Detroit isn't completely dead yet. After another Losing Streak blossomed to five games, the Pistons were able to regain control with a tight 90-89 victory over lowly Brooklyn. The Pistons were down by four points at the halftime break, but managed to outscore their opponent 31-26 in the final period to take the win. Ish Smith was responsible for the go-ahead 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds remaining.
With a 35-41 record, they find themselves now 2.5 games back of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Nets playing better down the stretch
Outside of a 21-point loss to Washington, Brooklyn has actually remained competitive in recent ball games, only losing to the Pistons and 76ers by a combined six points and crushing teams like Atlanta and Phoenix. Still, the offense struggled in this contest, firing at just a 38 percent clip from the field. They were outrebounded 53-46 and barely made it to the free throw line.
The Nets had a balanced scoring attack with three players reaching 14 or more points.
Shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick (13.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg) led the team with 15 points off the bench. He's had 24 points in his last two games since coming back from a lengthy hamstring injury. Small forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (8.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) nearly put up a double-double with 14 points and 9 boards.
Smith clutch for the Pistons
Detroit's playoff chances have been on life support as the team continues to drop games down the stretch. Entering this game, this squad lost eight of their last nine games. However, Smith (8.8 ppg, 5 apg) was clutch in a 3-point shot he buried to seal the win. He finished with 21 points, 6 boards, and a positive passing ratio of five assists to no turnovers.
Along with his heroics, power forward Marcus Morris (14.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) also shined with 28 points and 13 rebounds.
Morris went a dazzling 12-for-18 from the field to boost the Pistons' field goal percentage. This was the second time in the last three games that he eclipsed the 20-point mark, hitting that total exactly at New York.