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A late
Derrick
Rose
layup
propels
Pistons
to a
narrow
victory
over
Pacers
96-94
Fletcher
Sharpe/Sports
Writer
Tell Us
Detroit
DETROIT
–
Derrick
Rose had
his
first
bad game
as a
member
of the
Detroit
Pistons,
but he
hit the
shot
that
counted,
as the
Pistons
defeated
the
Indiana
Pacers
again
96-94.
“(Rose)
showed
gumption
on that
last
play,”
said
Pistons
head
coach
Dwane
Casey.
“It was
a real
gut-check
moment
for us.”
Rose
finished
4 of 16
shooting,
missing
numerous
attempts
close to
the
basket
where he
has been
making
so far
this
season,
but with
36
seconds
left, he
blew by
Malcolm
Brogdon
and cut
into the
paint,
flicking
a layup
off the
glass
and in
over
Myles
Turner.
“He’s a
former
MVP of
the
league,”
said
Casey.
“We
trust
him
late,
and he
has all
the
confidence
in the
world.”
At
the
beginning,
this
game did
not look
like it
would be
that
close,
as the
Pistons
jumped
out to a
33-25
lead
behind
the
inside
play of
Andre
Drummond,
who
finished
the
first
quarter
with
nine
points
and six
rebounds.
The
Pacers
countered
with
Domantas
Sabonis.
The
Lithuanian
forward
scored
an early
11 point
efficiently,
starting
4 for 4
from the
field,
including
a
three-point
bucket.
He
finished
with 21
points
and 14
rebounds.
Drummond
finished
with 18
points
and 18
rebounds,
to keep
pace as
the
NBA’s
top
rebounder
in this
young
season.
The
Pistons
did
their
best to
maintain
a decent
lead
through
the
second
quarter,
bolstered
by new
signing
Christian
Wood,
who
finished
19
points
and tied
a
career-high
with 12
rebounds,
as well
as 3 of
3
shooting
from the
three-point
line,
also a
career-high.
“Christian
does
well
when he
has a
good
matchup,”
said
Casey.
“Whether
it was
against
Sabonis
or Myles
Turner,
he
played
well and
he kept
us
afloat.”
The
Pistons
lead for
the
first 45
minutes
of the
game,
but a
late TJ
Warren
floater
gave the
Pacers
their
first
lead of
the
game,
91-90.
After
Rose
missed a
short
jumper,
Indiana’s
Brogdon
missed a
wide-open
three-point
shot,
but the
rebound
fell to
Sabonis
who
found
Warren
for a
three-point
shot to
extend
their
lead to
four.
Luke
Kennard
came
down on
the next
possession
and
knocked
down a
clutch
three-point
shot,
with
some
luck
from the
rim. “I
tell our
three-point
shooters
that
they
need to
keep
shooting,”
Casey
said,
“Luke
had
three
big
buckets
late,
but I
tell
him,
he’s got
to bang
those
shots.
We’re a
three-point
shooting
team, we
need to
bang
those
shots.”
Kennard
finished
with 14
on 5-11
shooting
(3-6
from
three)
after
scoring
a
career-high
of 30
against
the
Pacers
in their
119-110
win
earlier
in the
year. As
a team,
the
Pistons
finished
shooting
46% as a
team
from the
field,
and 54%
from
deep on
24
attempts.
The
Pistons
return
to
Little
Caesars
Arena
this
Saturday
at 7pm
to play
against
Kyrie
Irving
and the
Brooklyn
Nets.
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