Rodney Stuckey with 20, and Greg Monroe with 16, but only 4 after halftime.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was visibly upset after the game. He said, "It's easy to look at the 4th quarter and say that is where we lost. And yes our defense struggled while they hit some tough shots also, but we lost this game in the first three quarters when we turned the ball over 17 times and failed to take advantage of when we were playing good defense and shooting the ball well." Celtics captain Pierce said, "We gutted this one out. We didn't play well the first three quarters but we did one thing well...force turnovers. Then when it came time to close it out, we hit big shots and hit our free throws. That's the mark of a good team. Despite no longer having KG, I think with Robin (Lopez), Martell (Webster) and other new additions we can still win this thing."

The Pistons fell to 10-15. Boston improved to 14-13 with their fifth win in a row. The Pistons travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Friday.

Boston Celtics at Detroit Pistons
Dec 26, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Boston (14-13)	22	27	21	35	105
Detroit (10-15)	24	25	19	22	90

Boston Celtics
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rajon Rondo	40	5-14	0-3	7-10	3	7	0	0	3	17
Ray Allen	30	4-9	0-4	4-4	7	2	0	0	1	12
Paul Pierce	38	11-26	3-7	4-4	8	3	5	0	1	29
Brandon Bass	35	4-11	0-0	3-4	14	3	2	0	3	11
Robin Lopez	35	2-6	0-0	0-0	6	1	3	2	3	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Avery Bradley	21	4-6	1-2	1-3	4	3	1	0	0	10
Jujuan Johnson	20	5-8	0-0	1-2	6	1	0	1	1	11
Martell Webster	17	4-6	1-3	2-2	2	2	3	0	1	11
Quincy Miller	8	0-2	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Yancy Gates	DNP
E'Twaun Moore	DNP
CJ Leslie	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		39-88	5-19	22-29	51	22	14	3	10	105

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	41	11-17	1-5	2-4	6	4	1	0	4	25
Rodney Stuckey	41	4-10	1-3	11-14	4	3	2	1	5	20
Tayshaun Prince	38	4-10	1-5	0-0	8	3	0	2	0	9
Jason Maxiell	20	0-1	0-0	0-0	5	1	0	0	6	0
Greg Monroe	41	7-17	0-0	2-5	6	3	1	1	0	16
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ben Gordon	30	2-8	1-3	4-5	4	2	0	0	1	9
Jonas Jerebko	28	4-8	1-1	2-4	10	0	1	0	1	11
Deshawn Stevenson	6	0-2	0-1	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Elias Harris	DNP
Will Bynum	DNP
Festus Ezeli	DNP
Vernon Macklin	DNP
Roger Mason	DNP
Andre Drummond	INJ
TEAM TOTALS		32-73	5-18	21-32	44	16	5	4	18	90

[Comduklakis]

The Detroit Pistons may have achieved their biggest win of the season with a 111-106 victory over the Chicago Bulls on the road. It took foul trouble for Chicago's top two scorers, a monster second half by Greg Monroe, near perfect free throw shooting, and committing only eight turnovers, but the Pistons upset the Central division leading Bulls. Bulls star point guard picked up two fouls in the first 1:05 of the game and ended up fouling out having only played 20 minutes, scoring 13 points and dishing out 6 assists. Luol Deng also experience some foul trouble, limiting him to 33 minutes, but Tayshaun Prince's stifling defense also contributed to Deng shooting 1 for 8, including only taking 2 shots inside the three point arc. For the Pistons, they had foul trouble of their own. Center Greg Monroe only played 8 first half minutes, scoring two points and failing to grab a single rebound. However in the 2nd half Monroe shot 9-12 to score 27 points and also grabbed five boards. Brandon Knight continued his hot streak by scoring 26 points and dishing out 6 assists. Rodney Stuckey had 14 and dished 8 assists and in addition to his stellar defense, Prince grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 14 points.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was pleased after the game. "This shows what we are capable of doing. Now we have to figure out how to do it night after night. My hats are off to Tayshaun for his defense on Luol Deng and to Brandon and Rodney who followed our strategy of going at Derrick Rose to perfection. Keeping him off the court was a key to victory." Bulls coach Tom Thibedau staid, "Derrick had one of those nights. When he was on the court he was great but for whatever reason he wasn't getting the calls on the defensive end. Without Derrick they packed the paint, daring us to shoot from the outside and unfortunately we were unable to solve that issue and unable to hit our shots outside the paint."

