Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Nets Catch Fire In 3rd, Defeat Detroit 111-103 Behind Johnson

Normally a team that hits 11 of 19 three pointers and hits 100% from the line would seemingly be the winner. But Detroit hit just 42% from two point range and only took 12 free throws. New Jersey hit 48% and knocked down 24 of 27 free throws. The Pistons had a 5 point halftime lead but Brooklyn hit 14 of 20 shots in the third quarter while Detroit shot just 7-20 as the Nets outscored the Pistons 34-20. Deron Williams, who was scoreless in the first half, came back to score 14 2nd half points to go with his 13 assists while Joe Johnson scored 34 on 13-27 shooting and played stifling defense on Rodney Stuckey, hounding the combo guard into missing 12 of his 18 shots.

Detroit was led by Brandon Knight with 26 points and 8 assists. Knight knocked down 6-9 thee pointers. Greg Monroe had 18 points and 12 rebounds but shot just 6-16. Charlie Villanueva had 14 off the bench, while Tayshaun Prince and Stuckey both had 12. Mirza Teletovic had 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while fellow benchmate Marshon Brooks had 12. Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries also had a double-doubles with 13 and 10 and 11 and 10, respectively.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "Not much we could do in that third quarter. Sometimes teams get hot. We had hands in their faces, we did everything but clothesline them and they still hit shots. On the other hand we went cold. I thought Brooklyn did a great job of forcing our guys, particularly Rodney, into going baseline and then had a second man there. Not only were our shots cut off but they rotated well and protected the basket so that Greg, Andre, and the rest weren't able to be found for easy baskets off those drives. We have to look at the tape and figure out where we went wrong."

New Jersey coach Avery Johnson said, "We started a little slow but we persevered. With Deron struggling, Joe (Johnson) really had to look more for his shot. That worked out for him and for us."

Detroit fell below .500 for the first time this season at 12-13. Brooklyn improved to 12-10. Detroit travels back home for the 2nd of back to back games, meeting division rival Indiana, who is 9-14.

Detroit Pistons at New Jersey Nets
Dec 14, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (12-13)	23	30	20	30	103
New Jersey (12-10)	21	27	34	29	111

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	35	9-15	6-9	2-2	3	8	1	0	4	26
Kyle Singler	30	2-6	1-2	0-0	4	5	1	1	1	5
Tayshaun Prince	31	5-9	2-3	0-0	4	2	0	1	0	12
Jason Maxiell	16
Greg Monroe	34	6-16	0-0	6-6	12	2	1	0	1	18
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	33	6-18	0-0	0-0	2	4	1	0	1	12
Andre Drummond	23	2-7	0-0	0-0	5	1	0	1	0	4
Charlie Villanueva	18	5-9	2-2	2-2	7	1	0	2	3	14
Austin Daye	18	1-2	0-1	2-2	2	1	0	1	0	4
Will Bynum	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jonas Jerebko	8	2-4	0-2	0-0	3	0	0	0	0	4
Corey Maggette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		40-88	11-19	12-12	45	25	5	6	10	103

New Jersey Nets
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Deron Williams	40	4-15	0-2	6-6	5	13	2	0	2	14
Joe Johnson	42	13-27	1-3	7-7	1	3	2	1	2	34
Gerald Wallace	37	5-10	0-1	3-3	10	3	3	1	1	13
Reggie Evans	28	2-6	0-0	1-2	9	1	0	0	0	5
Kris Humphries	37	5-6	0-0	1-2	10	0	1	0	2	11
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Mirza Teletovic	23	6-8	1-1	0-0	11	3	0	0	0	13
Marshon Brooks	22	3-10	0-0	6-7	3	2	2	0	0	12
C.J. Watson	14	4-5	1-1	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	9
TEAM TOTALS		42-87	3-8	24-27	51	26	10	2	7	111

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Pistons Win Sloppy Game With Pacers, 94-77, Back To .500

It wasn't artistic. In fact it was pretty poor basketball. The Indiana Pacers turned it over 27 times, while Detroit sent Indiana to the free throw line for 44 attempts. Detroit shot just 40% while Indiana hit 37%. The Pistons also scored more points in the first 12 minutes (35) than they did in the next 27 minutes, scoring just 12 in the 2nd, 20 in the third, and finally getting their 4th point of the 4th quarter about 3 minutes in.

Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 24 points, but it took him 28 shots to do it, hitting only 10. He and Rodney Stuckey both had 7 assists, with Stuckey scoring 18 points. Greg Monroe also had 18 to go with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Rookie Andre Drummond continued his recent struggles, scoring just 1 point and grabbing 4 rebounds in 20 largely ineffectual minutes. Every Pacer starter had at least 3 turnovers, led by George Hill's 6. Sam Young, in 8 minutes of action, was the only Pacer of the 11 who played who avoided at least one turnover. Roy Hibbert led the Pacers in points and rebounds with 18 and 13. He also blocked 3 shots. David West added 16, Paul George 14, and Danny Granger 12. Hill played 34 minutes, missed both of his shots, missed 4 of 5 free throws, and only had 3 assists.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "It certainly wasn't pretty. We fouled them like crazy. They turned the ball over constantly. The game had no rythmn with all the stops and starts."

Pacers guard Hill said, "That was awful. That was about as bad as I can play. For us to get better and make the playoffs, I have to get better. Period. I put this loss on myself."

Detroit moved back to .500 at 13-13 while Indiana fell to 9-15 and a stayed in the Central division basement. Detroit now waits for the disappointing Los Angeles Clippers to arrive in town. LA is just 9-14 in a season where they were expected to challenge for the NBA title.

Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons
Dec 15, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Indiana (9-15)	22	17	19	19	77
Detroit (13-13)	35	12	20	27	94

Indiana Pacers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
George Hill	34	0-2	0-1	1-5	4	3	0	0	6	1
Paul George	36	4-13	0-2	6-8	5	4	3	1	4	14
Danny Granger	37	4-11	1-3	3-5	9	2	1	1	3	12
David West	29	6-10	0-0	4-4	8	1	0	2	4	16
Roy Hibbert	36	5-10	0-0	8-8	13	2	1	3	4	18
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
D.J. Augustin	15	0-3	0-1	2-2	2	1	0	0	1	2
Tyler Hansbrough	12	2-4	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	1	4
Lance Stephenson	12	1-1	0-0	1-2	3	1	0	0	1	3
Gerald Green	12	0-2	0-1	0-0	4	0	0	0	1	0
Ian Mahinmi	9	0-0	0-0	5-8	1	0	0	0	2	5
Sam Young	8	0-2	0-0	2-2	1	0	0	1	0	2
Ben Hansbrough	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		22-58	1-8	32-44	54	14	5	8	27	77

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	38	10-28	2-5	2-2	4	7	2	0	0	24
Kyle Singler	25	2-4	0-1	0-0	5	4	0	2	2	4
Tayshaun Prince	35	3-9	1-4	4-6	3	0	1	1	1	11
Jason Maxiell	27	3-8	0-0	0-2	8	0	1	2	1	6
Greg Monroe	33	8-15	0-0	2-4	8	5	4	2	1	18
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	34	6-16	1-3	5-7	3	7	4	1	1	18
Andre Drummond	20	0-2	0-0	1-2	4	0	0	1	0	1
Charlie Villanueva	16	1-3	1-1	0-0	6	0	0	0	4	3
Austin Daye	12	3-4	1-1	2-2	2	0	0	2	1	9
Will Bynum	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jonas Jerebko	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Corey Maggette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		36-89	6-15	16-25	44	23	12	11	11	94

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Clippers Dominate Inside, Beat Pistons 116-105 Behind Griffin's 34

After giving up 76 points in the paint, Pistons coach Lawrence Frank was exasperated. "An NBA team can't do that. Apparently we aren't an NBA team right now. Changes are coming I tell you that." Detroit managed to make late runs in both the 1st and 2nd quarters to beat back quick starts by the Clippers, but in the third quarter Los Angeles took control, consistantly finding cutters to the basket or using the pick and roll to find Blake Griffin for lay-ins and dunks. The Clippers shot 54% for the game and also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second chance points, compared to just 8 for the Pistons, who grabbed 9 offensive rebounds.

Blake Griffin led the Clippers with 34 points, shooting 16-18 and grabbing 10 rebounds. Chauncey Billuups started fast with 11 points in the first 7 minutes of the game before finishing with 18 to go with 7 assists. Chris Paul had 18 points and a game-high 16 assists while DeAndre Jordan grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. Detroit was led by rookie Andre Drummond's career high 20 points. Brandon Knight had 19 and 7 assists while Rodney Stuckey added 17. Greg Monroe struggled with defense from Jordan and Griffin, shooting just 4-10 and failing to get to the line in an eight point effort.

After the game Monroe said, "That was pathetic. I don't want to point fingers at anybody but myself, but I felt like a traffic cop out there, trying to catch cutters running free across the paint time and time again. I didn't help out well enough and I didn't secure the defensive rebounds, but we also have to figure out how to keep guys from getting free like that."

Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said, "That was beautiful basketball to watch. We executed with precision on offense. Maybe this is the spark we need to help turn our season around."

Detroit fell to 13-14 while the Clippers improved to 10-14. Detroit travels across the border to face Toronto on Wednesday night. The Raptors are currently 8-17.

Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons
Dec 17, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Los Angeles (10-14)	31	24	33	28		116
Detroit (13-14)	30	28	19	28		105

Los Angeles Clippers
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chris Paul	44	9-17	0-0	0-0	2	16	2	0	4	18
Chauncey Billups	37	8-18	1-1	2-2	4	7	2	2	2	19
Caron Butler	37	8-18	1-5	0-0	7	1	2	0	1	17
Blake Griffin	37	16-18	0-0	2-3	10	0	0	1	2	34
Deandre Jordan	34	4-9	0-0	1-2	17	4	1	1	1	9
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Lamar Odom	10	1-5	0-1	0-0	4	2	0	0	0	2
Matt Barnes	14	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0
Willie Green	11	1-1	0-0	1-2	2	1	1	0	1	3.
Grant Hill	10	3-4	2-2	2-2	2	0	0	0	0	10
Ronnie Turiaf	6	2-3	0-0	0-0	4	0	0	0	0	4
Eric Bledsoe	5	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ryan Hollins	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		52-96	4-9	8-11	52	32	9	4	11	116

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	37	7-16	3-7	2-3	5	7	1	0	2	19
Kyle Singler	26	4-9	1-4	1-2	4	4	0	1	3	10
Tayshaun Prince	30	5-7	0-0	2-2	6	1	0	0	2	12
Jason Maxiell	22	1-3	0-0	2-2	3	2	0	0	0	4
Greg Monroe	30	4-10	0-0	0-0	5	1	0	0	2	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	27	7-14	1-3	2-2	4	5	2	0	0	17
Andre Drummond	28	8-11	0-0	4-5	8	2	0	1	0	20
Charlie Villanueva	14	3-5	0-1	0-0	0	2	0	1	3	6
Austin Daye	19	2-6	1-2	0-0	2	1	2	0	1	5
Will Bynum	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	2
Jonas Jerebko	4	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Corey Maggette	4	0-3	0-1	0-0	2	0	1	0	1	0
TEAM TOTALS		43-86	6-18	13-16	39	26	6	3	14	105

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Thunder Win Streak Ends At 21

The Oklahoma City are 23-2 on the season. Against the Atlanta Hawks they are 0-2. Against the rest of the NBA, they are undefeated. For the 2nd time this season, the Hawks beat the Thunder. Atlanta beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City in the 3rd game of the season and now has beaten OKC in Atlanta, winning 88-82.

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Raptors Outlast Pistons Behind Bargnani 107-105

The Detroit Piston's defensive woes and 3rd quarter woes continued against the Toronto Raptors in their 107-105 loss. Detroit was outscored 34-24 in the decisive 3rd quarter, as Andrea Bargnani scored 14 of his 33 in the 3rd. DeMar DeRozan knocked down 4 of 4 free throws in the final 27 seconds as Toronto held off the Pistons final rally attempts. The game was nip and tuck throughout, with neither team ever gaining a double digit lead. Both teams shot 50%, had 44 rebounds, and had 27 assists.

DeRozan scored 26 to go with Bargnani's 33 and also had 8 assists. Kyle Lowry had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in 30 productive minutes off the bench. Detroit was led by 6th man Rodney Stuckey's 24 points. Greg Monroe had 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Brandon Knight led the team with 8 assists but shot just 5-17, including 0-6 from beyond the arc. Kyle Singler had a career-high 7 assists to go with his 10 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting night.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "We continue to struggle defending. Some nights it is penetration, other nights it's cutters, others it is the post, and tonight it was a combination of slashers and stretch big men. If it was just one aspect it would be easier to solve, but our defensive issues seem to change from game to game."

Bargnani said, "I just knocked down some shots. We made some halftime adjustments to try and get some different looks and it worked out well. One of the keys for us was the defense Jose and Kyle played on Brandon Knight. They didn't let him to get clean looks and I think that was key to our victory."

Detroit fell to 13-15 and is just 3-7 in their last 10 games. Toronto improved to 9-18. Detroit now heads back to the Palace for a Friday night game with the Washington Wizards.

