SPORTS

Reggie Jackson locks down Pistons' victory

Rod Beard
The Detroit News

New York — In baseball terms, Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy didn’t know if he was going to be able to count on his closer to finish the game.

Point guard Reggie Jackson was hobbled by cramps, slowed by dehydration and playing with a jammed thumb as the Pistons trailed by three with less than three minutes remaining.

As he’s done several times this season, though, Jackson got himself together and pushed the Pistons to a gutty, 105-100 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night at Barclays Center.

BOX SCORE: Pistons 105, Nets 100

Andre Drummond finished with 21 points and 18 rebounds and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points each for the Pistons (26-23).

Jackson closed the deal, scoring seven of his 19 points during the final stretch, including a tying 3-pointer, a pick-and-roll dish to Drummond for a dunk and another jumper that helped keep the Nets at bay.

“I don’t know what happens, but he’s been a really good closer. He knows the ball is going to be in his hands then,” Van Gundy said. “He wants that kind of responsibility.

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“We’ve had nights where he wasn’t able to get it done and he can move on from that — which is what you have to have, because it’s not going to go all the time.”

Jackson, who shot 8-for-20 but made three 3-pointers, was suffering from cramps in the third quarter and Van Gundy removed him so Jackson receive treatment on the bench. In the fourth quarter, Van Gundy admitted that he almost took Jackson out of the game because he was laboring and didn’t look like he could finish the game.

“I was about to take him out before that stretch at the end because he looked like he was about dead,” Van Gundy said, “and he made every play down the stretch.”

The Nets (12-37) rallied with a 9-1 spurt — with three baskets by Brook Lopez (27 points), including a three-point play — and led, 98-95, with 2:24 left and looked to have the momentum, until Jackson took over.

The Pistons struggled defensively in the first half, but got the stops they needed — holding the Nets to 1-of-3 — in the final minutes to preserve the win. Brooklyn shot 54 percent in the first half and coasted to a 57-54 lead.

“We’re not playing defense — we’re just not. We played eight or nine minutes of pretty good defense today and we’re not defending,” Van Gundy said. “It’s frustrating and I’m not happy with it; I’m angry about it but it’s just not changing.

“I don’t know what we have to do, but we’re not a good defensive team right now.”

Lopez opened the second half with three straight Nets baskets before the Pistons used a 17-2 run to take their largest lead, 75-65, with 3:37 left in the third quarter. Drummond, who had 10 points and eight rebounds in the quarter, had two dunks — including a highlight-reel alley-oop off the backboard from Brandon Jennings — that capped the spurt.

The Nets answered with a 10-3 string, with five straight points by Andrea Bargnani (18 points). Shane Larkin scored on a pick-and-roll and the lead was down to 78-75 entering the final quarter.

The Pistons pushed the lead to eight after a jumper by Johnson and a 3-pointer by Jennings. The Nets answered with a 10-3 spurt, with four points by Bargnani and 3-pointers by Bojan Bogdanovic and Wayne Ellington, as the Nets closed within one.

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After a driving basket by Anthony Tolliver, Thomas Robinson got an open dunk and Bargnani added a fadeaway jumper to give Brooklyn its first lead since midway through the third period.

The Pistons answered with six straight points, with a basket by Aron Baynes, a jumper by Caldwell-Pope and a layin by Jackson, to make it 94-89.

The Nets responded with a 7-0 spurt, punctuated by a three-point play from Lopez. Drummond split a pair of free throws and Lopez added another dunk, for a 98-95 advantage, setting up Jackson’s finish.

Jennings (three points, five assists) provided a boost off the bench, drawing praise from Van Gundy.

“He gave us a really good lift, particularly in the third quarter when Reggie had to go out early,” Van Gundy said. “Brandon, for the second straight game, was really good and working hard at it defensively, so I’m really happy with him.”

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

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