Jackson's second-half surge powers Pistons past Bulls

[March 07, 2017]  AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Reggie Jackson admits he's had a rough season.

The Detroit Pistons' point guard has taken the brunt of criticism for the team's uneven play. He was the subject of numerous trade rumors and has often watched from the bench while backup Ish Smith played crunch-time minutes.

He did nothing in the first half of Detroit's home game against Chicago on Monday night to silence his detractors. Jackson scored a meager two points as the team got off to a slow start.

That's what made his second-half performance so unexpected and satisfying. He scored 24 of his 26 points after halftime and the Pistons pulled away to a 109-95 victory at The Palace.

"I thank (my teammates) for just backing me and riding me today," said Jackson, who made all 10 of his field-goal attempts in the second half. "It was one of my better games offensively. They just kept egging me on to keep going. I know they've seen it. It's been a tough year for me personally but it's going to be one of my better memories."

Jackson was the closer, scoring 14 points in the final 6:40 as Detroit outscored Chicago 30-16 in the fourth.

"Tonight, obviously Reggie had it going," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It would have been crazy to pull him out at that time."

Jon Leuer supplied 16 points, while Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris tossed in 13 points apiece for Detroit (31-32), which pulled even with Chicago in the Eastern Conference standings. Detroit centers Aron Baynes and Andre Drummond were also factors, as the former contributed 12 points and seven rebounds and latter had 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Pistons finished with a 58-32 advantage in points in the paint. Jackson was instrumental in breaking down the Bulls' defense on pick-and-rolls.

"They didn't want to leave our shooters open," he said. "They weren't communicating too much. They probably had some mixups and then I don't think anybody wants to let Andre roll down the lane and get dunks. And when Aron's in, it's like running into a brick wall. When he sets screens like that, I know I'm really playing one-on-one with the big and it's a mismatch with foot speed."

Jimmy Butler led Chicago (31-32) with 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Robin Lopez had 18 points and Cameron Payne added 14 for the Bulls.

The Bulls were short-handed in the backcourt without veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo. Wade had a left quad strain, while Rondo nursed a right ankle sprain.

"We were right there with the score tied going into the fourth," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I thought we played some pretty good basketball, especially without Dwyane and Rajon out there. They got off to the start they needed to in the fourth and we didn't. They took it to us, built up a lead and we never recovered."

Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) drives the ball to the basket as Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris (34) defends during the second quarter of the game at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Leon Halip-USA TODAY Sports

Butler shot 2-for-6 from the field in the final quarter and committed two turnovers.

"I think everybody knows who's going to get the ball in the fourth quarter, give or take that D-Wade's out and Rondo's out," Butler said. "They did a good job of making me give the ball up."

The Pistons opened the second half on a 10-4 run to take a 61-59 lead. Chicago answered with an 8-1 spurt. It remained tight the rest of the quarter and the score was tied at 79 heading into the fourth.

The Bulls missed eight of their first nine field-goal tries in the quarter as Detroit steadily took command with a 12-3 run. Jackson made a floater in the lane to give Detroit a seven-point advantage with 6:40 remaining. Drummond followed with a jump hook to make 91-82.

A Jackson three-point play nudged the Pistons' advantage to 94-84. Another Jackson three-point play with 3:13 left made it a 14-point spread, 102-88.

NOTES: Pistons PF Tobias Harris reached the 5,000-point mark with a basket in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. ... Chicago is now 5-5 in games that SG Dwyane Wade has missed, though three of those losses occurred when leading scorer Jimmy Butler was also out. ... The Bulls used their 16th different lineup this season. SF Paul Zipser made his fifth start of the season with Wade out. ... PF Henry Ellenson and SG Michael Gbinije were inactive for Detroit. ... The Pistons have won five of their last six home games against Chicago. ... The teams split their first two meetings. They complete the four-game season series at Chicago's United Center on March 22.

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