MINNEAPOLIS – As good as Andre Drummond was (phenomenal) and as much improved as Reggie Jackson appeared (significantly), the Pistons turned a squeaker into a blowout while they rested Friday.
The Pistons two best players went to the bench with 5:08 left in the third quarter after Drummond picked up his fourth foul. Karl-Anthony Towns made both free throws to pull Minnesota within five points. It got cut to three and was still just a four-point game with three minutes left in the quarter.
But with Ish Smith dishing – all six of his assists came in that five-minute stretch – and Jon Leuer running the floor and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope causing defensive havoc and Aron Baynes setting rib-rattling picks and clogging up the lane on defense and Tobias Harris dropping 3-pointers, the Pistons closed the quarter on a 13-3 run over the last three minutes. And then opened the fourth quarter with another 7-0 spurt to seal a satisfying 117-90 win.
“We were getting stops, we were creating turnovers that led to easy baskets on the other end, we were getting out and running, getting layups, getting open threes, and that was really the stretch where we broke the game open,” Twin Cities native Leuer said after tying his season high with 17 points.
“That group has been good. Our bench has been good,” Stan Van Gundy said. “At the end of the third, Pope had some big plays. When he went down (after bumping knees; no lingering effects), Darrun (Hilliard) played a much better fourth quarter. Baynes, Leuer were good. Jon played a really good game. Our point guards did not have a turnover between ’em. Some really good things in that game.”
Yeah, like extremely encouraging signs from the two guys at Van Gundy’s side when the Pistons put the hammer down against the young Timberwolves, Drummond and Jackson.
Drummond played 28 minutes and registered his second straight 20-20 game with 22 points and 22 boards. He hit 10 of 13 shots, making him 21 for 27 over two games with 42 rebounds.
“His energy was great. He was dominant,” Van Gundy said. “He was all over the boards. And you can see, as we start to get more penetration, he gets better opportunities on the offensive boards. The real positive thing is that’s three games in a row – three games in four days – where he’s played really well and that’s what we’re looking for from him is that consistent energy.”
The increased penetration is a reflection of Jackson’s ascendant play as he showed, for the first time since his return from a knee injury that cost him the season’s first 21 games, his trademark burst to the rim. Jackson finished with 16 points, 11 coming in 14 second-half minutes.
“In the second half, I thought he played a lot better and really made better decisions,” Van Gundy said. “Seemed to just be playing, not thinking about what he needed to do or anything else, and when we get to that point then we know he’s a really talented offensive guy.”
The Timberwolves have three really talented offensive guys, the heart of a young team under the direction of first-year coach Tom Thibodeau: Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and Towns. The Pistons held them to a combined 44 points, 21 under their average. And Van Gundy’s bench outscored Thibodeau’s 39-23.
The Pistons are also a young team – they and Minnesota field two of the league’s five youngest starting lineups – but they’re coming off a 44-win season and a playoff berth. They’ve passed a few litmus tests the Timberwolves have yet to be administered. Limiting the damage of runs of the type the Pistons mounted late in the third quarter is one of them.
“Runs like that are hard to stop no matter what age bracket or year bracket you’re in,” said Harris, who finished with 15 and was 3 of 3 from the 3-point line with two of them coming during the third-quarter rush. “We got on a good rhythm. We got some good shots up. Most important thing, we got stops and kept running, had some really good pace to the way we were playing. That was the real point of being able to open up the game.”
The cherry atop the sundae for the Pistons was getting rookie Henry Ellenson some run with a big throng on hand from his hometown of Rice Lake, Wis., a two-hour drive. Ellenson drained a 3-point shot the first time the ball touched his hands.
“It was great having the support of my town coming over. It was real special,” said Ellenson, who said about 200 family and friends were on hand and made their presence heard for his first career triple. “That’s unreal. We’re a town of eight thousand or so. Do the math. That’s a pretty good chunk. The pep band, even. That was awesome.”
Leuer conceded the title of largest cheering section to his rookie teammate.
“I think he set an NBA record tonight for people,” Leuer smiled. “That was really cool to see. I remember my first game back here, back home. That’s something special. I’m sure he’ll remember it for the rest of his life.”