The Pistons defensive strategy seemed to be to dare Rose's backup T.J. Ford into shooting from the outside as much as possible Ford was more than happy to oblige and fired 21 shots up in 29 minutes. However he only hit 7 of them. Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 20 points and 12 boards while Joakim Noah had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Off the bench Kyle Korver hit 3 of 5 from beyond the arc, scoring 13 points and also added 7 rebounds.

The Pistons improved to 11-15 while the Bulls continued to disappoint, falling to 16-13. After starting the year 9-2, the Bulls have lost 11 of 18 and are currently on a five game losing streak going into their road game against the Knicks on Sunday to be televised live by ABC. The Pistons face off against the Indiana Pacers Sunday in Indianapolis. The Pistons beat Indiana 107-100 on the road the last time the two teams met with Monroe scoring 33 points. Eric Gordon should be looking for redemption after shooting a woeful 4-28, including 2-11 in that last meeting.

Detroit Pistons at Chicago Bulls
Dec 28, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (11-15)	23	25	31	32	111
Chicago (16-13)	20	26	31	29	105

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	37	7-14	3-4	9-11	6	6	2	1	2	26
Rodney Stuckey	37	3-10	0-2	8-8	4	8	2	0	1	14
Tayshaun Prince	39	5-13	0-2	4-4	12	1	1	0	1	14
Jason Maxiell	29	4-6	0-0	0-0	4	2	0	0	0	8
Greg Monroe	30	10-16	0-0	7-8	5	0	1	0	2	27
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ben Gordon	28	4-9	2-3	2-2	2	5	0	0	0	12
Jonas Jerebko	34	4-8	0-1	0-0	6	1	1	2	1	8
Deshawn Stevenson	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Festus Ezeli	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Vernon Macklin	2	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	2
Elias Harris	DNP
Will Bynum	DNP
Roger Mason	DNP
Andre Drummond	INJ
TEAM TOTALS		38-78	5-12	30-33	40	24	7	3	8	111

Chicago Bulls
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Derrick Rose	20	4-7	1-2	4-4	3	6	0	1	1	13
Richard Hamilton	28	6-11	1-4	0-0	3	1	1	0	2	13
Luol Deng	33	1-8	1-6	2-2	5	1	1	0	0	5
Carlos Boozer	36	9-17	0-0	2-5	12	4	1	0	1	20
Joakim Noah	38	6-9	0-0	2-3	10	2	2	2	3	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
T.J. Ford	29	7-21	0-3	3-6	2	2	2	1	4	17
Kyle Korver	21	3-8	3-5	4-4	7	1	0	1	0	13
Taj Gibson	15	1-2	0-0	1-1	2	0	0	1	0	3
Samuel Dalembert	11	2-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	0	0	4
Jimmy Butler	11	0-0	0-0	2-2	3	1	0	0	1	2
Kenyon Martin	4	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	2
John Jenkins	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		40-87	6-20	20-27	49	19	8	6	12	105

[Comduklakis]

Dallas Mavericks swingman Vince Carter announced he will retire at the end of the year. Carter is currently suffering through the worst year of his career, averaging career lows in minutes, points, shooting percentage, 3 point shooting percentage, and rebounds. Carter has scored 21,581 points in his NBA career, averaging 21 ppg. Carter was originally drafted fifth overall by Golden State but never played there as he was traded to Toronto. Carter went from Toronto to New Jersey. In the last four years of his career he has played for Orlando, Phoenix, and now Dallas. Carter has been one of the most popular players in the league for years with his "Vinsanity" nickname and won the NBA dunk contest in 2000. Carter is an eight time all star, with his last appearance in 2007. He made 2nd team all NBA in 2001 and 3rd team in 2000. He was the rookie of the year in 1999.

