Andre Drummond tipped in Detroit misses on consecutive possessions in the third quarter Saturday night to stall a Golden State Warriors comeback, and the host Pistons eased away in the fourth period for a 111-102 victory over the two-time defending champions in Stephen Curry's return to action.
The former two-time NBA Most Valuable Player had 27 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 37 minutes after having missed 11 consecutive games with a strained groin. He shot 10-for-21 from the field, including 3-for-9 on 3-pointers, and committed seven turnovers.
Blake Griffin led Detroit with 26 points, while Drummond gathered a game-high 19 rebounds to go with 16 points.
The Pistons led 54-46 at halftime and by as many as 14 in the third period before the Warriors rallied within 78-76 on a 3-pointer by Andre Iguodala with 2:06 left in the period.
But Drummond, who had eight offensive rebounds in the game, dropped in a pair of follow shots and Stanley Johnson bombed in a 3-pointer as the Pistons closed the period with a 7-2 burst to re-establish command at 85-78.
The Warriors were unable to make much headway in the final period, thanks in large part to 6-for-26 shooting from 3-point range.
Johnson finished with 19 points, Reggie Jackson 17, Ish Smith 11 and Reggie Bullock 10 in a balanced attack for Detroit, which won its fifth straight and second in two nights. The Pistons beat Chicago 107-88 at home on Friday night.
Johnson and Smith were part of a bench crew that outscored their Golden State counterparts 42-13.
Kevin Durant had 28 points and a team-high seven assists, and Klay Thompson scored 21 points with a team-high eight rebounds for the Warriors, who lost their sixth straight on the road, their longest road losing streak since February 2013.
Coming off a 51-point explosion in a 131-128 overtime loss at Toronto on Thursday, Durant shot just 1-for-7 on 3-pointers, while Thompson went just 1-for-5.
The Pistons outscored the Warriors 36-18 on 3-pointers in the win.
--Field Level Media
Golden State | Detroit | |
Kevin Durant 28 | Scoring | Blake Griffin 26 |
Kevin Durant 7 | Assists | Blake Griffin 5 |
Klay Thompson 8 | Rebounds | Andre Drummond 19 |
Kevin Durant 9 | Free Throws Made | Blake Griffin 6 |
Stephen Curry 2 | Steals | Andre Drummond 3 |
Jordan Bell 2 | Blocks | Andre Drummond 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Golden State | 102 | 45.9 | 6-26 | 18-21 | 23 | 44 | 5 | 6 | 15 |
Detroit | 111 | 43.9 | 12-35 | 13-20 | 22 | 47 | 2 | 8 | 12 |