Another player was added to the Detroit Pistons’ injury list right before Saturday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
But despite being down four regulars, the Pistons were able to take down Spurs with a 93-79 victory at Little Caesars Arena.
The Pistons (20-15) led by as much as 19 points in the second half in their first victory since losing starting point guard Reggie Jackson (sprained right ankle) for an extended period.
Reggie Bullock (22 points) and Luke Kennard (20) combined to shoot 8-for-12 from the 3-point line to lead the Pistons their sixth victory in nine games.
And Andre Drummond was dominant with 14 points, 21 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Ish Smith, who replaced Jackson in the starting lineup, finished with 18 points and four assists.
Shooting guard Avery Bradley (groin) missed his seventh straight game and Stanley Johnson was ruled out before the game with a hip issue. Power forward Jon Leuer has been out since Halloween.
A main key for the Pistons was the defense against Spurs stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard.
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The duo combined for 33 points, but were only 10-for-26 from the field. The Spurs (25-12) shot 37 percent, committed 14 turnovers and were held to a season-low 79 points.
Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said before the game that with the team down so many players, players like Tobias Harris and Kennard would be forced to guard the top offensive players on opposing teams.
“What we really need is some guys who haven’t had to play primary scorers, are going to have to step up tonight and guard better people,” Van Gundy said.
Quick start
The Pistons started well offensively, making four of their first five shots and six of 10 to take a 14-7 lead.
Bullock scored 10 of the Pistons’ first 16 points and the lead swelled to 35-20 midway through the second quarter.
Buycks helps
After Langston Galloway struggled as the backup point guard in Thursday night’s loss at the Orlando Magic, Van Gundy turned to two-way contract player Dwight Buycks.
And things didn’t go well – at first.
The Pistons failed to score for five straight possessions early in the second quarter and the Spurs whittled the deficit to eight points.
But Buycks nailed a 22-footer and scored on a reverse layup to push the lead to 30-18.
After a good defensive possession, Drummond yelled encouragement to the young point guard.
No Stanley
Van Gundy surprised reporters in the pregame when he announced Johnson wasn’t available because of a right hip flexor.
An MRI revealed the strain, but Van Gundy doesn’t think it will be a long-term thing.
“We don’t play again until Wednesday so pretty optimistic we will have him then, but we could use him tonight,” Van Gundy said.
The Pistons visit the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
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