Detroit Pistons at Toronto Raptors
Dec 19, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (13-15)	28	24	24	29	105
Toronto (9-18)	23	26	34	24	107

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	36	5-17	0-6	1-2	3	8	1	0	1	11
Kyle Singler	26	4-4	1-1	1-2	3	7	1	1	1	10
Tayshaun Prince	34	6-12	0-1	2-2	4	1	0	1	4	14
Jason Maxiell	29	3-6	0-0	2-2	7	0	0	0	1	8
Greg Monroe	36	10-18	0-0	2-3	11	5	1	1	3	22
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	36	8-17	0-2	8-11	6	5	1	1	0	24
Andre Drummond	18	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	2	0	2
Charlie Villanueva	13	2-6	0-2	2-2	3	0	0	0	1	6
Austin Daye	12	3-3	2-2	0-0	2	0	1	0	0	8
Will Bynum	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jonas Jerebko	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Corey Maggette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		42-84	3-14	18-24	44	27	5	6	11	105

Toronto Raptors
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jose Calderon	28	3-5	0-1	6-6	4	8	2	0	1	12
Demar DeRozan	37	11-26	2-6	2-3	6	8	2	0	5	26
Landry Fields	31	3-4	1-2	0-0	7	0	1	1	2	7
Andrea Bargnani	32	11-20	2-3	9-12	2	0	1	0	1	33
Jonas Valanciunas	25	3-5	0-0	3-4	5	0	1	1	2	9
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Kyle Lowry	30	4-9	2-4	2-4	6	7	0	0	2	12
Ed Davis	24	1-3	0-0	1-4	8	0	0	0	0	3
Terrence Ross	18	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	1	0
Amir Johnson	15	2-2	0-0	1-2	3	3	0	0	0	5
Allan Anderson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Mickael Pietrus	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Linus Kleiza	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		38-75	7-16	24-35	44	27	7	2	14	107

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Pistons Run Over By Wizards, 33 Fast Break Points Lead To 118-113 Victory

Lawrence Frank slammed his clipboard down. He stomped his feet. And at times he simply hid his face in his hands. Watching the Washington Wizards run up and down the court, tear through the middle of the Piston defense, and hit baseline cutters for easy dunk after easy dunk was not easy for the Pistons coach, nor their fans. Washington scored 33 fast break points, had 14 dunks, and grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second chance points. Detroit fell behind by 20 in the 1st quarter and played catch up the rest of the way. A big 2nd quarter brought Detroit within five at half and they even took a brief one point lead at 87-86. But from there Washington dominated the third quarter and led by 13 with just over 2 and 1/2 minutes left. A quick spurt by the Pistons brought them back within 3 but an Andre Drummond block found its way right into the hands of Trevor Booker for an easy score and Detroit was not able to catch the Wizards as they knocked down the majority of their free throws in the final minute.

John Wall had 14 points in the big 1st quarter for the Wizards but struggled after the Pistons switched to a 2-3 zone and dared him to shoot the jumper. He finished with 20 but had 11 assists. Jordan Crawford had 25 points off the bench in 25 minutes while Trevor Ariza had 18 to go with 7 assists. Booker had 17 points and 8 rebounds off the bench and Kevin Seraphin had 17 rebounds and 11 points. Detroit was led by Brandon Knight with 23. Rodney Stuckey had 22 and 10 assists while Andre Drummond continued to develop at lighting speed with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Monroe struggled with both foul trouble and the physical defense of Nene and was limited to just 12 points and 4 rebounds.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank did not make himself available for comments after the game. Monroe talked to the press and said, "Defense. It is the word we hear every day, every hour. We all know we are struggling and we can't continue to allow the points we are letting in, particularly in the paint. It's on us, not coach Frank. He can't be on the court guarding anyone."

Wall said, "We took a bit of time to figure out the zone they switched too, but then we used some backdoor cutters to get points, plus we got out on the break after long rebounds and turnovers. With them taking so many threes (24) to get back into it, we capitalized on those long rebounds to get out and run."

Detroit lost their 8th game in their last 11 and fell to 13-16. Washington improved to 10-13. In a rare home and home, back to back, Detroit heads to Washington to play the Wizards tomorrow night.

Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons
Dec 21, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Washington (10-13)	37	29	22	30	118
Detroit (13-16)	23	38	26	26	113

Washington Wizards
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
John Wall	32	8-21	0-0	4-4	8	11	4	0	4	20
Bradley Beal	38	5-10	0-2	5-8	3	2	1	1	1	15
Trevor Ariza	41	8-13	0-2	2-3	4	7	2	0	1	18
Kevin Seraphin	39	5-10	0-1	1-2	17	0	1	1	1	11
Nene	31	1-6	0-0	6-8	4	0	1	0	4	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jordan Crawford	25	10-17	1-2	4-4	4	3	2	0	1	25
Trevor Booker	21	7-11	0-0	3-4	8	1	0	0	0	17
A.J. Price	10	0-3	0-1	0-0	1	6	0	0	0	0
Jan Veseley	9	2-2	0-0	0-0	3	1	0	0	1	4
Martell Webster	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Chris Singleton	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Cartier Martin	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		46-93	1-8	25-33	52	31	11	2	13	118

