AUBURN HILLS -- Brandon Jennings had one of the best games in recent NBA history Wednesday night, putting up 24 points and 21 assists in Detroit's 128-118 win over the Orlando Magic.
He admitted it was "awesome" -- he posted the league's first 20-point, 20-assist game since Steve Nash in 2009 -- but he wasn't going to say it was the best night of his career.
On Nov. 14, 2009, only a few days after Nash's 20-20 game, Jennings scored 55 points in 41 minutes for the Milwaukee Bucks in a 129-125 win over the Golden State Warriors. He went 21-for-34 from the field, including seven 3-pointers in eight attempts.
"I still don't know what I was going that night," he said. "A 20/20 game is great, but 55 points in three quarters as a rookie? That's the killer. That's the best."
Wednesday night, though, the Pistons didn't care where Jennings rated his performance -- they were just impressed.
"Brandon was phenomenal tonight," said Stan Van Gundy. "That's obvious from the numbers, but they should have been even better. If we didn't miss four or five layups off his passes, he could have easily finished with 25 assists, plus he scores 24."
It took Jennings about three minutes to realize he was going to have a special night. With 9:03 left in the first quarter, the Pistons were 5-for-5 from the floor, and Jennings had assisted on all five baskets.
"When I got those quick five, that really got me going," he said. "I knew at that point that I was going to be able to get into the lane all night, so it was going to be a matter of picking my poison. I could shoot when that was the best option and I could pass when they picked me up."
Jennings had a rough night from the outside, going 1-for-6 on 3-pointers, but he more than made up for it by abusing rookie Elfrid Payton all night. At one point, after Jennings had blown by him yet again, Payton let out a howl of frustration as he walked to the bench for a timeout.
"He's been playing at a high level for a while now, but tonight was a step up," said Greg Monroe, who finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds. "He was finding everybody, and everybody was making shots, because he was getting us easy looks. Tonight, he was just explosive."
The Pistons had to fight off an Orlando rally down the stretch -- they got as close as two points after having trailed by as many as 21 -- and it was Jennings' passing that set up several easy baskets. By the end, as the lead had moved back to double digits, it was time for a personal milestone.
"I've had 19 (assists), so when I had 11 at halftime tonight, I wanted to get 20," he said. "Once they told me I had 19, I was just going to throw lobs to Andre until we got one. That was working all night, and I knew it would work again."
It did -- Drummond threw down an alley-oop for the 20th assist with 1:38 to play -- and he still had time to find Anthony Tolliver for an easy dunk for No. 21. Only Nash has had a game of at least 21 points and 21 assists in this century.
"That's awesome, especially to find out that it is Steve Nash who was the last one to do it," Jennings said. "He's a player that I've always looked up to and admired, so it means a lot to be in his company."
He also became the first Piston to have a 20-point, 20-assist game since Isiah Thomas 30 years ago.