[Comduklakis]

The Detroit Pistons beat the Indiana Pacers 111-102 in Indianapolis Sunday night to end the month of December 8-5 and raise their overall record to 12-15. Jonas Jerebko set a new career high with 26 points and added 11 rebounds. Greg Monroe had 18 points and 11 boards and Brandon Knight had his third straight 20 plus point game, scoring 23. The Pistons shot 53% from the field. Indiana was led by Eric Gordon, who scored 20 points and 10 assists. Roy Hibbert had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Indiana had 26 assists on 34 baskets but shot 45% from the field.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "I am starting to feel like we've turned a corner. We trailed at halftime by five but we came out in the third quarter and executed well. Winning on the road in the NBA isn't supposed to be easy but we are now 9-6 on the road. Now we have to figure out why we only have three home wins and struggle to win in our own building." Pacers guard Gordon stated, "Sure I shot better and the last game against the Pistons was on my mind, but in the end I'd rather shoot 0-20 and win than score 50 and lose. The season is slipping away right now. I don't know if the high expectations caused us to be complacent or feel the pressure or what, but the bottom line is we are three games out of the eighth spot. That's not insurmountable with 52 games to go, but we can't set our sights on just getting in the playoffs. We need to set our sights on playing quality basketball night after night and the playoff seedings will take care of itself."

The Pistons do not play again until Thursday, with a home game against the Washington Wizards, who are currently 14-16 and ahead of the Pistons by 1/2 game.

Detroit Pistons at Indiana Pacers
Dec 30, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (12-15)	25	19	37	30	111
Indiana (12-18)	21	28	25	28	102

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	35	10-15	3-6	0-1	4	4	1	0	2	23
Rodney Stuckey	33	4-11	1-3	7-7	3	8	1	0	2	16
Tayshaun Prince	32	6-12	0-2	3-5	3	0	2	1	2	15
Jason Maxiell	27	1-2	0-0	1-2	3	3	2	1	1	3
Greg Monroe	32	7-11	0-0	4-5	11	4	0	3	3	18
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ben Gordon	27	2-8	1-3	0-0	1	0	0	0	4	5
Jonas Jerebko	29	10-13	1-1	5-5	11	3	1	0	2	26
Deshawn Stevenson	19	1-4	1-2	2-2	3	2	0	0	0	5
Vernon Macklin	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	0
Will Bynum	3	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Festus Ezeli	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Elias Harris	DNP
Roger Mason	DNP
Andre Drummond	INJ
TEAM TOTALS		41-77	7-17	22-27	42	24	7	5	17	111

Indiana Pacers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Darren Collison	35	4-7	0-1	6-6	0	4	1	0	1	14
Eric Gordon	36	7-15	2-5	4-4	1	10	2	0	4	20
Paul George	34	4-6	1-1	2-2	8	4	2	1	2	11
David West	32	5-12	0-0	2-2	4	2	0	0	2	12
Roy Hibbert	31	4-12	0-0	6-8	12	2	0	1	1	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Tyler Hansbrough	24	2-5	0-0	0-0	8	2	0	0	1	4
Dorrell Wright	19	4-6	1-2	3-3	3	0	0	0	2	12
Omer Asik	14	0-2	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	0
Damian Lillard	13	2-8	1-3	6-6	0	1	0	0	1	11
Chris Wilcox	2	2=2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Dahntay Jones	DNP
Lance Stephenson	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		34-75	5-12	29-31	38	26	5	2	14	102

[Comduklakis]

