Pistons 92, Bulls 75
CHICAGO -- Guard Brandon Jennings scored 33 points to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 92-75 victory over Chicago on Saturday at United Center.
While extending their winning streak to four games, the Pistons ended another long streak. They had lost 14 in a row in Chicago.
Jennings hit 12 of 22 shots from the field, including five baskets from 3-point range. Forward Kyle Singler added 12 points for Detroit (10-10), while three players grabbed double-digit rebounds; center Andre Drummond had 14.
Forward Taj Gibson, starting in place of the injured Luol Deng, led Chicago (8-10) with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Forward Mike Dunleavy added 16 points off the bench.
With both sides playing strong interior defense, the difference in the game was 3-point shooting. The Pistons knocked down 12 of 19 shots from behind the arc, while Chicago was just 3 of 18.
This was a sluggish, slow-moving contest until late in the third quarter when the Pistons suddenly caught fire. During a 14-2 run, four Detroit players knocked down 3-point baskets.
The streak began with a 3-pointer by backup center Josh Harrellson. The Pistons ran the same pick-and-roll play on the next possession, and Jennings kept the ball and drained a 3. Josh Smith and Singler added baskets from long range to give Detroit a 69-54 lead with 50 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Bulls never got closer than 11 points in the fourth quarter and dropped to 2-5 since losing guard Derrick Rose to a knee injury.
Chicago shot just 33.3 percent from the field (30 of 90), including 28 percent in the second half.
Guard Rodney Stuckey, Detroit's leading scorer, left the game in the second quarter with a sore left knee and did not return.
NOTES: Chicago F Luol Deng missed Saturday's game due to a sore calf. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Deng may have originally been injured when the Bulls played in Detroit on Nov. 27, although Deng had played in three games since then. Deng averaged 27 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6 assists in the previous five games. ... Taj Gibson, usually a power forward, started in Deng's place. Gibson averaged 21.5 points in the previous four games. ... Detroit is hoping to get veteran G Chauncey Billups back soon. He practiced Friday after missing the past three weeks with left knee tendinitis. Billups has played in seven games this season, averaging 5.3 points. ... Thibodeau said G Jimmy Butler is getting closer to returning from a turf toe injury on his right foot. Butler has been out since Nov. 18.