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	36	10-19	3-7	0-0	2	4	4	0	6	23
Kyle Singler	22	2-4	1-2	2-2	1	0	0	1	0	7
Tayshaun Prince	30	2-5	0-1	0-0	3	5	0	2	3	4
Jason Maxiell	20	2-3	0-0	1-3	6	3	1	0	0	5
Greg Monroe	29	6-8	0-0	0-0	4	3	0	2	4	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	33	10-23	2-7	0-0	3	10	1	0	0	22
Andre Drummond	26	8-10	0-0	5-6	10	0	0	2	1	21
Charlie Villanueva	18	5-13	1-5	3-3	3	0	0	0	0	14
Austin Daye	19	1-4	1-2	2-2	5	3	0	0	0	5
Will Bynum	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	1	0
Jonas Jerebko	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	1	0	0
Corey Maggette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		46-89	8-24	13-16	39	29	6	8	15	113

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Pistons Lose 2nd In A Row To Wall And The Wizards, 116-112


Different lineup combinations didn't seem to help the Pistons defensive woes as John Wall and Bradley Beal sliced their way through the Detroit defense for a 116-112 Washington Wizard victory. Detroit let the game slip away in a third quarter that saw Washington score 33 points and erase a 7 point halftime deficit. Detroit battled back and tied the game on a Brandon Knight 3 pointer with under 2 minutes left. Tayshaun Prince then gave the Pistons a two point lead with a corner jumper with 56 seconds left. However that was the last time Detroit would score as Wall was fouled and hit two free throws, Andre Drummond was called for goaltending, Prince missed a layup, and Beal iced the game with 2 free throws with 6.4 seconds left.

Washington shot 26-43 (60%) in the 2nd half and only turned the ball over 5 times in the game. The Wizards had an astonishing 70 points in the paint. The number is even more remarkable considering that Washington's two main post players, Emeka Okafor and Nene, scored just 12 points between them. Wall led Washington with 34 points and 14 assists. Beal had 30 points and Jordan Crawford had 14 off the bench. Three Wizard players were in double figures in rebounds, with Kevin Seraphin and Nene having 11 while Okafor had 10. Brandon Knight led Detroit with 23 points and 10 assists. Greg Monroe had 22 points and 11 rebounds. Andre Drummond scored 15, Rodney Stuckey 13, and Charlie Villanueva had 11.

Detroit coach Lawrence Frank switched up the lineup. Normal start Jason Maxiell did not play and was replaced in the starting lineup by Jonas Jerebko. Cory Maggette received the backup minutes behind Tayshaun Prince rather than Austin Daye, who only played the last few seconds.

Frank said, "Don't read anything permanent into the lineup decisions. We are trying out different combinations, trying to figure out how to defend and what players work best together on the defensive end. Obviously we didn't find a whole lot tonight."

Detroit fell to 13-17 and lost for the 9th time in 12 games. They now take three days of for the Christmas holiday, returning to action December 26th, at home against Atlanta.

Detroit Pistons at Washington Wizards
Dec 22, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (13-17)	27	33	24	28	112
Washington (11-13)	31	22	33	30	116

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	41	8-20	5-10	2-2	6	10	0	0	2	23
Kyle Singler	21	3-6	1-3	0-0	1	3	0	0	0	7
Tayshaun Prince	27	4-6	1-1	1-2	4	4	0	1	2	10
Jonas Jerebko	20	3-5	1-1	4-4	5	2	0	1	1	7
Greg Monroe	35	10-22	0-0	2-2	11	2	0	0	3	22
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	31	5-13	1-1	2-2	3	3	0	0	0	13
Andre Drummond	28	7-10	0-1	1-1	4	0	0	0	0	15
Charlie Villanueva	16	3-5	1-1	4-4	3	0	1	0	0	11
Austin Daye	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Will Bynum	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	0
Jonas Jerebko	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Corey Maggette	21	0-3	0-2	4-4	4	4	0	1	1	4
TEAM TOTALS		43-90	10-20	16-17	42	30	2	3	9	112

Washington Wizards
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
John Wall	36	14-29	0-0	6-7	2	14	0	0	1	34
Bradley Beal	38	11-21	2-5	6-6	3	3	0	0	0	30
Trevor Ariza	38	3-7	0-2	2-2	5	4	2	0	0	8
Nene	29	3-4	0-0	0-1	11	1	1	0	0	6
Emeka Okafor	35	3-6	0-0	0-0	10	2	1	0	1	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jordan Crawford	21	7-16	0-2	0-0	3	1	2	0	1	14
Kevin Seraphin	19	4-5	0-0	0-0	11	1	1	2	1	8
Trevor Booker	11	2-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	4
A.J. Price	10	1-3	0-0	2-2	1	1	1	0	1	4
Jan Vesely	9	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	2
Martell Webster	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Chris Singleton	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		49-95	2-9	16-18	49	29	8	2	5	116

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Been a tough stretch for Detroit despite some guys playing well. What sliders are you using? I've been putting off my Knicks dynasty for so long because I struggled mightily with 2k12's sliders that I haven't bothered with 2k13.

