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Pistons get pinch-hit homers from Lucas, Anthony to knock off East beast Atlanta

The reasons Stan Van Gundy is so bullish on the future of the Pistons was on full display in their win over Atlanta. But the story of their 115-105 victory was the evidence of why he'll look back with no small measure of pride at their present, despite the fact his first Pistons team is the one that deals him his first losing season as an NBA head coach.

Van Gundy talked over the weekend trip to Florida – visiting his other two NBA coaching stops, Orlando and Miami – about the professionalism of his locker room and the leadership of his handpicked veterans.

What he was talking about was brought to life by Joel Anthony and John Lucas III Tuesday night. With Andre Drummond needing a rest because his normal backup, Greg Monroe, missed his eighth straight game with a knee injury, and Reggie Jackson fighting an illness that sapped his energy and limited him to brief stints over 22 minutes of play, Anthony and Lucas took star turns down the stretch.

"Joel has done it all year. John's been ready and had some good games. We haven't played him for a long time and he comes in and plays 21 minutes and finishes with 15 points," Van Gundy said. "I've said it about Joel and Caron (Butler). It's an honor to coach some of these veteran guys who are professional. They keep themselves ready. I hope our young guys are paying attention because this is the way you do it in the NBA."

Minus Monroe, the three young guys who allow Van Gundy to mull grand ideas for the franchise's future got the Pistons off and running. Against a Hawks team sporting the East's best record, the Pistons hit 10 of their first 11 shots, including 4 of 5 from the 3-point arc, and had already racked up 29 points less than nine minutes into the game when Jackson needed his first rest. He picked up assists on six of those baskets, scored two others and generally tore holes through an Atlanta defense that had not only bedeviled the Pistons in the teams' three previous meetings but ranked No. 4 in the NBA in efficiency.

"He really got us going tonight," Van Gundy said. "He wasn't feeling well and we had to stay on him to be aggressive, but when he attacks he's just a really great player."

Jackson, averaging 22.6 points to go with 11.4 assists and 6.4 rebounds over his previous seven games, said he felt ill earlier in the day but a little better by tipoff.

"It kind of got better for a second, but just got back to where I was earlier in the day," he said. "It was a little difficult, but I tried to give my team everything I could. Just happy the way they competed, the way they came out and got this win tonight."

Jackson finished with 12 points and 11 assists in his abbreviated night, remarkable enough even if he wasn't battling illness. His two other sidekicks into the future, Drummond (22 points, 13 rebounds) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (18 points, 12 in the second half) also had critical input into the win.

But it wasn't happening without Anthony and Lucas. Jackson and Drummond both came out to start the fourth quarter with the Pistons nursing a four-point lead. Drummond helped push it to 11 before coming out, but it was back to five when Jackson scored two brilliant baskets on drives – a twisting reverse layup and a feathered runner. But Drummond came out for his first respite of the half with 10:34 to play in the fourth quarter and Jackson, gasping for air, checked out with 7:38 to play and the Pistons leading by seven.

Jeff Teague immediately scored to cut it to five and it didn't look good for the Pistons unless Van Gundy wanted to risk running Drummond and Jackson into the ground with three more games coming up over the next four nights.

Instead, neither one even came close to being summoned for the rest of the night by Van Gundy. Lucas hit 5 of 6 shots, scoring 11 of his 15 points, in the final 7:38. Anthony allowed Drummond to sit for the last 10:34, blocking four shots in that span.

"It was huge," Lucas said of Anthony's pinch-hit role, though he might just as well have been describing his own. "Any time we can give our guys, the guys logging heavy minutes, an opportunity to rest and get their body right, we've got to make sure we come in and we fulfill that job, that role."

Jackson felt well enough by game's end to be up and celebrating the triumphs of his seldom-used teammates.

"The ultimate professional," he said of Lucas. "He's always ready, no matter. He always tells me he'll be ready when his name is called and that proved to be true tonight."

"You just always have got to stay professional," Lucas said. "This is our job. We're playing a game, but it's still our job. It's our livelihood. You never want to disrespect the game. Because you're not playing, you don't get down about it. You keep working on stuff that you need to work on and constantly watch the game. If you do get your number called, when you go in, make something happen."

The win gave Van Gundy the 400th of his coaching career. He got there faster than all but nine others. The name right ahead of his on the list at No. 9: Chuck Daly.

"I've been lucky," he said. "I've had good players."

He'll remember the ones on his first Pistons team fondly, despite a final record that he expects to routinely better for the rest of his tenure here.