Anthony Tolliver and Aron Baynes helped figure a way around Stan Van Gundy’s fears that swapping point guards would disrupt the recently discovered mojo of his second unit: play defense.
The Pistons got off to another sluggish start – as they have in each of their five games since their four-overtime slugfest at Chicago – as they ushered out 2015 with what became a romp over a road-weary Minnesota team. They scored 15 points in the first quarter, finishing the period with more turnovers (seven) than baskets (five). They found themselves trailing by eight points when it ended against a team playing its third game in four nights and a back to back.
So with points coming grudgingly, Tolliver and Baynes all but shackled Minnesota’s scorers in the paint. After hitting 7 of 9 shots to start the game, Minnesota finished the first half making 8 of its last 34 shots. The T-wolves were 6 of 23 in the second quarter when the Pistons outscored them 30-15. Tolliver hit two triples, contributing six points and five boards in the first 7:28 of the quarter. Baynes scored on a ferocious put-back dunk and grabbed three boards in the same time frame.
And Brandon Jennings helped grease the offense with five points and an assist, elevating his level of play from his 2015-16 debut at New York on Tuesday following an 11-month absence as he rehabilitated from an Achilles tendon rupture.
“That unit brought a lot of energy – all of ’em,” Van Gundy said. “Aron and AT defensively, I thought did a great job. I thought Brandon had a good tempo going in that second quarter. They really picked it up.”
“We just try to bring energy, effort, every night,” said Tolliver, who finished with 15 points and five boards, hitting 5 of 7 triples. “It’s a team game. That’s why whenever the starters have been struggling lately, we’ve been playing better and trying to keep us in the game or put us in the game. The goal is to get both units going at the same time and hopefully making a run. At the end of the day, you just figure out a way to win every single night. Tonight, the second unit did a great job.”
The bench turned the eight-point deficit it was handed into a two-point lead when Van Gundy sent his starters back with about five minutes left in the first half. After a wildly offensive third quarter – both teams scored 33 points and shot 59.1 percent – the bench quickly doubled the eight-point lead it was provided to start the fourth quarter.
“The second unit has really been getting continuity and they really haven’t dropped off with Brandon coming in, a guy who we all know can get hot and get it going,” said Reggie Jackson, who got to sit for 21 minutes while scoring 19 points and passing for nine assists in the 27 he played. “He probably doesn’t get as much credit for being able to see the floor and his passing ability. I think it really showed tonight. Happy to see him doing well and helping lead our second unit and helping our team to get wins.”
Jennings said there are still things he’s not quite comfortable doing – coming off screens and getting his shot off, one of his staples – but his easy smile spoke volumes about how he feels his return is going.
“Definitely relief,” he said. “I think when I took the ball coast to coast for a layup in the first half, I felt good after that one. My first shot went in in transition. It’s still there. I’ve just got to get a couple more games under my belt and I think I’ll be ready.”
Jennings finished with seven points, six rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes, but hit just 1 of 6 3-pointers. Getting the feel for when to be playmaker and when to be scorer is still a work in progress as he adjusts to playing with a new set of teammates. He had brief periods of play with Tolliver last season – Tolliver joined the team a month before Jennings went down, though he came off the bench while Jennings started – but is new to Baynes, rookie Stanley Johnson and to Marcus Morris, who often anchors the second unit.
Jennings said the adjustment is more his teammates to him than him to them, though.
“A lot of guys were saying, ‘I wasn’t ready for the pass. I wasn’t expecting that,’ ” he said. “So it’s still going to take some time, but that’s the beauty of it. We got practice tomorrow, another chance for us to get better and for guys to get more acquainted when I’m out there.”
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and helped the Pistons shake out of a defensive malaise.
“I thought we played three good quarters of defense and three good quarters of offense,” Van Gundy said. “The second and fourth, I thought we played both.”
Those were the quarters when his bench planted a stake in the ground and made sure 2015’s sendoff would be worthy of a champagne toast.