Drummond leads Pistons past Celtics, Cavs maintain streak as Curry-less Warrior fall to Kings
The Detroit Pistons flexed their muscles with a 118-108 road win against the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics on Monday.
Two games ago, the Pistons were getting embarrassed at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers, looking like a team ready to fade into mediocrity. But Andre Drummond and Tobias Harris squelched those murmurs with career performances against the Celtics.
Drummond scored 26 points with 22 rebounds, six assists and four steals, while shooting 10 of 12 from the field.
Harris scored a game-high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting – five of six from three-point range – with eight rebounds. All five Pistons finished the game with positive numbers on the plus/minus scale.
Drummond with the steal. Drummond with the dunk.#DetroitBasketball pic.twitter.com/YrfaG6jodb
— NBA (@NBA) November 28, 2017
Pistons shooting guard Avery Bradley made his first return to Boston since the Celtics traded him this offseason for Marcus Morris. Bradley scored 13 points with five assists, while hearing pleasant ovations for his former fans.
“In my seven years here, I tried to go out there and compete hard and leave everything out on the court for [the fans]. For them to show that respect back to me, it means a lot to me,” Bradley said after the game, via ESPN. “This will always be my second home and I love all the fans in Boston.”
With the win, the Pistons, still in second place, moved just 3.5 games behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
LEBRON HELPS CAVS EXTEND STREAK
LeBron James flirted with a triple-double in a 113-91 win over the 76ers by scoring 30 points with 13 rebounds and six assists. After a rocky start, the Cavs have now won eight straight games.
Pacers guard Victor Oladipo scored 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting in a 121-109 win over the Magic. Oladipo also added six rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in a true stat-stuffing effort.
NETS, ROCKETS SHOOTING THREES
Everyone was hitting three-pointers in the Rockets’ 117-103 home victory over the Nets, a game in which the two teams combined for an NBA-record 89 three-point attempts, but Nets guard Caris LeVert did not get the memo, missing all five of his attempts from beyond the arc.
PARKER RETURNS
Guess who’s back…
Tony Parker scored six points in 14 minutes in his season debut, leading the Spurs to a 115-108 win over the Mavericks.
Just like he never left… Tony Parker scores his first bucket of the season! #GoSpursGo
: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/gSSyLrRyTb
— NBA (@NBA) November 28, 2017
MONDAY’S RESULTS
Indiana Pacers 121-109 Orlando Magic
Cleveland Cavaliers 113-91 Philadelphia 76ers
Detroit Pistons 118-108 Boston Celtics
Portland Trail Blazers 103-91 New York Knicks
Houston Rockets 117-103 Brooklyn Nets
San Antonio Spurs 115-108 Dallas Mavericks
Sacramento Kings 110-106 Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers 120-115 Los Angeles Lakers
HEAT AT CAVS
James and Dwyane Wade get to play their old team. Wade, especially, having started his career with Miami, should be ready to compete. Both teams have been hot lately, as the Heat have won three straight games, two of which were against the Celtics and Timberwolves.