The Detroit Pistons used smothering defense and strong three point shooting to beat the Washington Wizards 100-88 at the Palace in Auburn Hills. The Pistons held the Wizards to 36% shooting, including 34% in the 2nd half and just 28% in the 4th quarter. At the same time the Pistons knocked down 9-18 from three point land, with Tayshaun Prince hitting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Prince led the Pistons with 22 points and also had 9 rebounds to lead the team. Ben Gordon added 18 points, Jonas Jerebko had 17 points and 7 boards, and Rodney Stuckey had 15 points and 9 assists. For the Wizards Nick Young had 28 points and Flint, Michigan born Javalee McGee had 10 points, 14 boards, 2 blocks, and changed countless Piston shots in the paint.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "It's great to see the team able to overcome a poor shooting game from Greg Monroe and the absence of Andre (Drummond, out with a broken wrist). It was a solid team effort and at different points in the game we had Tayshaun, Ben, Rodney, Jonas, and Greg carry us offensively. The mark of a good team is often having multiple guys who can step up and take over a game. We can do it from beyond the arc, with a mid-range game, driving the hoop, from the post, and on the offensive boards. That kind of versatility, combined with the experience we are getting is going to take us to the next level." Former Pistons coach and current Wizards coach responded to questions about his job security, "I'm the coach until they tell me I'm not. I can't worry about media speculation. I am going to keep working with this team day after day as if I will be here 20 years from now. It's the only way to stay sane in this high pressure business we have chosen." Wizards center McGee said, "Coach isn't the problem. He's not failing to block out or missing defensive assignments. We haven't tuned him out and the lockerroom is united. Our struggles should be on us, the players on the court. Any other story is media created." Wizards guard John Wall was more cryptic, "
Something has to change. What that is, isn't my decision. I just know we are frustrated."

The Pistons will travel to Boston tonight for a 7 PM start at the Garden tomorrow. The Pistons are now 13-15 while the Celtics, in what is seen as a partial rebuilding year, are 15-16.

Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons
Jan 2,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Washington (14-17)	17	29	20	22	88
Detroit (13-15)	20	30	29	21	100

Washington Wizards
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
John Wall	37	4-15	0-2	4-4	8	7	3	0	1	12
Nick Young	36	8-20	1-7	11-11	7	3	1	2	1	28
Chris Singleton	31	3-7	1-1	1-2	6	0	0	1	0	8
Andray Blatche	36	6-12	0-0	2-2	5	1	2	0	1	14
Javalee McGee	39	4-7	0-0	2-4	14	1	0	2	1	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Perry Jones	21	2-7	0-2	0-0	2	1	1	2	1	4
Kirk Hinrich	16	2-6	0-0	0-0	6	3	2	1	2	4
Jan Vesely	15	1-2	0-0	1-2	2	1	0	2	0	3
Jordan Crawford	13	2-12	1-7	0-0	1	0	0	0	2	5
Trevor Booker	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Shelvin Mack	DNP
Kevin Seraphin	DNP
TEAM TOTALS		32-88	3-19	21-25	52	17	9	10	9	88

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	33	3-9	1-3	3-3	5	2	2	0	2	10
Rodney Stuckey	38	5-14	1-3	4-4	5	9	2	1	3	15
Tayshaun Prince	39	8-12	4-5	2-2	9	2	1	2	0	22
Jason Maxiell	20	1-2	0-0	1-2	8	0	0	0	0	3
Greg Monroe	40	5-18	0-0	4-6	8	0	0	0	2	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ben Gordon	30	6-14	2-4	4-4	5	3	0	0	2	18
Jonas Jerebko	31	8-12	1-1	0-0	7	6	0	0	0	17
Deshawn Stevenson	13	0-2	0-2	1-2	1	2	0	0	1	1
Will Bynum	DNP
Elias Harris	DNP
Festus Ezeli	DNP
Vernon Macklin	DNP
Roger Mason	DNP
Andre Drummond	INJ
TEAM TOTALS		36-83	9-18	19-23	48	24	5	3	10	100

