Spokesman-Review
National Basketball Association
Detroit 123, Portland 103
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, March 6, 2016
Where: The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, Michigan
Officials: #18 Matt Boland, #32 Marat Kogut, #71 Rodney Mott
Attendance: 18386

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Reggie Jackson seemed a little irritated when he was taken out during the third quarter on Sunday. Turns out, the Detroit Pistons' point guard was simply seeking some positive reinforcement from coach Stan Van Gundy.

"I just wanted a handshake. That was it," Jackson said. "Coach was so worked up in the game, I couldn't get my normal 'dap' coming off the court."

Van Gundy claimed he was too immersed on the game at hand to notice Jackson's animation.

"I wasn't trying to shun him," he said. "I was focused on the play in front of me."

Jackson deserved some praise, as he and his teammates responded from a poor outing the previous night. He poured in 30 points and made nine assists to lift the Pistons past the Portland Trail Blazers 123-103 on Sunday at The Palace.

Jackson, who collected his seventh 30-point outing this season, was among six double-figures scorers for the Pistons (32-31) as they bounced back from a 102-89 loss to New York on Saturday.

"I thought I took the same shots, had the same direction, but you have bad nights," said Jackson, who scored eight points on 3-for-17 shooting against the Knicks. "I felt good about the way I played (Saturday), though the fans probably didn't like it."

There were plenty of things for the home fans to like about this performance. Marcus Morris had 19 points, All-Star Andre Drummond supplied 14 points and 18 rebounds and Tobias Harris contributed 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (16 points) and Reggie Bullock (11) were the other Detroit players to reach double digits. The Pistons shot 52.4 percent from the field (44 for 84) and 82.1 percent (23 of 28) from the free-throw line.

Portland's star point guard, Damian Lillard, who scored 50 points at Toronto on Friday, had a team-high 26 points but shot 8-for-22 from the field with a season-high tying seven turnovers. Backcourt partner C.J. McCollum added 22 points and five assists for the Trail Blazers (33-31), who have lost three straight.

"We didn't come out with the right type of focus and the right amount of intensity on the defensive end," Lillard said. "They saw the ball go in and they had a great shooting night."

The Trail Blazers have not played at home since Feb. 25 and they seem road weary, according to coach Terry Stotts.

"We knew it was going to be a tough trip," he said. "It was good to get three wins and certainly after winning the first three, you hope to get another win or two on the road, but we're going to be tested from here on out. This is an example that every win is hard to come by."

Caldwell-Pope shadowed Lillard most of the way after the Knicks' Arron Afflalo made nine of 12 shots against him on Saturday.

"He was upset with last night's performance, with his matchup, and he came out and defended," Jackson said. "He showed why he's one of the best perimeter defenders in the league."

The Pistons won the first meeting on Nov. 8, 120-103, by outscoring the Trail Blazers 41-11 in the fourth quarter. This time, they never trailed while leading by double digits most of the way.

"The first 16 or 17 minutes of the game, our defense was as good as it's been," Van Gundy said.

Jackson's transition layup early in the third quarter gave the Pistons a 67-51 lead. Portland soon cut its deficit to eight on a Meyers Leonard three-point play but couldn't get any closer the rest of the quarter.

The Pistons carried an 85-75 lead into the fourth. They started the quarter with a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Morris 3-pointer, to make it a 15-point spread. Harris' 3-pointer with 6:05 left kept it that way at 104-89. The Pistons gradually nudged the lead to 23.

Detroit led by as much as 17 in the first quarter, then settled for a 58-51 halftime advantage.

NOTES: All five of Detroit's starters scored in double figures for a league-leading 20th time this season. ... Detroit plays its next four games on the road, then begins a season-long nine-game homestand. Portland completes its seven-game road trip at Washington on Tuesday. ... Detroit hadn't swept the two-game series since the 2005-06 season. ... The Trail Blazers won five of the last seven meetings at The Palace. ... Trail Blazers Gs Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are the third-highest scoring duo in the league behind only Golden State's Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. "It's a lot like when you play Golden State or any of the great backcourts," Van Gundy said. "You can't just try to take away one thing."
Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Detroit
Damian Lillard 26 Scoring Reggie Jackson 30
Damian Lillard 5 Assists Reggie Jackson 9
Gerald Henderson 5 Rebounds Andre Drummond 18
Damian Lillard 8 Free Throws Made Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 7
C.J. McCollum 2 Steals Tobias Harris 2
N/A Blocks Andre Drummond 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 103 44.9 11-31 22-23 18 31 0 8 13
Detroit 123 52.4 12-22 23-28 22 45 1 7 12
Upcoming Games
  • Detroit will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Pistons have a W/L % of .531 after a win and .484 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game at home against Washington. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .576 after a win and .452 after a loss.