Detroit, MI- The Detroit Pistons played one of their best defensive games of the season on Wednesday night, holding the run and gun Phoenix Suns to just 88 points. The problem was the Phoenix Suns offense, as Detroit was only able to shoot 38percent from the floor and lost their fourth straight game 88-86 Wednesday night. Brandon Jennings led the Pistons with 19 points and seven assists while Andre Drummond had 13 rebounds, but only scored four points. The Pistons front court has struggled as of late with Drummond, as well as Greg Monroe and Josh Smith struggling to find their shot. Smith finished the game just five points and four rebounds. Greg Monroe secured another double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, but shot 7-17 from the floor.
Eric Bledsoe led the Suns with 18 points and six assists and his backcourt mate Goran Dragic chipped in with 12 points and four assists. The Suns were able to get a boost from their bench as PJ Tucker and Gerald Green scored 16 and 12 respectively. Phoenix’s bench outscored the Pistons’ bench 39-25. While the Suns were able to shoot 49 percent from the floor, they weren’t able to keep Detroit off the boards as the Pistons won the rebounding battle 43-41. The game was played on the 10 year anniversary of the infamous “Malice at the Palace” brawl that will be remembered for Indiana Pacers players fighting Pistons’ fans in the both the stands and on the court.
There wasn’t much of a brawl, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Markieff Morris exchanged some shoves during the first half. Brandon Jennings and Greg Monroe were each given a technical foul for arguing the same call in the third quarter. The Pistons now own a record of 3-9 and are struggling mightily on the offensive end. Their lack of ball movement has made it difficult for them to create better shot opportunities for the team. On the plus side, rookie Spencer Dinwiddie played in just his second game of the season, playing 13 minutes but did not score. The rookie out of Colorado has been recovering from ACL surgery he went through in January and hadn’t played since the season opener at Denver. Up next for the Pistons is a road game against the Atlanta Hawks, where Josh Smith will make his second return to face his old team. Guard Jodie Meeks has not been cleared to practice, but he is expected to return to the team in a month from now.
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