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Been a tough stretch for Detroit despite some guys playing well. What sliders are you using? I've been putting off my Knicks dynasty for so long because I struggled mightily with 2k12's sliders that I haven't bothered with 2k13.

Just my own personal set. I guess it's sorta based off Yellez sliders for PS3, but I made a lot of tweaks. I'm thinking of knocking down the shooting sliders a point or two because the shooting percentages are a bit high. I'm just having a horrible time defensively though. I can't count the number of times my defense seemed to part like the red sea in the middle and Wall or Beal drove right down the lane. I dared them to hit jumpers, played 2-3 zone, tried different defenders, didn't seem to matter. I simply can't seem to keep guys out of the lane (as seen by Washington having 70 PIP with Okafor and Nene combining for only 14 points), whether I'm playing on-ball or off-ball defense. Most any game you see with scores in the 90s is a game I simmed, where as the 118-115 type games are the ones I play.

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Pistons Get Back On Track Defensively With 99-93 Victory Over Hawks

One statistic stood out over all others Wednesday night. 24. That was the number of points scored in the paint by the Atlanta Hawks. After letting Washington's guards carve them up with drives through the paint, it was a welcome sight to see Detroit force Atlanta to beat them from the outside. And they almost did, hitting 8-19 three pointers, but Detroit held off Atlanta in the 4th quarter, behind Rodney Stuckey's 25 points and 8 assists. Detroit shot 47% and dominated the offensive boards 14-3. Atlanta also had 4 more turnovers, resulting in Detroit shooting 21 more shots than the Hawks.

In addition to Stuckey, Greg Monroe had 19 points and 9 rebounds. Tayshaun Prince had 18 and Brandon Knight had 17 on an off-shooting night (6-19). Atlanta was led by Josh Smith's 28 points and 10 rebounds. Lou Williams had 20 while Devin Harris had 16 off then bench, including hit all 4 of his three point attempts. Al Horford just missed a double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Coach Lawrence Frank said, "I'm elated. We held them to 3 offensive rebounds and just 24 points in the paint. It was nice to see us protect the basket. We can build on this. I thought Brandon, Kyle, and Rodney did a much better job of keeping their man in front and forcing them the direction we wanted. And Andre, Greg, Jason, Tayshaun, and the rest held their ground inside."

Horford said, "We are enigma. We beat the Thunder twice, then we lose at home to teams we should beat. Not taking anything away from Detroit but these are the games we have to win to get to the playoffs and secure home court advantage in the 1st round."

Detroit improved to 14-17 while Atlanta fell to 15-11. Detroit now heads back home to take on the Miami Heat Friday night.

Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks
Dec 26, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Detroit (14-17)	25	32	19	23	99
Atlanta (15-11)	31	21	23	18	93

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	35	6-19	2-9	3-3	3	6	0	0	5	17
Kyle Singler	28	4-8	0-1	0-1	4	3	0	1	1	8
Tayshaun Prince	34	7-16	0-3	4-6	2	3	1	1	1	18
Jason Maxiell	28	3-5	0-0	0-0	13	0	3	0	0	6
Greg Monroe	33	8-16	0-0	3-4	9	4	0	0	0	19
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	34	12-21	1-4	0-0	1	8	1	0	1	25
Andre Drummond	21	0-1	0-0	0-0	9	0	0	1	1	0
Charlie Villanueva	15	3-4	0-0	0-0	5	0	1	0	0	6
Austin Daye	12	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	1	0
Will Bynum	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Jonas Jerebko	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Corey Maggette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		43-90	3-17	10-14	49	24	6	3	10	99

Atlanta Hawks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Jeff Teague	36	3-6	1-3	2-2	2	4	3	0	4	9
Louis Williams	34	7-17	2-7	4-4	1	9	1	0	4	20
Kyle Korver	27	1-6	0-2	1-2	3	2	0	1	0	3
Josh Smith	34	10-17	1-3	7-10	10	0	0	2	2	28
Al Horford	34	3-8	0-0	4-4	9	3	0	3	0	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Devin Harris	23	6-7	4-4	0-0	2	2	2	0	1	16
Anthony Morrow	21	2-4	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	0	1	4
Za Za Pachulia	17	0-1	0-0	1-2	4	2	0	0	1	1
Ivan Johnson	14	1-3	0-0	0-2	4	1	1	0	1	2
Johan Petro	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Anthony Tolliver	-- DID NOT PLAY --
John Jenkins	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		33-69	8-19	9-26	38	23	8	6	14	93

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Heat Blast Pistons, Wade Has 40, Lebron Triple Double

Miami Heat at Detroit Pistons
Dec 28, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Miami (19-8)	42	30	34	22	128
Detroit (14-18)	26	22	27	22	97

Miami Heat
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Mario Chalmers	35	2-6	1-4	2-2	3	7	2	0	2	7
Dwyane Wade	34	16-26	0-1	8-9	7	5	0	1	0	40
Shane Battier	26	3-4	1-1	0-0	3	2	0	1	1	7
LeBron James	40	13-24	0-1	6-7	15	12	1	1	1	32
Chris Bosh	28	2-5	0-1	4-4	8	3	1	1	2	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Ray Allen	27	5-10	2-2	4-4	2	0	2	0	1	16
Udonis Haslem	25	3-5	0-0	0-0	8	0	0	0	1	6
Norris Cole	19	5-9	0-1	0-0	2	4	0	0	0	2
Mike Miller	11	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	41	2
Rashard Lewis	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Joel Anthony	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Terrel Harris	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		50-91	4-11	24-26	48	34	7	4	9	128

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	22	3-9	0-2	1-1	1	4	0	0	1	7
Kyle Singler	28	4-8	1-2	1-1	4	5	2	1	1	10
Tayshaun Prince	34	5-8	0-1	2-4	6	1	1	1	0	12
Jason Maxiell	17	0-2	0-0	2-2	2	2	0	1	0	2
Greg Monroe	26	7-15	0-0	1-3	9	2	2	0	5	15
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	35	9-18	0-1	9-11	1	3	2	1	1	27
Andre Drummond	23	2-5	0-0	1-2	7	0	0	0	1	5
Charlie Villanueva	16	1-7	1-2	0-0	5	0	0	1	0	3
Austin Daye	13	1-3	0-0	2-2	3	1	0	0	1	4
Will Bynum	14	1-4	0-1	1-2	1	0	0	0	2	3
Jonas Jerebko	6	2-3	1-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Corey Maggette	12	2-4	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	4
TEAM TOTALS		37-86	3-10	20-28	39	18	7	6	12	97

[Knickerbocker91]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Damn son!

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Pistons Defeat Under-Manned Bucks Squad 99-83

Even though Milwaukee was playing without both Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings, the way the Detroit Pistons are playing, they took nothing for granted. Using stifling defense in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, the Pistons defeated the Bucks 99-83. Detroit held Milwaukee to 39% shooting, just 2 three pointers, only 6 offensive rebounds, and limited them to 12 fast break points, which is a huge step up from previous games against Washington and Miami. Detroit used a trapping, scrambling defense to confuse the Bucks and left Mike Dunleavy and Beno Udrih often hoisting contested shots with the clock dwindling. On the other end, Brandon Knight shined early with 10 first quarter points, Greg Monroe dominated the paint during the 2nd and 3rd quarters and Rodney Stuckey finished them off with a big 4th quarter.

Stuckey led the Pistons with 30 points. Monroe had 26 points and 17 rebounds. Knight finished with 17 to go with 7 assists, while Andre Drummond grabbed 10 rebounds and patrolled the paint to dissuade any penetration from the Bucks. Milwaukee was led by Ersan Ilyasova with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Marquis Daniels had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Udrih led the Bucks with 10 assists to go with his 10 points. Dunleavy shot just 3-15, while Udrih hit just 4 of his 16 shots.

Pistons coach Lawrence Frank said, "Very pleased with the defense. Regardless of who is injured or not, those are NBA players we played against and we did a nice job of stopping them."

When asked if Jonas Jerebko was his permanent starter at the 4 spot, Frank said, "Nothing is permanent in the NBA. As of now, I feel Jerebko is our best option to start the game. That doesn't mean Jason isn't a valued member of this team or doesn't need to stay ready."

Detroit improved to 15-18, while the Bucks fell to 13-16. Detroit plays New Year's Day against the Sacramento Kings at the Palace.

Milwakee Bucks at Detroit Pistons
Dec 30, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Milwakee (13-16)	26	12	17	28	83
Detroit (15-18)	28	24	18	29	99

Milwakee Bucks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Beno Udrih	38	4-16	0-2	2-2	2	10	5	1	3	10
Marquis Daniels	34	4-9	0-0	6-7	10	0	2	1	0	14
Mike Dunleavy	33	3-15	1-3	5-5	6	4	0	0	4	12
Ersan Ilyasova	32	10-16	1-2	0-1	10	1	1	1	1	21
Larry Sanders	26	2-3	0-0	0-2	6	2	0	0	0	4
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Luc Mbah A Moute	19	1-7	0-0	0-0	3	2	0	0	0	2
Doron Lamb	18	4-7	0-1	0-0	0	0	1	0	1	8
Samuel Dalembert	17	3-7	0-0	0-0	3	0	2	1	2	6
Epke Udoh	15	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	1	1	0	0	0
Diante Garrett	13	3-6	0-0	0-0	1	2	1	0	0	6
Tobias Harris	-- DID NOT PLAY --
John Henson	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		34-87	2-8	13-17	42	22	13	4	11	83

