Bench Lifts Pistons To 115-103 Win Over Nets
NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
AUBURN HILLS (AP) — Anthony Tolliver scored all 17 of his points in the second half and Aron Baynes scored 17 of his 21 in the fourth quarter to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 115-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night.
The Pistons trailed by six in the third and were in danger of what would have been a terrible home loss, but they were eventually able to take advantage of Brook Lopez's absence. The Brooklyn big man missed the game with a virus.
Tolliver helped turn the game around after not playing at all in the first half. He made four 3-pointers and matched his season high in scoring. Baynes, another Detroit backup, set a career high thanks to his big fourth quarter.
Thaddeus Young scored 24 points for the Nets. Brooklyn has lost eight of 10.
Tolliver entered with 4:50 left in the third quarter, and a few seconds later, Brooklyn's Bojan Bogdanovic made a jumper to cap a 13-0 run and give the Nets a 71-65 lead.
Andre Drummond answered with a dunk for Detroit, and the game was tied at 77 at the end of the third. The Pistons then started the fourth with a 16-4 run, and a 3-pointer by Tolliver put Detroit up 93-81.
Lopez's absence was eventually felt inside. Drummond had 16 points and nine rebounds, and Baynes helped Detroit close the game out in the fourth.
The Pistons came into the game in a virtual tie with Chicago for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
TIP-INS
Nets: Bogdanovic scored 19 points.
Pistons: Baynes' previous career high was 18 points. ... Detroit had 30 assists and eight turnovers. ... Reggie Jackson had 14 points and Tobias Harris added 13.
UP NEXT
Nets: Host Charlotte on Tuesday night.
Pistons: Host Milwaukee on Monday night.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
