Pistons 113, Bobcats 93
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Reserve forward Jonas Jerebko matched his season high with 21 points as the Detroit Pistons stretched their winning streak to three games and handed the Charlotte Bobcats their fourth straight loss 113-93 at The Palace on Friday.
Brandon Knight had 19 points and seven rebounds for Detroit (28-52) and Will Bynum added 15 points. Rookie center Andre Drummond, coming off a career-high 29-point performance at Cleveland on Wednesday, chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds before injuring his right ankle with 5:30 remaining.
The Pistons' streak is their second longest of the season. They had a four-game streak in late December and early January.
Detroit had advantages of 45-32 in rebounds, 53-18 in bench points and 58-28 in points in the paint.
Kemba Walker had 28 points, six assists and five rebounds and Josh McRoberts added 17 points and seven rebounds for Charlotte (18-61). The Bobcats, who finished their road schedule with a 6-35 record, have lost a franchise-record 14th consecutive away games.
The Pistons opened the second half with an 11-4 run, capped by a Kyle Singler 3-pointer, to take a 70-57 lead. The Bobcats crept within seven before the Pistons stretched their advantage to 14 by the end of the quarter. Charlotte never got closer throughout the fourth quarter.
The first half, which ended with the Pistons up 59-53, featured hot shooting by Walker, Jerebko and Knight and plenty of turnovers. Walker poured in 24 points, including four 3-pointers, while Jerebko and Knight combined for 31 points. Jerebko made a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to reach 17 by halftime. The teams had trouble holding onto the ball when the hot hands weren't scoring as they combined for 21 turnovers.
NOTES: Pistons point guard Jose Calderon missed his third consecutive game with a strained right triceps. ... Detroit had won seven of the previous eight meetings, with Charlotte's lone victory being a 108-101 overtime triumph at The Palace on Jan. 6. ... Charlotte closes out its season with three home games, beginning with Milwaukee on Saturday. The Pistons play their home finale against Philadelphia on Monday. ... The Pistons were 4-29 when getting outscored in the paint. They led the Eastern Conference with an average of 46.1 points in the paint. ... Heading into Friday's game, Drummond had nine double-doubles, second among rookies to New Orleans' Anthony Davis (20) despite missing 22 games with a back injury. Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has been especially impressed with his offensive rebounding. Drummond is averaging 2.8 per game. "He puts a presence on the offensive boards," Dunlap said. "It's like there's a piece of meat on the tip of the rim and he's going after that sucker like a hound dog that hasn't been fed for seven days." ... Charlotte guard Gerald Henderson had a streak of 20 consecutive double-figure scoring games, the longest of his career.
