Rodney Stuckey stars as the Detroit Pistons edge the New Jersey Nets 116-109 – NBA Recap
As the National Basketball Association season draws closer to its culmination, it seems that the Detroit Pistons have finally started to find their offensive groove, especially those players who have had some issues with Coach John Kuester.
Wednesday night’s 116-109 win against the New Jersey Nets certainly showcased the fact.
Playing at the Palace in Auburn Hills, in front of a strong home crowd, Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton erupted with a game-high 25 points on an 8-of-11 shooting from the floor and 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe to lead the Pistons. Rip, who has had issues
with Kuester throughout the season also chipped in with 9 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals. He was not the only player who dazzled the court though.
Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey, who was benched in the previous two games due to his disciplinary issues, returned back with a bang and chipped in with 22 points and 10 assists. His heroics also included an array of big plays during the final quarter to pound
the Nets.
Stuckey later said that he has had some differences with coach Kuester, which are now resolved.
Stuckey said, "I'm still a young player. I'm really passionate about this game. I let my emotions get in the way, I got punished, and it's over."
The Pistons looked in good touch right from the tip-off. They outscored the Nets with an early 11-2 run, making it 16-6. The Nets tried to cut the deficit but ended four points behind the Pistons 32-28, when the first quarter closed. Richard Hamilton added
eight points and provided four assists and remained the top contributor from the Pistons during that period.
Staring at a four point deficit, the Nets tried to pull the lead down in the second quarter. They came close twice and finally managed to eclipse with a 10-2 run down the deep end of the first half. The Nets were leading the game by 59-54 at the break. Brook
Lopez made eight points for the Nets.
After the break, Detroit hit back hard and clinched the lead again with a 12-2 run, making it 67-63. The Pistons led the Nets in the most of the third quarter, but they failed to close down the game. The Nets consequently remained within striking distance.
New Jersey made an aggressive surge in the last three minutes of the period to pull another quarter in their favour but fell one short overall, as the third period finished at 89-88.
The deciding quarter started with a bang as Ben Gordon hit a smashing 21-footer to put the Pistons up by three points 91-88. The game swung widely from one end to the other in the ensuing minutes, as the battle for supremacy continued. The Pistons however
finally managed to break the game as they scorched the Nets with an 8-0 blitz mid-way through the period and pushed their advantage to 110-102. That run took the steam out of the Nets’ ranks and they never recovered from it. The Pistons ended up winning the
game by seven points. Stuckey scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter.
The Pistons held Lopez scoreless in the final nine minutes of the game that helped them steal the game away from the Nets. Starter Greg Monroe, who was the hero of the two point defeat against the Washington Wizards last night, added 20 points for the Pistons.
The Nets were playing without their star player Deron Williams, who was out due to a wrist injury. Lopez nearly made up for his absence with his game-high 39-points along with seven rebounds and four assists. His team-mate Jordan Farmar had 18 points.
Next up, the Nets will meet the New York Knicks on Friday, while the Pistons will take on Milwaukee Bucks.
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