Nets Rout Pistons 103-75, Jump To 6-Seed In The East
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Spencer Dinwiddie scored 19 points and the Brooklyn Nets routed the Detroit Pistons 103-75 on Monday night to move into sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
Allen Crabbe finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Rodions Kurucs scored 13 points, and Joe Harris and Caris LeVert each added 12 as the Nets took control early in the game and never let up.
The Nets (36-33) won their fourth straight and leapfrogged Detroit (34-32) into the No. 6 spot in their final game before leaving for a seven-game road trip.
Andre Drummond led the Pistons with 13 points and 20 rebounds. Blake Griffin finished with 10 points, but only shot 1 of 10 from the field as Detroit was held to its lowest point total of the season. The Pistons had their five-game winning streak snapped.
Brooklyn trailed 5-4, then went on a 14-4 run and never trailed again. Kurucs started the streak with consecutive buckets and Crabbe scored eight of the next 10 as Brooklyn took early control.
The Nets led 27-19 after the first quarter and 61-35 at halftime.
The Pistons scored the first five points of the second half and eventually pulled within 63-45 but never got any closer.
The Nets increased their lead to 29 points before Langston Galloway's deep buzzer-beating 3-pointer ended the third quarter with the Pistons trailing 88-62.
Detroit only managed to get as close as 21 points in the fourth quarter and the Nets took their largest lead at 100-69.
TIP-INS:
No one has played in all 69 games for Brooklyn this season. D'Angelo Russell and Ed Davis have played in 68. . The Nets trail the all-time series against the Pistons 107-71, but are 48-43 at home, including 9-4 at the Barclays Center.
HIT THE ROAD, JACK:
The Nets are about to embark on their longest road trip of the season. They are set to play their next seven games away from Barclays Center. Their longest road trip of the season thus far has been four games. "I could do the Joe Maddon thing. I thought about that," said Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. "Dress everybody up in costumes and maybe sing their alma mater. Something funny."
It won't be an easy road for the Nets as they look to position themselves in the playoffs. Brooklyn faces Boston, Toronto, and Milwaukee twice in their final 13 regular season games.
ANDRE'S A GIANT:
Drummond's 19th straight double-double on Monday tied him with Bob Lanier (1974-75) for the longest streak in Pistons' team history. He currently leads the NBA with 55 double-doubles and was last week's Eastern Conference player of the week.
UP NEXT:
The Nets visit Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
