Nets 103, Pistons 99: Brook Lopez posted 20 points and nine rebounds as Brooklyn used a late first-quarter surge to down visiting Detroit.
Andray Blatche scored 15 points and Reggie Evans added 11 rebounds for the Nets, who are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn opens the playoffs by hosting No. 5 seed Chicago on Saturday.
Will Bynum led all scorers with 23 points off the bench while Greg Monroe finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds for Detroit, which saw its four-game winning streak snapped. The Pistons were attempting to win five in a row for the first time since 2009.
After Detroit held the lead for the first 7:08 of the contest, Evans sparked a quarter-ending 14-2 run with a three-point play. Rodney Stuckey answered with a layup on the other end, but the Pistons went scoreless while Gerald Wallace converted a three-point play and Lopez added a pair of baskets during the spurt.
Brooklyn stretched the margin to 75-54 midway through the third quarter, using a 15-4 surge keyed by six points from Lopez. Detroit held the Nets scoreless over the last 3:51 and rallied to within four points, but the Pistons came up short on their final three jumpers.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Chicago won three of its four regular-season meetings with Brooklyn. … The Nets completed a sweep of the Pistons for the first time in their 36-year history. …Brooklyn (49-33) recorded its most victories since the 2005-06 team also posted 49 wins.
Detroit | Brooklyn | |
Will Bynum 23 | Scoring | Brook Lopez 20 |
Brandon Knight 5 | Assists | Deron Williams 6 |
Greg Monroe 12 | Rebounds | Reggie Evans 11 |
Will Bynum 9 | Free Throws Made | Brook Lopez 6 |
Andre Drummond 3 | Steals | Gerald Wallace 4 |
Andre Drummond 3 | Blocks | Kris Humphries 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Detroit | 99 | 47.4 | 1-13 | 24-32 | 17 | 39 | 5 | 17 | 24 |
Brooklyn | 103 | 48.1 | 8-24 | 17-23 | 28 | 38 | 3 | 13 | 24 |