Warriors 104, Pistons 97
By Dana Gauruder, The Sports Xchange
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Klay Thompson scored 27 points, including five 3-pointers in the third quarter, as the Golden State Warriors opened a seven-game road trip with a 104-97 victory over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace on Wednesday.
Stephen Curry had 22 points and 10 assists while David Lee contributed 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Warriors (11-7), who outscored the Pistons 39-23 in the third quarter to take control.
Curry has racked up at least 20 points and 10 assists in four consecutive games.
Tayshaun Prince's 24 points led the Pistons (6-14), who had their five-game home winning streak snapped. Rodney Stuckey had 17 while rookie Andre Drummond chipped in 15 points and 12 rebounds. The Pistons nearly erased a 20-point deficit in the fourth but lost for the third time in four games.
Thompson and Curry heated up from long distance in the first eight minutes of the second half, as the Warriors stretched a 40-38 halftime lead to 15, 67-52. Thompson fired in four 3-pointers during that 27-14 outburst while Curry had a pair. Curry also converted a conventional three-point play and found Lee open near the rim for a layup.
Curry's second 3-pointer of the half was a contested 25-footer from the left wing. Thompson ended the outburst with a transition 23-footer after Curry stripped Greg Monroe at the defensive end.
Thompson finished off his huge quarter with another 3-pointer from the left corner with two seconds left, giving Golden State an 18-point advantage, 79-61.
Detroit eventually whittled the deficit down to single digits on a 9-0 run, pulling it within 94-86. Curry quickly answered with a jumper but the Pistons kept chipping away and when Prince made a 3-pointer from up top, Golden State's lead was down to 98-95 with 1:03 left. The Warriors then closed out the game with six free throws.
Neither club found an offensive flow in the first half, as the Warriors shot 35 percent while the Pistons shot 33 percent.
NOTES: Golden State will play six more Eastern Conference opponents during its road trip. "It's a great opportunity for us to bond and to make a statement," coach Mark Jackson said. ... The Warriors had a 10-1 record when out-rebounding their opponent while losing the six games they were out-rebounded. Wednesday was the first game that they won while also being out-rebounded. ... Golden State backup guard Jarrett Jack came into the game averaging 17.7 points in his last three games. ... Stephen Curry ranks among the NBA's top 15 in scoring and assists. "People are getting an appreciation of just who he is when he's healthy," Jackson said. "He's an elite point guard and playing that way for us." ... Detroit won 25 of its last 30 at home against Golden State but the Warriors defeated the Pistons 99-91 at The Palace last season and are now 2-0 in the last two meetings there. ... The Pistons held opponents to 40.6 percent shooting in their previous 11 games. ... Detroit was giving up an average of 84.3 points in its victories, compared to 101.2 points in its losses. ... Pistons leading scorer Greg Monroe failed to reach double digits in three of his last four games.
