Pistons end 10-game skid behind Jackson's 23 points, 20 assists
AUBURN HILLS -- Beno Udrih must hate the Palace of Auburn Hills.
Ten years after being torched as a rookie by Chauncey Billups in the 2005 NBA Finals, Udrih was destroyed by another Pistons point guard wearing No. 1.
This time, it was Reggie Jackson, who put up 23 points and a career-high 20 assists as the Pistons ended their 10-game losing streak with a stunning 105-95 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Detroit, playing without leading scorer Greg Monroe, trailed by 15 points at the half, but outscored the No. 2 team in the Western Conference 66-41 in the final two quarters.
"We just attacked the basket in the second half, and we played a lot harder on defense," he said. "Once we started getting some stops and started holding them to one shot, we were able to get out and run. That's what changed the game."
Jackson finished with 11 points and 13 assists during the second-half comeback, dishing out nine assists in the third quarter, then scoring nine points in the fourth.
"That was just a phenomenal game by Reggie," Stan Van Gundy said. "Twenty assists is not something you see very often. I know that Brandon had a game like this for us earlier in the year, but it is still an amazing night. He was finding guys for open shots and he was getting the ball to the rim when we needed that."
Van Gundy wasn't kidding about the rarity of Jackson's 20-point, 20-assist game. He and Jennings are the only players to do it since Steve Nash in 2009, and the first pair of teammates to achieve the mark in the same season since at least 1985.
Jackson, who didn't know how many assists he had, got the 20th on a lob pass to Andre Drummond with eight seconds to play.
"Tay made a great pass and I knew the shot clock was running down," he said. "I was about to turn and try to lay it in, but I saw Dre rolling, so I just threw it up. He made a great catch and dunked it."
Much of that was because Memphis was missing starter Mike Conley, who sat out with a sprained right ankle. That left just Udrih and Nick Calathes, who has spent more time in European leagues than the NBA.
The Pistons, though, had to face Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol without Monroe, meaning that offensive specialist Anthony Tolliver was going to have to help Andre Drummond in what looked like the key matchup of the game.
Tolliver struggled in the first half, especially when Drummond was forced to the bench with foul trouble, but the duo held Randolph and Gasol to six points and five rebounds in the final two quarters.
"That was a huge effort by Anthony," Van Gundy said. "We doubled Zach a lot, because you have to do that against him, but Anthony made him work hard just to get the ball and frustrated him all night. It's not an easy night of work going up against that guy, and Anthony stepped up for us."
Tolliver finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Drummond had 16 of each. Detroit also got 24 points from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, including 16 in the second half, and 11 points and five rebounds off the bench from former Grizzly Tayshaun Prince.
"We just had guys stepping up everywhere tonight," Van Gundy said. "Andre had a huge second half, KCP kept fighting and kept working until his shot finally started falling, and Tayshaun gave us a boost on the bench. This was a big night."
It also might be the game that keeps the season from completely imploding. Instead of an 11th straight loss, the Pistons picked up a come-from-behind victory against one of the league's best teams. It's much too late to start a playoff drive, but they might be able to avoid another year of complete embarrassment.
"I've always said that I like this team," Van Gundy said. "They fight hard, no matter how many losses have stacked up, and they've got great attitudes. We just need to play a little better."