[Comduklakis]

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 3, 2012
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
New York Knicks	16	13	--	3-4	12-10
Philadelphia 76ers	15	15	1.5	2-4	9-7
Boston Celtics	15	16	2.0	1-5	7-9
Toronto Raptors	15	16	2.0	6-0	11-8
New Jersey Nets	13	19	4.5	4-3	9-9
CENTRAL	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Chicago Bulls	16	14	--	3-4	7-10
Detroit Pistons	13	15	2.0	4-1	7-12
Indiana Pacers	13	18	3.5	4-6	8-10
Milwaukee Bucks	13	18	3.5	2-3	8-12
Cleveland Cavaliers	9	19	6.0	3-2	4-5
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Atlanta Hawks	24	7	--	6-3	12-6
Miami Heat	21	9	2.5	3-5	11-8
Charlotte Bobcats	17	12	6.0	3-4	12-9
Orlando Magic	15	15	8.5	5-4	9-10
Washington Wizards	14	17	10.0	2-3	8-9
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Atlanta Hawks	24	7	--	6-3	12-6
Miami Heat	21	9	2.5	3-5	11-8
New York Knicks	16	13	7.0	3-4	12-10
Chicago Bulls	16	14	7.5	3-4	7-10
Charlotte Bobcats	17	12	6.0	3-4	12-9
Philadelphia 76ers	15	15	8.5	2-4	9-7
Orlando Magic	15	15	8.5	5-4	9-10
Boston Celtics	15	16	9.0	1-5	7-9
Toronto Raptors	15	16	9.0	6-0	11-8
Detroit PIstons	13	15	9.5	4-1	7-12
Washington Wizards	14	17	10.0	2-3	8-9
Indiana Pacers	13	18	11.0	4-6	8-10
Milwaukee Bucks	13	18	11.0	2-3	8-12
New Jersey Nets	13	19	11.5	4-3	9-9
Cleveland Cavaliers	9	19	13.5	3-2	4-5
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	20	11	--	3-1	9-7
Denver Nuggets	18	11	1.0	4-1	10-7
Minnesota Timberwolves	17	14	3.0	3-4	12-8
Portland Trail Blazers	14	16	5.5	2-2	9-10
Utah jazz	12	21	9.0	1-5	7-14
PACIFIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers	19	11	--	2-2	13-5
Phoenix Suns	17	14	2.5	3-3	11-9
Sacramento Kings	15	16	4.5	3-0	8-9
Los Angeles Lakers	15	17	5.0	3-1	10-9
Golden State Warriors	13	19	7.0	1-6	7-12
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Dallas Mavericks	16	14	3.5	3-2	9-5
Houston Rockets	14	16	2.0	3-2	9-10
Memphis Grizzlies	13	17	3.0	3-2	10-9
San Antonio Spurs	13	19	4.0	2-5	9-12
New Orleans Hornets	11	17	4.0	2-2	5-12
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	20	11	--	3-1	9-7
Los Angeles Clippers	19	11	0.5	2-2	13-5
Denver Nuggets	18	11	1.0	4-1	10-7
Dallas Mavericks	16	14	3.5	3-2	9-5
Phoenix Suns	17	14	3.0	3-3	11-9
Minnesota Timberwolves	17	14	3.0	3-4	12-8
Sacramento Kings	15	16	5.0	3-0	8-9
Houston Rockets	14	16	5.5	3-2	9-10
Los Angeles Lakers	15	17	5.5	3-1	10-9
Portland Trail Blazers	14	16	5.5	2-2	9-10
Memphis Grizzlies	13	17	6.5	3-2	10-9
New Orleans Hornets	11	17	7.5	2-2	5-12
San Antonio Spurs	13	19	7.5	2-5	9-12
Golden State Warriors	13	19	7.5	1-6	7-12
Utah Jazz	12	21	9.0	1-5	7-14