Jennings, Monroe Lead Pistons Past Nets, 98-93
AUBURN HILLS (AP) — Brandon Jennings scored all 18 of his points in the second half as the Detroit Pistons beat the Brooklyn Nets 98-93 on Saturday night.
Detroit, which has won eight of nine since releasing Josh Smith, also got 16 points and 17 rebounds from Greg Monroe and 14 points and nine boards from Andre Drummond.
The Nets have lost five straight with only one win in 2015. Joe Johnson led them with 17 points, while Brook Lopez had 11 points and 15 rebounds.
The Pistons set a franchise-record with 43 3-point attempts in Friday's 106-103 loss to Atlanta. The previous high was 33. And it didn't take long for Saturday's game to turn into an outside-shooting duel.
The teams combined to go 10-for-33 from outside the arc in the first half, which ended at 47-47. Johnson and Kyle Singler both went 3-for-4 on threes in the half, while the rest of their teammates struggled.
Jennings, who hadn't scored in the first half, tallied 13 points in the third, but the Pistons still needed a buzzer-beating dunk by Andre Drummond to take a 74-69 lead into the fourth.
With both teams continuing to bomb away from outside with little success, the game remained close until the Pistons turned a pair of turnovers into fast-break baskets. Jennings then hit a 3-pointer to make it 91-84 with 2:30 to play.
Mason Plumlee was called for a charge at the other end, and Greg Monroe's layup gave Detroit a nine-point lead, its biggest of the game. After that, the only excitement was Lopez's late 3-pointer — the first of his 369-game career.
TIP-INS
Nets: Kevin Garnett returned to the lineup after resting Friday night in a loss to Philadelphia. However, he finished with only two points in 16 minutes. . Lopez was 0-for-9 on 3-pointers before hitting the meaningless shot Saturday.
Pistons: Drummond played 28 minutes, one night after sitting out most of Friday's loss due to an illness. . The Pistons have taken 76 3-pointers in the last two games, making 24 of them. They have taken 33 or more threes five times in franchise history — all this season.
UP NEXT
Nets: Host the Rockets on Monday.
Pistons: Visit the Raptors on Monday.
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