Derrick Rose buries clutch bucket, Pistons sink Pelicans

New Orleans — Derrick Rose’s miscues with the Pistons are becoming a thing of the past.

After failing to get a shot off and in one game and making a costly turnover in another, Rose has turned the page.

He’s gotten beyond those within the past week, with a clutch performance in the final minutes against the Indiana Pacers.

BOX SCORE: Pistons 105, Pelicans 103

Rose topped it with a game-winner on Monday, lifting the Pistons to a thrilling 105-103 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Rose scored 17 of his 21 points in the final period, including the go-ahead, spinning runner with 0.3 seconds remaining.

It’s the fourth win in the last five games for the Pistons (10-14), who have found a groove since Blake Griffin and Rose have gotten healthier and their minutes restrictions have eased some.

“I’m just trying to learn from my last mistakes,” said Rose, who had seven assists. “The Hornets game is on my mind every time I think about me being in a late-clock type of situation and said I didn’t need a screen, especially not on a big guy.”

On a night when Andre Drummond and Luke Kennard got in early foul trouble, the reserves carried the weight, with Langston Galloway chipping in 16 points on his 28th birthday and Luke Kennard 14 points. Drummond added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

After Rose’s tying basket, the Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram, who had 31 points and six rebounds, drove to the rim, but Griffin stopped him on the drive and forced a bad shot, setting the stage for Rose’s final dagger.

Despite 18 turnovers, the Pistons played well enough to pull out a victory.

“We didn’t play very well. We didn’t play smart. We didn’t shoot the ball well. I thought it showed a lot of character out of our players to hang together and to grind it out in a fast, grind-it-out type of game,” coach Dwane Casey said.

The reserves were the saving grace, accounting for 59 of the Pistons points on a night when foul trouble forced some unorthodox lineup combinations, with Drummond and Kennard sitting for long stretches after getting their second and third fouls.

The Pistons persevered, though, even with Griffin’s out-of-character offensive night, as he went just 1-of-9 from the field for five points and four rebounds.

The Pelicans (6-18) lost their ninth straight and had 20 points, six rebounds and five assists from Jrue Holiday and 13 points from Jaxson Hayes.

They had Holiday, their best perimeter defender, on Rose on the final play. Rose just found a way to come through in the clutch, despite the early-season troubles.

“It shows a lot with coach and them just sticking with me. You’re going to have bad shooting nights or weeks, months or whatever,” Rose said. “But you’ve got to continue to play your game and that’s all I’m trying to do: just keep trying to play my game, being aggressive and taking the open shots wherever I get them.

“I missed a lot of bunnies tonight, but it happens like that.”

Observations

► After Ingram ignited for 14 points in the first quarter, the Pistons made a switch and had Bruce Brown defend him. Though Ingram has an advantage of about four inches, Brown seemed to slow Ingram down a bit, especially in keeping a body in front of him on dribble-drives. Ingram still was a handful for others to guard, but the Pistons also used Griffin and Wood to defend him, giving him different looks.

► Casey lost a review challenge on Drummond’s fourth foul. On the play, Galloway hit a 3-pointer, but Drummond’s foul disallowed it. After the officials reviewed the play, they determined that Drummond did make an offensive foul. Casey said that the Pistons had a timeout to use, so it wasn’t a big risk.

► Griffin defended Ingram on the final possession and said that he knew Ingram’s tendencies and with getting him to drive to his left, his shooting percentage went down. Ingram wasn’t likely to shoot a 3-pointer, so it made Griffin’s defensive job easier. Brown said that he had trouble guarding Ingram, but just tried to stay in front of him.

► Holiday was 10-of-21 from the field and Ingram 11-of-21. Two other Pelicans starters, Kenrich Williams and J.J. Redick, combined to go 2-of-16, which helped the Pistons’ starters stay close.

Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard