 in the second quarter for their highest-scoring quarter (43) and half (65) of the season, taking a 12-point lead after trailing by nine in the first quarter.The problem was offense for Detroit in the third, with the Pistons going seven minutes without a field goal and shooting 22 percent (4 of 18) after holding Dallas scoreless the first 3 1/2 minutes of the quarter.Smith capped a 17-4 finishing run in the first half with a 3-pointer and a three-point play when he faked Reggie Jackson with a spin, hit a jumper and was fouled as Jackson scrambled back to him.The 20-year-old Smith, drafted ninth overall, missed six games, and the Mavs lost five of them. He was 5 of 10 from the field with five rebounds while Jackson, a six-year veteran, had six points on 3-of-9 shooting. Jackson had five assists.Barnes was 8 of 15 from the field, 3 of 5 from long range and made all six of his free throws while leading Dallas with seven rebounds.Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 points, including a 3-pointer for Dallas' biggest lead to that point, a 23-point edge (92-69) early in the fourth quarter. J. J. Barea had one of his game-high seven assists on the bucket.Tobias Harris, Detroit's leading scorer, scored 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting, missing all four shots from 3.TIP-INSPistons: Drummond had nine rebounds in 17 minutes at halftime, leaving with 3 1/2 minutes left with his third foul. He picked up his fourth and went back to the bench with seven minutes left the third. ... Ish Smith scored 15 points, two shy of his season high.Mavericks: G Kyle Collinsworth scored his first NBA points on a 3 in his debut a day after signing a two-way contract. ... C Salah Mejri was called for goaltending twice in the first half. The first was obvious since the ball had already hit the rim. The second was debatable. Mejri had four blocks.UP NEXTPistons: Home against the Knicks on Friday night.Mavericks: At Miami on Friday night to start a stretch of five of six on the road.---More NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball)
Dec 20, 2017 DALLAS -- The Detroit Pistons, on the rebound from a recent seven-game losing streak, will look to feast on another sub-.500 club when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.The Pistons (17-13) will be going for their fourth consecutive victory. The only team in that group that sported a winning record was the Indiana Pacers.On the other hand, Detroit's seven-game slump, which ruined a fast 14-6 start, came against some of the NBA's best teams -- including the San Antonio Spurs, the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.The Pistons will have to continue their winning ways without guard Avery Bradley, as the defensive specialist's sore hip hasn't responded to treatment. He will be held out of action for at least another week."Similar to a sports hernia, but it's not that," Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said Tuesday. "The symptoms and stuff are the same. It's going to take some time, but he'll basically do nothing for the next seven days and then we'll see where he is and whether we're starting him back or not." Luke Kennard started the past two games for Detroit, and Bradley's absence also has meant extended minutes for Reggie Bullock, Stanley Johnson and Langston Galloway, who all have performed well when called upon during the winning streak.Acquired before this season from the Boston Celtics, Bradley brings a two-way value that is hard to replace. He typically guards the other team's best perimeter player, and he is Detroit's second-leading scorer at 15.8 points per game."Our depth is good and guys are capable of stepping up," Van Gundy said.The Pistons head into the matchup against a Dallas squad that has played well, even during the six-game absence of rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. (hip). However, the Mavericks have little to show for it because of an inability to hold leads in crunch time.They were outscored 13-0 in the final minutes in a loss at San Antonio, and the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 12-point deficit to win 97-91 in Dallas on Monday.The Mavs (8-23) hope to have their speedy point guard back in the starting lineup against the Pistons. Coach Rick Carlisle said Smith is "optimistically questionable" after the rookie went through intense workouts Monday and Tuesday.The close losses have led to some soul-searching by the Mavs, who dropped to 6-11 at home -- giving them more home losses than only the Suns and Grizzlies. Phoenix and Memphis both have 12 home defeats.After a massive breakdown against the Spurs on Saturday, a game the Mavs controlled throughout before falling 98-96, Dallas guard Wesley Matthews said, "This isn't our first heartbreaking loss. It isn't our first loss where we gave away a lead. I don't know if there's any long-term effects. If anything, it should (tick) us off going into Monday." Perhaps it did, but it didn't do any good as Dallas blew a 71-59 lead in the third quarter against Phoenix and was outscored 17-2 during a portion of the fourth quarter.
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