Detroit Pistons
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandon Knight	34	8-16	0-0	1-3	4	7	2	0	4	17
Kyle Singler	21	2-5	1-2	0-0	3	1	0	0	0	6
Tayshaun Prince	37	2-5	1-1	0-0	5	5	1	2	0	5
Jonas Jerebko	18	3-7	0-1	0-1	3	1	0	0	0	6
Greg Monroe	37	11-20	0-0	4-5	17	2	0	1	2	26
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rodney Stuckey	35	11-19	2-5	6-6	6	5	2	1	5	30
Andre Drummond	31	2-5	0-0	0-1	10	1	2	1	1	4
Charlie Villanueva	11	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	0	1	2
Austin Daye	12	1-1	0-0	0-0	7	0	0	0	0	2
Will Bynum	8	1-4	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	2
Jason Maxiell	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Corey Maggette	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		42-84	4-10	11-16	56	23	8	5	15	99

[mpejkrm]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

Nice win to get back on track, Stuckey played a big role.

[Comduklakis]

Re: Detroit Pistons: Rebuilding Towards the Title

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 1, 2013
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Philadelphia 76ers	20	10	--	6-2	12-6
New York Knicks	17	13	3.0	2-3	8-8
Boston Celtics	16	14	4.0	4-3	13-6
Brooklyn Nets	16	15	4.5	5-4	11-10
Toronto Raptors	11	20	9.5	0-5	7-7
CENTRAL	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Chicago Bulls	21	9	--	6-1	12-6
Cleveland Cavaliers	17	15	5.0	4-5	11-11
Detroit Pistons	15	18	7.5	2-3	7-11
Milwaukee Bucks	13	16	7.5	3-5	9-12
Indiana Pacers	12	20	10.0	3-4	4-12
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	20	9	--	4-2	10-5
Atlanta Hawks	16	13	4.0	7-3	11-6
Washington Wizards	13	14	6.0	6-3	10-10
Orlando Magic	13	18	8.0	1-5	6-12
Charlotte Bobcats	10	21	11.0	1-6	3-12
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Chicago Bulls	21	9	--
Miami Heat	20	9	0.5
Philadelphia 76ers	20	10	1.0
New York Knicks	17	13	4.0
Atlanta Hawks	16	13	4.5
Boston Celtics	16	14	5.0
Cleveland Cavaliers	17	15	5.0
Brooklyn Nets	16	15	5.5
Washington Wizards	13	14	6.5
Detroit Pistons	15	18	7.5
Milwaukee Bucks	13	16	7.5
Orlando Magic	13	18	8.5
Indiana Pacers	12	20	10.0
Toronto Raptors	11	20	10.5
Charlotte Bobcats	10	21	11.5
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	25	5	--	2-1	15-2
Denver Nuggets	21	11	5.0	4-1	14-7
Portland Trail Blazers	11	18	13.5	0-3	6-12
Minnesota Timberwolves	10	17	13.5	2-2	4-10
Utah Jazz	12	20	14.0	1-2	8-14
PACIFIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Lakers	19	11	--	13-7	5-1
Golden State Warrios	18	13	1.5	10-6	4-2
Los Angeles Clippers	13	18	6.5	9-10	2-4
Phoenix Suns	13	19	7.0	7-9	2-3
Sacramento Kings	11	19	8.0	7-12	2-5
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
San Antonio Spurs	22	11	--	6-2	12-8
New Orleans Hornets	16	14	4.5	2-2	9-8
Houston Rockets	15	16	6.0	3-4	8-9
Dallas Mavericks	14	17	7.0	1-3	8-8
Memphis Grizzlies	7	20	12.0	2-3	4-12
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	25	5	--
San Antonio Spurs	22	11	4.5
Denver Nuggets	21	11	5.0
Los Angeles Lakers	19	11	6.0
Golden State Warriors	18	13	7.5
New Orleans Hornets	16	14	9.0
Houston Rockets	15	16	10.5
Dallas Mavericks	14	17	11.5
Los Angeles Clippers	13	18	12.5
Phoenix Suns	13	19	13.0
Portland Trail Blazers	11	18	13.5
Minnesota Timberwolves	10	17	13.5
Utah Jazz	12	20	14.0
Sacramento Kings	11	19	14.0
Memphis Grizzlies	7	20	16.5